On Privacy Memes

On YouTube there are many YouTubers who spout nonsense about the security provided by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Read from a script, provided by them by unscrupulous companies who have to spout bullshit to sell access to product most people don’t know how to use correctly.

But, let’s go through the claims made in YouTuber VPN ads.

• A VPN encrypts your traffic and protects it from hackers on public WI-FI

Yes. The average VPN advert still acts as if every website still uses a Plaintext connection. Something is not true for over 5 years. Even more laughable, many of these adverts mention protecting your banking information from hackers on public WI-FI.

Pro-tip: Banking websites were some of the first to adopt encryption (https) and HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) which disallows loading of their website over encrypted networks.

Any attempts for a hacker to pass your data though a security downgrade proxy does not work for banking websites. Those VPN adverts are misleading.

• A will make you anonymous or hide your traffic from governments

Many VPN adverts nowadays try to avoid claiming their service makes you anonymous (after backlash), however they will often claim to protect your browsing traffic from being spied on by hackers and even governments….

Considering the average VPN, user just presses “the green button” to connect to a service in their own country. Their country’s government can simply pull logs from the ISP and compare them with logs held by online services.

That does not even mention non-IP address tracking. Such as the cookies left by websites, device fingerprint (Screen size, CPU, operating system. Etc.) or even logging into your account over a VPN that you logged in previously from your internet connection.

A VPN is simply third party LAN that you tunnel into. Nothing more, nothing less. On its own, a VPN offers near-zero extra privacy.

• VPN and Bypassing Geo blocking

Perhaps the only accurate statement made in Youtuber VPN adverts.

Yes, you can (at least sometimes, presuming the streaming service has not blocked your VPN, yet) use a VPN to watch online streaming content not available in your country.

Of course, the VPN companies won’t tell you that some media companies consider bypassing Geoblocking as piracy.

In conclusion; most people won’t gain any privacy from a VPN service and most Youtubers are selfish shills that won’t point their viewers to better privacy options, like Tor as the Tor project doesn’t sponsor YouTubers.

Published: 1st November 2023