1

I'm interested in using a VPN to improve my online privacy. I am however wondering as to how effective this can be, while using a browser like Chrome, which I use also while logged in (to keep my passwords for instance).

So for example, whereas the Google search engine would not know who I am using a VPN, Google still has access to my identity through Chrome, and by extension to my email and so on. So is it fair to say that in this situation a VPN is useless?

Hence, if I really intend to protect my privacy, is a VPN alone going to make any difference? Or do I also need to change how I interact with the internet through the browser?

Improve this question
3
  • 3
    VPN is mostly useless for protecting your privacy, despite VPN providers' claims. Read this or watch this or this.
    – gronostaj
    Commented Nov 3, 2020 at 7:40
  • 1
    @gronostaj that link is not correct - although some if what it says is certainly valid. A VPN server is not like a proxy. It does offer a degree of protection from third parties - including oppressive governments (but a lot less protection against sites you interact with).
    – davidgo
    Commented Nov 3, 2020 at 10:31
  • The only difference between a proxy and a VPN is how the connection between client and VPN is encrypted while for a (HTTP) proxy it is not. That’s it. As such, the GitHub Gist is very much valid.
    – Daniel B
    Commented Nov 4, 2020 at 8:14

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

I think you are mixing technologies. VPN's can be used to securely connect to company's networks and encrypts the traffic. As well as using a VPN obscuricate where you are coming from, tricking services to believe you are in a different place, by getting the IP of the VPN provider. IE tricking television services into thinking you are in NY when say you are in Europe. Google knowing your searches as, well as linking your youtube and gmail is a privacy problem. If you are concerned about that use other search engines like https://duckduckgo.com/

Improve this answer
2
  • So addressing my question specifically: does the browser pick up my web traffic information, regardless of the VPN? i.e. will Google still be fully aware of my browsing history through medium of Chrome even though I would have a VPN connection?
    – neydroydrec
    Commented Nov 3, 2020 at 9:08
  • 3
    @benjamin yes - browsers are unaffected by vpns and need full access to the final payload. - sans additional measures Google will still be able to track your browsing history - although you can - with difficulty - create different profiles which you can keep google from connecting together.
    – davidgo
    Commented Nov 3, 2020 at 10:35
-1

The source IP address of your traffic is only one of many avenues that can be used to track you and honestly it's probably not the most important one.

If you use the same browser instance both with and without a VPN then it is very likely to reveal information that can be used to link your VPN and non-VPN activity. Cookies are one obvious way it can reveal this but they are far from the only one. Other applications can also leak information though it's less likely.

IMO the only reasonably robust way to prevent linking up your VPN session with your regular internet session is to use either a completely seperate computer or to use a virtual machine. This separate computer or VM should be setup so it CANNOT access the internet when the VPN is disconnected.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .