Just saw that my ‘free’ VPN contacts it’s analytics servers once every ten seconds. Thanks, PiHole!
This is only the analytics domain. When you use this free VPN, you send them your entire data stream, so the analytics you see on the Pi-hole are the least of the problems.
If it’s free, that means youre the product.
A free service that doesn’t respect privacy? Shocker.
I’ve noticed this on other applications too. It’s not as bad as you think - although they are getting data - you’re the product as someone else said. But if it wasn’t blocked it wouldn’t be trying as often - it tries, realises it failed, so waits 10 seconds and tries again. It’s probably hourly or daily if not blocked.
VPNs have overhead, so if they’re offering it for free they’re making money somehow. Think about how a company that’s getting a direct line to all of your network traffic might make money, then run far, far away.
Never heard of “urban” vpn. Sounds fishy.
Low TTL (2s is default) on the blocked domain does this. It probably tries to log, can’t do it, waits 5-10 seconds, and tries again. Sooooo many services do this, and it makes sense. Say you blocked something that you wanted to store data to (ex: an email client), and it sees that it’s online, you’d want it to keep attempting. Maybe not every 10 seconds, but pretty regularly. The stats and logs in PiHole are awesome, but for this really make things look worse than they are. You just have to know what data you’re looking at.
So… if the blocked TTL was set to like 10 mins, you’d only see it in your logs every 10 mins since the service wouldn’t be sending DNS requests to your PiHole every 10 seconds.
If you want a free VPN, you could give ProtonVPN a try 
But it’s usually better to pay for a VPN, although even that doesn’t guarantee that it’ll be any good.
Question: when you add links to the block list. Where should u added them and what category should you mark it?
Like for example: Links like this
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hectorm/hmirror/master/data/adaway.org/list.txt
What should I mark it as? And which category? Also, what other type of links fits what?
I’m confused, so you’re worried about privacy but you use a free VPN. You’re an interesting individual.
Can’t block all the ways they’re selling your data, and keeping those logs though.
If you truly want no logging of your precious activities, simply go with Nord…they are based in Panama, as the country has no mandatory data retention laws and does not participate in the Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes alliances.
https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=15&aff_id=45840&url_id=902
VPN services are just another way to harvest data. I wouldn’t use them.
Why not use PiVPN?
I think Pihole just pointed out that you’re a damn idiot.
VPNs are so cheap, even ok reputable ones there is no reason not to pay for one. Depending on what you are needing, loads of them also offer proxy services so you can configure your specific app or even the router to use the proxy. That way you don’t need to install any stupid application to “vpn” when all you really need is just the proxy service.
I don’t usually ever have the VPN on for long periods of time
And if it’s not free, you’re still the product