Why do people use VPN's?

[LemonJelly]

I understand they need security but sureley if you got caught doing something you shouldn't your VPN IP would relate back to your VPN account which would lead to you real IP?

[heiska]

It's about picking a provider which says no logs are kept in their TOS as VPN providers aren't regulated and don't need to keep logs.

If they fuck you over and log+give the info away: 1) it's very very bad PR for the company, 2) you could potentially sue them for privacy invasions/breaking their TOS and 3) the evidence wouldn't necessarily hold in court as they're "eavesdropping" you without your permission.

[B18C5]

- Say you're from the EU and you want an American only game from Steam.
- Or you want to stream some video that has location restrictions.
- Or you're trying to bypass your ISP's throttle

I consider the VPN to be protection against the ISP. Not as an all in one security thing.

It's about picking a provider which says no logs are kept in their TOS as VPN providers aren't regulated and don't need to keep logs.

They can say what they want. You're better off assuming they log everything and take additional measures. SSL through the VPN for instance. Any company will turn on you if the government leans on them. It doesn't even have to be that overt, a phone call and a suggestion that the IRS might be looking into their books.

Look at the US. The telecoms helped the government perform illegal wire taps. Instead of anyone going to jail, congress just gave the telecoms retroactive immunity. Or look a Wikileaks, a couple phone calls and their funding was turned off.

[heiska]

- Say you're from the EU and you want an American only game from Steam.
- Or you want to stream some video that has location restrictions.
- Or you're trying to bypass your ISP's throttle

I consider the VPN to be protection against the ISP. Not as an all in one security thing.

It's about picking a provider which says no logs are kept in their TOS as VPN providers aren't regulated and don't need to keep logs.

They can say what they want. You're better off assuming they log everything and take additional measures. SSL through the VPN for instance. Any company will turn on you if the government leans on them. It doesn't even have to be that overt, a phone call and a suggestion that the IRS might be looking into their books.

Look at the US. The telecoms helped the government perform illegal wire taps. Instead of anyone going to jail, congress just gave the telecoms retroactive immunity. Or look a Wikileaks, a couple phone calls and their funding was turned off.

Luckily not every company is based in the US. And don't forget your

[anon]

- Say you're from the EU and you want an American only game from Steam.
- Or you want to stream some video that has location restrictions.
- Or you're trying to bypass your ISP's throttle

Those by themselves are valid answers to the question in the thread title.

A friend of mine used to say there's no 100% bulletproof way of concealing what you do on the Internet, short of using multiple offshore VPNs over stolen Wi-Fi from different hotspots every day. Of course, that has other implications, specially if you "steal" from a residential customer.

On a sidenote, how does this question relate to newsgroups? Since you created the thread in this section, I assume it does in some way.

[B18C5]

Well, I assumed it was related to Giganews "free" VPN.

[zot]

This story made news headlines all over the internet when it happened years ago. Surfola.com - one of the first anonymous proxy services - promised absolute user privacy. When it came time to prove that promise, Surfola instead opened its books to the FBI without even a warrant or court order.

Seeking to conceal his identity when visiting the car ad, the blackmailer used an anonymiser called surfola.com.

The Florida-based service allows e-mails to be sent and postings to news groups to be made anonymously. Its site reassures users, "We will not give out your name, residence address, or e-mail address to any third parties without your permission, for any reason, at any time, ever."

However, as EDRI explains, when the FBI came calling, surfola.com spilled the beans.

full story at http://www.out-law.com/page-3854

The Surfola anonymous proxy service closed down sometime after that incident.

[Hypatia]

Well, I assumed it was related to Giganews "free" VPN.

hell no
anonine ftw
no logs, no monitoring, no traffic shaping
some still do t the right way

[mfalaura]

You can be anonymous with a VPN ! ! And ISP's won't keeps logs of your activities

[B18C5]

Well, you're just moved the monitoring point. When you don't use a VPN, your ISP can monitor you. When you do use the VPN, the people running the VPN can monitor you because they own the exitpoints. That's why I consider it worthwhile to prevent ISP monitoring but, not all that from a total security perspective.