If I use a VPN on a browser like Google Chrome, doesn’t Chrome still know what I am doing? (clueless individual asking)
The short answer is ‘yes.’ But let’s clear up what a VPN is, and more importantly, isn’t. A virtual private network (VPN) does not magically make you “private.” In fact, it may not successfully mask your location either. I’m sure you’re confused — keep reading.
A VPN is, essentially, a proxy on steroids. All traffic sent through a VPN can be read by the provider you’re using. When you utilize a VPN service, the only encrypted part of the connection is between you and the VPN provider. Any traffic beyond this flows as it would without a VPN in place. And since a VPN provider has access to your data, they could potentially MitM your SSL traffic — think of using a VPN as swapping from one ISP to another.
The reason why a VPN may not successfully “hide” your location is because many websites probe your browser to use its geographical location to identify traffic from visitors. If your browser is configured to blindly grant access to your location, it will likely bypass any safeguards put in place by your VPN provider.
Google Chrome can (and does) track your activities online, especially if you’re signed into the browser itself. Mozilla Firefox is an alternative browser that makes an effort not to track its users as much.
A VPN will not grant additional privacy when you’re signed into any account (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) Furthermore, Microsoft does have the potential to keep tabs on your activities whilst using their operating system. There is no way around this. It’s their code running on your hardware and it may contain any number of backdoors. If you’re looking for better privacy on a foundational level, consider switching to a Linux distribution.
The reason why pirates and other privacy conscious individuals use VPNs is to make it difficult for the layman to track them across the internet, or re-gain access to a specific set of banned adversaries such as a public chatroom or website. They may also use a VPN service whilst on a known-vulnerable network (e.g. a public airport WiFi AP, friend’s house, local coffee shop, etc.) — in these locations, your VPN provider snooping on you may be less of an issue than a local bad actor.
A VPN isn’t used to fully conceal all activity — anyone who believes this is highly misinformed. The various articles you see online by numerous companies and bloggers promoting how secure and private your life will be whilst using a VPN are usually affiliates of various VPN providers. They make money every time you use their link to sign-up for a service. It’s that simple.
…, but TOR is too slow on my PC,…
Tor is slower because it encrypts your traffic and bounces it around multiple relays randomly to further obfuscate your data’s origin and destination — unlike a VPN. But Tor is not suitable for file-sharing (and streaming content, in my opinion) because these activities put an unnecessary burden on the entire network which is run by volunteers.
…, why does Netflix & Co. still accept me to be on a different continent after I clicked on a vid?
It would seem your browser does not grant location access (or you manually denied it) for Netflix’s website (or app). In this case, all Netflix has to go by is the geographical location associated with your IP address. If you’re connected to a VPN server in another continent, Netflix assumes you are on that continent.
However, Netflix has a strict policy against using location-changing software in conjunction with their service. They are constantly on the lookout for IP ranges used by various VPN providers. Being able to stream while connected to your provider means Netflix hasn’t banned the IP range yet. Once they do, you will run into an error until you disconnect from the service or re-connect to a server with an un-banned IP range.