I use a VPN on my phone, really only to blocks ads. Can someone explain how this might help improve my opsec or overall privacy or if it doesn’t? I have read the rules.
If you use the DNS of the VPN wouldn’t it reduce what your ISP can see
It doesn’t, it just changes who your ISP is.
VPN only matters when you’re in public or need to access a site that’s blocked for some reason. In terms of security it’s more of a bandaid than a shield.
Congratulations on your first post in r/opsec! OPSEC is a mindset and thought process, not a single solution — meaning, when asking a question it’s a good idea to word it in a way that allows others to teach you the mindset rather than a single solution.
Here’s an example of a bad question that is far too vague to explain the threat model first:
I want to stay safe on the internet. Which browser should I use?
Here’s an example of a good question that explains the threat model without giving too much private information:
I don’t want to have anyone find my home address on the internet while I use it. Will using a particular browser help me?
Here’s a bad answer (it depends on trusting that user entirely and doesn’t help you learn anything on your own) that you should report immediately:
You should use X browser because it is the most secure.
Here’s a good answer to explains why it’s good for your specific threat model and also teaches the mindset of OPSEC:
Y browser has a function that warns you from accidentally sharing your home address on forms, but ultimately this is up to you to control by being vigilant and no single tool or solution will ever be a silver bullet for security. If you follow this, technically you can use any browser!
If you see anyone offering advice that doesn’t feel like it is giving you the tools to make your own decisions and rather pushing you to a specific tool as a solution, feel free to report them. Giving advice in the form of a “silver bullet solution” is a bannable offense.
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Worth, when ur goddamn contry block reddit
VPN offer some kind of a anonymity masking your ip address and geolocation.
But for blocking ads you should use a browser ad blocker.
I don’t know why you are downvoted this is pretty much what it is. I think the only situations where VPNs protect your privacy is when doing P2P.
your traffic is encrypted so anyone sniffing your wifi traffic if you’re on an open network can’t see anything.
If you’re trying to evade government forces it will not help.
Most people would use their own mobile data considering public wifi is notoriously slow.
who downvoted this I hate reddit
People downvote facts about VPNs because they’ve been spoon-fed bullshit about “muh swiss privacy” and other falsehoods.
Pretty much all traffic is using SSL now anyways, so even without a VPN everything important will be hidden.
There’s more to it.
Yes, using a commercial VPN means moving the same trust from your ISP to the VPN. The difference is incentives.
We know all the big ISPs make money by selling customer data because they told is so. Plus we have documented occurrences of them not merely watching traffic but actually modifying it.
VPN, on the other hand, are selling privacy. They have an economic incentive to have good privacy practices. Mistakes can and do happen, of course. In the big picture, we don’t necessarily assume any company will act out of public interest but we can assume they will try to protect their own bottom line.
What hidden and from who is the question
SSL doesn’t help from hiding the overall site you are visiting from your isp