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The truth about VPNs? (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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So I'm pretty recent to the high seas but I've seen a few posts now about "stop relying on your VPN" and "people that think VPNs will protect them are naive" and so on.

So since I believe knowledge is our greatest weapon/tool/super-power, can we get some answers regarding what exactly the doomsayers are getting at? ELI5 why VPNs wouldn't protect your anonymity.

Is it about logging? The country your end-point is in? Something more technical?

Ultimately I'd like to be fully armed in order to keep making the best choices for my fledgling ship as it navigates the vast, stormy seas.

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[–] SimplyKnorax 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm not against pirating, I'm all for it. But copyright infringement is a crime (it might not be the case for all countries though!) Companies might not necessarily act on it on an individual level, but they still can put pressure on ISPs to track this kind of traffic. Either way, it's better to use a VPN than not using one just to be safe!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

You're right that I should have specified the US, and will edit my original comment.

It's not a crime in the US that has state-served sentences like fines or imprisonment, rather is a civil infraction. Granted, the media trade organizations like the MPAA and RIAA would very much like to make copyright infringement felonious, but that could easily lead to overenforcement and filling our already impacted prisons even more.

I've heard the European watchdogs are more severe and will go after grandmothers who play radios too loudly regarding public performance regulations.

But we're in an era in which states are passing laws to make persons illegal or strip them of their rights, so we can't rely on the state (any state) to fairly assert how their populations should behave, and Disney has been an IP-maximalist shit since the mid 20th century.

So our respect of legality should only extend to what can and will be enforced. The Sheriff of Nottingham does not deserve our obedience. (Prince John neither)