I’m retired and keep getting offers for VPN purchases. Do I need the additional cost?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPad Air, iPadOS 18
Bostonb4 wrote:
I’m retired and keep getting offers for VPN purchases. Do I need the additional cost?
No. You don’t need a “coffee shop” VPN.
The “coffee shop” VPNs badly solve a problem that hasn’t existed in a decade, while adding substantial connection overhead, and badly solve it in a way perfect for collecting personally-identified metadata.
iCloud+ Private Relay and ODoH with TLS does just fine, providing not only end-to-end connection security, but also privacy.
If you have higher-than-usual security requirements, you’re headed for your own VPN server such as Algo, potentially toward Tor, and potentially toward a mesh VPN. Or toward a more careful and complete review of your requirements and adversaries, as VPN and Tor traffic can be visible to an adversary with pervasive network access.
No… BTW, using a VPN will cut your internet speed in half. Why people use VPN is beyond me.
LotusPilot wrote:
other users of these networks can access and manipulate your network traffic -
Please explain how other users of public networks can access and manipulate your end-to-end encrypted traffic.
LotusPilot wrote:
You asked - and you received a constructive and qualified response.
I believe your response was constructive and qualified and I respect your view. It just differs from my view, knowledge and experience. If you’d like we can start a thread on this subject in the lounge; I’m sure there will be others who have an interest in the subject, as it comes up frequently. I’d prefer not to confuse other end users in this thread.
For this reason I have provided information here with which the OP (and other readers) can - for themselves - make objective assessment of their need versus the relative benefits and limitations of using a VPN.
As I have taken some time and effort to explain, a VPN is not a fix-all solution. It does, however, remain a useful tool in specific circumstances as one element of a broader mitigation strategy.
For avoidance of doubt, information that I contribute here is intended to a provide a balanced assessment and readable explanation of some of the technical aspects that drive the decision either way - and not to project an opinion. Choosing to use a VPN is not binary decision to be made on the basis of frequently promulgated misinformation and half-truth that is frequently seen, without context, in this and other communities.
Our views on VPN use are so totally different and incompatible that I see no point in continuing the discussion.
You asked - and you received a constructive and qualified response.
Most links within your user tip, while true in many aspects, offer highly generalised advice.
These articles should again be considered in context.
Agreed! Which is why I suggested earlier taking the discussion to the Lounge.
Do I need to have a VPN on my Apple device?
