• kobra@lemmy.zip
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    10 days ago

    When I used Proton or Mullvad I usually had to switch it on and off when needed because of so many issues with sites/games/etc. blocking me. However, the last deal I picked up was for NordVPN and that one I’ve been able to leave connected at all times without any issue.

    • tomiant@piefed.social
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      10 days ago

      Bro Mullvad has split tunneling for applications you can just do that. Mullvad is superior in every possible way to NordVPN. I mean most VPNs today do a solid job but Mullvad is peak for more reasons than you can shake a stick at.

  • Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org
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    10 days ago

    Usually on a needed basis. Some pages are blocked where i am and those do get the exception for my regional locking hatred.

    Otherwise, i don’t really care. Though I’m open to reasons why i should care.

    • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      10 days ago

      I default to on, and turn it off if I need something that is blocking me and there’s no workaround.

      Although the traffic itself is protected, I find the signal of «I am doing something “secret” right now» to be best avoided both for passive metadata collection as well as active correlation attacks reasons; as well as to avoid leaks by clicking some link or just loading an image from some server that might be more “revealing” than I’d like. I’m not talking about anything super spicy, for example just by being a Lemmy user the image hosts you see more can depend on the comms/instances you use the most often - a pretty small segment.

  • printf("%s", name);@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    10 days ago

    Mullvad on a router, so always on, because it’s nobody’s business who I am and what I do and where I do it. In there rare case that I need to use a service that blocks Mullvad, I just use my phone that has their toggleable app.

  • njordomir@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    I always had it on, and got banned from my favorite game server for possible alt-accounts. It’s a tight-knit community and the admin fixed it for me a few times until it got annoying. Now I start my game with a shell script that turns off the VPN via CLI before loading so I don’t get banned over and over. 90% of everything else goes through a VPN, not because it has to, but because I want my ISP to be blind by default, at least to the degree I can make that happen

  • cecilkorik@piefed.ca
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    10 days ago

    I trust my ISP more than I trust a VPN. I only need a VPN when I need to appear like I’m in another country. That said, I’m very careful about who my ISP is, I have a choice in who my ISP is, and I pay more for that privilege, and I understand a lot of people don’t have that luxury.

  • OnyGT@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    i used to use it 24x7 before but now i just turn it on when i need it since it makes my internet significantly slower.

  • skankhunt42@lemmy.ca
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    10 days ago

    I have nonpublic services I host at home so I VPN home anytime I’m out.

    I have a docker container for my Linux ISOs with a VPN.

  • cally [he/they]@pawb.social
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    10 days ago

    if i paid for one i would have it on (if i pay for it i might as well use it + more privacy). but, since i just have proton free tier, i turn it on whenever “This content is not available in your region” shows up

    Gif of Sonic saying: No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!

    • otp@sh.itjust.works
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      10 days ago

      (if i pay for it i might as well use it + more privacy)

      I think you’d be paying for, but not using, your Internet bandwidth/speeds at that point

      • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 days ago

        I have gigabit and can download through my VPN at 90+ megabytes per second

        Edit: oh I glossed over “proton free tier”, yah a paid VPN is definitely going to be much better… I’d never use a free VPN unless it’s to get to my self-hosted stuff.

  • tomiant@piefed.social
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    10 days ago

    Def always on, with a kill switch that disconnects from the network if the VPN isn’t active

  • darthsundhaft@piefed.social
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    10 days ago

    I use it 24/7 even though I’ve heard I’m not supposed to. It makes it really obvious to my ISP that I’m using a VPN provider for literally all my traffic.

    I think for now I can get by because I’m shacked up with my parents and so the house is producing all kinds of Internet traffic. Mine will still be obviously going to an ISP but it’s at least not entirely just my ISP.

    I’m sure intel agencies would have their ways to figure things out though. VPN itself is not total anonymity.