this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2025
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I don't understand the purpose of these services. I don't use VPN to access someone else's network. I use it to access my own. They're doing the exact opposite of what you'd want.
You use a vpn to (hopefully) keep some privacy. To bypass geoblocks, to not let a state spy on you, to access webpages that are blocked in your country, to screw an ISP that is throttling your connection...
In general, there are lots of use cases for a trusted vpn that are not illegal. The problem with many vpn's is that they offer "privacy" when they are spying on you.
Any commercial entity will allow the state to spy users.
Using somebody else's vpn is only useful for getting geoblocked content. If you want actual protection from the government you need it running on your own hardware and configured with a dead man's switch.
Not true. I've been pirating for almost a decade from my VPN. One time it crashed and keep seeding, I got 108 notices from ISP.
Fixed the issue by binding my nic to the app, never had issues again.
I'm honestly shocked that you get the sort of individual here in Lemmy that doesn't understand the difference between a commercial company; and DHS, DoJ, JTAC, DGSI, etc.
Please read my comment again and tell me why you think torrenting might make you an enemy of the state. God damnit it's hard keeping lemmings on topic.
How about suck my balls.
Wrong.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/mullvad-vpn-hit-with-search-warrant-in-attempted-police-raid
And I'm sure the government hasn't complelled them to do anything in the background. The absence of logs doesn't mean shit, it's easy to ship them to whomever and never touch a disk.
It's not healthy being this paranoid. You're not being hunted by the government.
The whole point of using a VPN for privacy is because you are paranoid of your isp and government
Move that goal post a bit more. It's clear you haven't read up on how it's used all the time.
I'm not saying I or the average person on this forum needs to use these measures. The average person isn't hiding data or capable of hiding from the state completely. But do not advertise a commercial VPN as a tool to remain private from the state. It is a worthless tool unless the person on the other end is going to jail for you.
What goalposts? I just called you crazy. I for one don't think the government is that sophisticated or competent given everything else they've done :p
Again, stuff like this already happens. It's not a secret. Governments regularly compel commercial entities and put them under gag order.
Your ignorant comments are irresponsible. I suspect anyone actually hiding from the state already knows this.
The only use I see of these VPN's are for pretending you're in a different country. Like if you're in the UK and want to visit some spicy websites without sending them a picture of your face.
Or simply for hiding your IP when torrenting. Bouncing things off of your home network is fine for hiding your activity when using public WiFi… But it won’t do a goddamned thing to protect you when you’re torrenting at home. Plenty of people have ISPs and/or governments that care a lot about what they torrent. So using a VPN is a very easy way to avoid those bright red “we’re going to shut off your service if you keep torrenting. Also, we gave your IP to the copyright owners and you’re being sued” letters.
You're in Germany. If you do something illegal like downloading a movie and the police gets your IP during it, they can request your ISP to reveal your identity and charge you with a crime.
If you use a VPN, your IP is the IP of the VPN company, and they'll say "we have no idea which of our users did that request, they all use the same IP".
Aren't VPN:s subject to exactly the same laws as ISP:s? My ISP only records precisely as much as the law requires and throws it away as soon as permitted.
Yep but your VPN wouldn't be in Germany obviously, but in a country with less strict laws on which information have to be kept.
To do business in the EU, surely they still must follow EU regulations even if they're seated in another country. Just like with the cookie warnings that the entire world has had to adapt to.
the entire world didnt have to adapt to them, the EU has no regulatory power over websites operated outside the EU, but most websites just simply found it easier to do so, because of the fear that not doing so might turn visitors away, and to sites that do comply.
Just like how USB-C has become the universal charger connector for phones.. its not because the EU demanded it for the world, they just demanded it for their markets, and rather than create phones with USB-C for the EuroZone, and other phones for a different charger for the rest of the world.. they just push out USB-C for everything everywhere as a cost savings (for them, compared to having to run a second line for a different charger)
I find that hard to believe. There are several US websites that have blocked the EU entirely because they don't want to spend resources on following EU regulations. If what you say is true it would be more beneficial for them to just not do anything. Getting fewer EU visitors is better than getting none at all.
It's almost like a way to sell a proxy service to a new audience, so many people only use it for geoblocking and think it's all there is to it, kinda sad
It's to hide your location, access more grey areas your ISP may not like. Find one that keeps no logs like Torguard.