# VPN or not VPN



## Packerjohn (Dec 12, 2022)

Greetings fellow Computer people.  Something has come up.  I was reading a travel site and it advised me to get a VPN when traveling.  VPN stands for "Virtual Private Network."  It is suppose to protect my private information.

I have been on the www since 1989 (33 years) and never had a VPN.  All the VPN companies, ExpressVPN, PrivateVPN, ProtonVPN and PureVPN charge money each month.

Will someone explain to me if I should get this.  I will be traveling but I might just log in once or twice each week to check my email and I do not intend to do any banking while on the road.  Thanks for all and any advice.  John


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## Nemo2 (Dec 12, 2022)

We use it.  First introduced to it at Lisbon Airport in 2018 by a young woman in the Canadian Military that we chatted to.


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## Nathan (Dec 12, 2022)

@Packerjohn , if you're traveling by all means get a VPN, not just for your laptop but also for your phone.


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## Packerjohn (Dec 12, 2022)

Thanks I will check whether I can get it for just a couple of months.  I don't think I will take the laptop this trip; just my phone.  I don't spend too much time on www while traveling; prefering to see the places that I know I will never see again.


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## Nemo2 (Dec 12, 2022)

Packerjohn said:


> Thanks I will check whether I can get it for just a couple of months.  I don't think I will take the laptop this trip; just my phone.  I don't spend too much time on www while traveling; prefering to see the places that I know I will never see again.


We use ExpressVPN, (which is the one the military lady suggested), year round, (we were doing a lot of traveling, but that could wind down like Hemingway's bankruptcy remark).  My supervisor, an IT veteran, doesn't like to use 'public' systems because of the potentially invasive problems.


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## Mr. Ed (Dec 14, 2022)

https://restoreprivacy.com/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes/


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## Been There (Dec 16, 2022)

I don’t know where you are traveling, but some countries do not allow VPN. However, like others here, I strongly suggest using a VPN. Here is the one that I used to use and is considered one of the best.
VPN

I use Norton now, but when my contract is over, I am changing. Keep in mind, that when you have VPN turned on, some websites will not allow you entry, but they are few and far behind.


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## Nathan (Dec 16, 2022)

The Tor browser is free and secure.  VPN vs Tor:  Tor relies on a decentralized layer of independent nodes to transfer data securely, while VPN software connects to a central server to provide a secure VPN tunnel.


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## ManjaroKDE (Dec 16, 2022)

Double entry, delete


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## snagglestone (Dec 16, 2022)

I would avoid free VPN's because if you aren't paying, then the VPN company is *selling you*, one way or the other. You might find a "freemium" model that just makes in a PITA to keep free, so shuffles people into a plan that requires you to pay a fee. But those outfits can be questionable too. So if you're set on using a VPN, just pay for a reputable one. That being said, I agree with Nathan that TOR Browser is ok, even though it's free.

I gave up bringing a computer when I travel, so for me, it's just the phone.  I'm not at all worried about using my phone apps or brwoser over a cell connection.  And just slightly worried about using those things over public wifi.  Why? Because everything is encrypted.  As long as you don't get fooled into clicking on something like https:// abc123 . com / fidelityLogin.html, you're going to be fine.  Using the app that you downloaded and routinely use while at home, you're going to be fine...it's all encrypted end-to-end.  The VPN is a nice added layer, but I don't bother.


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## Packerjohn (Dec 16, 2022)

Thanks to all who replied.


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## hearlady (Dec 16, 2022)

Yes. It helps keep your info safe.


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## perChance (Dec 17, 2022)

The internet isn't a safe place.  I took a couple of internet security courses and an ethical hacking course - some of it was over my head, but I still learned a few things.  

Governments and businesses spend a lot of money on security - they still get hacked.  One thing mentioned in the course was how many companies didn't bother to install critical updates and how many didn't have protocols in place for secure passwords.

My son-in-law works for a big international company and they warn their employees NEVER log into work over public wifi, even if you are using a VPN.

We can't avoid the internet - so we just have to try to keep ahead of the crooks.


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## Indiana Joe (Dec 18, 2022)

Packerjohn said:


> Greetings fellow Computer people.  Something has come up.  I was reading a travel site and it advised me to get a VPN when traveling.  VPN stands for "Virtual Private Network."  It is suppose to protect my private information.
> 
> I have been on the www since 1989 (33 years) and never had a VPN.  All the VPN companies, ExpressVPN, PrivateVPN, ProtonVPN and PureVPN charge money each month.
> 
> Will someone explain to me if I should get this.  I will be traveling but I might just log in once or twice each week to check my email and I do not intend to do any banking while on the road.  Thanks for all and any advice.  John


There's tons of stuff on VPNs.  This article might be more reliable seeing how its coming from Consumer Reports.

Be warned. Many VPNs lie about their encryption and other items. They're businesses. Businesses do lie - all the time.

https://www.consumerreports.org/vpn-services/should-you-use-a-vpn-a5562069524/


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## Indiana Joe (Dec 18, 2022)

Packerjohn said:


> Greetings fellow Computer people.  Something has come up.  I was reading a travel site and it advised me to get a VPN when traveling.  VPN stands for "Virtual Private Network."  It is suppose to protect my private information.
> 
> I have been on the www since 1989 (33 years) and never had a VPN.  All the VPN companies, ExpressVPN, PrivateVPN, ProtonVPN and PureVPN charge money each month.
> 
> Will someone explain to me if I should get this.  I will be traveling but I might just log in once or twice each week to check my email and I do not intend to do any banking while on the road.  Thanks for all and any advice.  John


A bit more about VPNs plus the bad side of them.

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29


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## Jean-Paul (Dec 18, 2022)

Bonjour à tous

Infosec tips from an old retired engineer (68')

Try Nord VPN, we have Switzerland Proton secure email, Proton has VPN ( paid)
Very important for travelers on hotel, aircraft,public wifi or in captive countries that restrict internet acess and monitor your every action...

Brave and other "privacy"  browsers are slow, and often fail to load. Get off Gmail, and use Duck Duck Go as search engine not Google.

Best défense is never open any attachments even images or pdf,  save and scan first
Use your email clients (outlook, Thunderbird etc) to " view source" to see the headers  as to the real senders, 

Apparant messages from large firms like telco,cable, insurance,health care are spoofed, invariably the mail originally is sent from scammers in East Europe, Asia or Africa.
Run antivirus and anti malware, full scan, root scan periodically. 

Avoid  free SW utilities that install " bundleware",  extra un authorized programme or process.
Especially VPN, AV, program installation monitoring "free" SW.

At any sign of hack or penetration (ransomware...WARNING YOUR COMPUTER FILES HAVE BEEN ENCRYPTED "   immediately turn off the machine, even unplug it.

Finally never dépend on one device.....backup files, images, documents, settings periodically to SSD ext drive or via cloud, especially easy for ijunk afficiaidos with icloud.

J'espère vous souhaite une bonne fête d'hiver 
( I wish (to you) a happy Winter Holidays) 

Bon Soirée 
Jon


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## RadishRose (Dec 18, 2022)




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## Packerjohn (Dec 18, 2022)

Bottom  Line tells me "Trust no one.!  Everyone seems to be out there trying to rip you off.  What ever happened to good customer service and a product worth buying?  Buyer Beware!


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