Does a VPN used on a smartphone with Wi-Fi disabled (mobile data only enabled) provide any sort of protection?

hedge@beehaw.org to Technology@beehaw.org – 31 points –

I've never completely understood this, but I think the answer would probably be "no," although I'm not sure. Usually when I leave the house I turn off wifi and just use mobile data (this is a habit from my pre-VPN days), although I guess I should probably just keep it on since using strange Wi-Fi with a VPN is ok (unless someone at Starbucks is using the evil twin router trick . . . ?). I was generally under the impression that mobile data is harder to interfere with than Wi-Fi, but I could well be wrong and my notions out of date. So, if need be, please set me straight. šŸ™‚

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A commercial VPN provider is just another random third party.

You get to choose them. You can research them. They don't have a geographic monopoly on your internet connection. That gives you more control, and then more incentives to do the right thing

If you pay for your VPN using crypto, then they can't tie it to your name, when they're reselling the traffic it's harder to tie it to an identity

https://www.privacyguides.org/en/basics/vpn-overview/

AĀ VPNĀ has many advantages, including:

  1. Hiding your traffic fromĀ onlyĀ your Internet Service Provider.
  2. Hiding your downloads (such as torrents) from yourĀ ISPĀ and anti-piracy organizations.
  3. Hiding yourĀ IPĀ from third-party websites and services, helping you blend in and preventingĀ IPĀ based tracking.
  4. Allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions on certain content.

VPNs can provideĀ someĀ of the same benefits Tor provides, such as hiding yourĀ IPĀ from the websites you visit and geographically shifting your network traffic, and goodĀ VPNĀ providers will not cooperate with e.g. legal authorities from oppressive regimes, especially if you choose aĀ VPNĀ provider outside your own jurisdiction.

If you pay for your VPN using crypto, then they can't tie it to your name, when they're reselling the traffic it's harder to tie it to an identity

Surely that only works if you have personally mined the crypto yourself.
And if you only use that wallet for paying for the same VPN service.
Crypto isn't anonymous, the ledger of all transactions (IE the Blockchain) can be read by anyone.

That, unlike your ISP, isnā€™t obligated by law to log the connections you make (ā€˜data retentionā€™). Depending on the jurisdictions.