Don't Use VPN Services

While it's true that your VPN provider _may_ be lying about their "no logging" policy, at a minimum, you get additional layers of protection. Your source IP is masked. A subpoena would be required to reveal your source IP, and perhaps your VPN provider is telling the truth about not keeping logs. If your VPN endpoint is in a different country than your network endpoint, then the legal obstacles get even higher. Surely you shouldn't depend on that alone. Tor…

This seems like bad advice because it doesn't address the legitimate need for keeping your browsing history private from overzealous, data-mining ISP's [1]. And even in the case of a known-hostile ISP that engages in invasive practices like supercookies or ad injection, it's unrealistic to ask users to set up and maintain their own VPS servers. For the average internet user, a "glorified proxy" service that is hassle-free to set up is a simple and effective means of protection against…

Some VPN provider's claims were verified in court and thus it's known they don't keep logs, so the article's claims just fall apart: https://www.techspot.com/news/82259-keeping-private-5-vpns-h... Edit: Many coutries have mandatory data retention policies [1], so if you're from one of those countries it's virtually guaranteed that your internet usage logs for the last months/years are logged somewhere. On the otherhand, a VPN provider has a strong financial incentive to not log your data (because their repuatation…

Valid argument for using a VPN: you are better off being spied on by a government on the other side of the planet rather than your own. Your own government can very easily do things to harm you, like throw you in prison or allow private actors to use tort/defamation/etc law to destroy you financially. A government on the other side of the planet - especially a country which doesn’t get along with your own - has far less motivation…