Do I need a VPN?

[HDFan]

One use of a VPN besides security is that it allows you to access foreign websites (such as the BBC) which have IP locality restrictions. Using a VPN gateway in that country with a local IP address usually gets you access.

 

[jkozlow3]

I'm admittedly a bit ignorant on this subject, but what exactly is it that people are doing online that warrants such strong privacy concerns around ISPs selling their browsing data?

I'm probably in the minority here, but I personally couldn't care less if my ISP sells my internet browsing history or if the government wants to read my text messages or listens to my phone calls. I'm not doing anything illegal and have nothing to hide. It would be a huge waste of time for the government to monitor me and I'm sure they have better things to do.

I use a VPN to access my employer's network. If I'm in a hotel room traveling for work and connected to a public WiFi network, I usually fire up my employer's VPN when I'm doing things like logging into my bank's website so that my traffic isn't unsecured on the public WiFi network (protecting my passwords, etc.). But other than that, I really don't see a need personally. If I'm missing something, please educate me.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I'm admittedly a bit ignorant on this subject, but what exactly is it that people are doing online that warrants such strong privacy concerns around ISPs selling their browsing data?

I'm probably in the minority here, but I personally couldn't care less if my ISP sells my internet browsing history or if the government wants to read my text messages or listens to my phone calls. I'm not doing anything illegal and have nothing to hide. It would be a huge waste of time for the government to monitor me and I'm sure they have better things to do.

I use a VPN to access my employer's network. If I'm in a hotel room traveling for work and connected to a public WiFi network, I usually fire up my employer's VPN when I'm doing things like logging into my bank's website so that my traffic isn't unsecured on the public WiFi network (protecting my passwords, etc.). But other than that, I really don't see a need personally. If I'm missing something, please educate me.

I think the one factor you may have missed is that the ISP, because it assigns the customers' IP address, is better able to correlate actual subscriber identity with browsing activity. Ideally, they would anonymize that information if they were to sell it, but there's no assurance of that.

While some people may have something to hide, in most cases it seems it's due to differing attitudes about government, commercial interests, and just how secure one needs to feel.

 

[tibas92013]

One use of a VPN besides security is that it allows you to access foreign websites (such as the BBC) which have IP locality restrictions. Using a VPN gateway in that country with a local IP address usually gets you access.

Same here in Costa Rica as many Tune-In Radio stations will not let you access their channel due to being outside the good old USA. That's why I pay "Witopia VPN" around $50 a year to get around this problem.