#  >  > Computers Can Be Fun >  >  > Computer News >  >  VPNs

## Sumbitch

Couldn't find a thread devoted solely to this topic and their benefits and disadvantages so...

Added free Chrome extension DotVPN then read that its disadvantage is security, ie anonymity, so bought a yearly subscription ($8.32/mo) with expressVPN. Problem with both is that they slow down internet transactions to practically 1 Mbps and before VPN I was getting over 70 Mbps. Like TD times out before it even opens. So I've disabled both but plan to enable them in time for any critical downloads or uploads. What's the diff?

----------


## Looper

^sounds a tad expensive.

My annual subscription to PIA just renewed and it was US$45 annual fee I think.

Download speeds are slower with the VPN connected so I run it on my media machine which just does downloads.

I only fire up the VPN on my regular machine when I am hitting the illegal tethered goat porn fetish sites on the weekends

----------


## Sumbitch

^ That's a good idea. I have an old computer also.  :Wink:

----------


## CaptainNemo

> ^sounds a tad expensive.
> 
> My annual subscription to PIA just renewed and it was US$45 annual fee I think.
> 
> Download speeds are slower with the VPN connected so I run it on my media machine which just does downloads.
> 
> I only fire up the VPN on my regular machine when I am hitting the illegal tethered goat porn fetish sites on the weekends


Tethering on your phone to get that are you? That sounds expensive.

----------


## Looper



----------


## BaitongBoy

What's a VPN?...And what's with the goat harness?...

----------


## Sumbitch

*Every computer has an IP address:* 
*



			
				a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies  each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.
			
		

for example when I type in whatismyipaddress.com in the address bar this information is available for anyone to see:
* 
        IP:146.88.50.153 
Decimal:2455253657 
Hostname:bb_dyn_pb-146-88-50-153.violin.co.th 
ASN:132280 
ISP:Symphony Internet Service Provider 
Organization:Symphony Communication PLC. Services:None detected Type:Broadband 
Assignment:Static IP 
Blacklist: Blacklist Check

*Geolocation Information*

     Continent:Asia 
Country:Thailand  
State/Region:Bangkok 
City:Bangkok 
Latitude: 13.7083  (13° 42′ 29.88″ N) 
Longitude: 100.4562  (100° 27′ 22.32″ E) 
Postal Code:10110   
*Don't want this known?* Hide your IP details
*Location not accurate?* Update your location




> A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a method used to add security and privacy to private and public networks. Privacy is increased with a VPN because the user's initial IP address is  replaced with one from the VPN provider. This method allows subscribers  to attain an IP address from any gateway city the VPN service provides.  For instance, you may live in San Francisco, but with a VPN, you can  appear to live in Amsterdam, New York, or any number of gateway cities.


https://www.whatismyip.com/what-is-a-vpn/

----------


## BaitongBoy

Cheers, Sumbitch...How about an LPN?...No, not a nurse...

A "Literal" Private Network...

----------


## cyrille

I also use PIA. No complaints. Makes my Skype connection much better.

----------


## Sumbitch

^ can you elaborate on how PIAs provide security?

----------


## cyrille

I didn't really get it for security.

----------


## thailazer

ZenMate is great for getting the news and being under the radar.    The free version is fast enough for the casual user.   Since it is a FireFox plugin, you can click the icon to turn it off and on.

----------


## Hugh Cow

I use Optus browser with free VPN. Have downloaded movies and speed was no problem. (Only legal downloads of course). NB I do have a good high speed connection.

----------


## Sumbitch

https://vpnreviewer.com/zenmate-review




> *Logging and Privacy*
> 
> According to the Privacy policy, “no personal data is collected, processed or permanently stored.” However, there are 5 different situations when the above rule does not apply:
> 
> When selecting a certain server to use ZenMate;When the customer support is contacted;When a user is subscribing to newsletters;When ZenMate is providing further information upon user request;When users are generating postings in forums, communities and through comment functions.
> 
> For sign-up they require only the email address. However, in the Privacy Policy they admit to store the IP address of user “temporarily” to “prevent attacks against ZenMate” – whatever that means, as no time-frame is defined.


As they say I guess you get what you pay for. 

Have u checked your internet download and upload speed when connected vs disconnected?

----------


## Jesus Jones

I have paid for IPVanish and can barely browse when connected.  Used it two years ago and it was great.  Decided to sign up again recently and it takes minutes to open a page.  Like being on dial-up again.

----------


## Sumbitch

> I have paid for IPVanish and can barely browse when connected. Used it two years ago and it was great. Decided to sign up again recently and it takes minutes to open a page. Like being on dial-up again.


That basically is what this thread is about. I've been hoping for someone to come up with a magic bullet.

----------


## Sumbitch

Security is essential if you're doing any torrent downloads or, heaven forbid, buying on the Dark Web.

----------


## Sumbitch

If you do go into the Dark Web, by design you have to use the Tor browser: 


> instead of having your traffic routed from your computer and through an onion-like layer of servers, it stays within the Tor network. You won't know exactly what system you're accessing unless they tell you, and they won't know who you are unless they do - or unless one of you is careless.


And TD has discussed the loopholes in the Tor browser before. But it does provide a level of security and you do pay for it in terms of download and upload speed.

----------


## cyrille

When I used zenmate it absolutely hammered my speed.

What do you go onto the dark web for?

----------


## Sumbitch

I just turned on my VPN to start a download then tested the internet speed: Download speed = 34 Mbps. Traffic is light on New Year's day, no doubt.  :Confused: 

For the sake of comparison, turned it off and tested it again: Ping= 38 ms, Download = 72.5 Mbps, Upload = 40 Mbps. So yeah. No traffic on New Year's Day.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Slick

> expressVPN. Problem with both is that they slow down internet transactions to practically 1 Mbps and before VPN I was getting over 70 Mbps. Like TD times out before it even opens. So I've disabled both but plan to enable them in time for any critical downloads or uploads.


This is what I use. Set it on the USA-Denver Colorado server location and US Netflix works pretty well. I get up to 1080p within about 1 minute on Macbook Pro & Safari, 3BB 50/15 mbps. Use Express VPN all the time browsing, no problems, just have to switch server locations when needed. 

Tor, yeah has holes but its still pretty solid alone. Works pretty fast in the USA, but thailand its slow as balls. Never tried it with VPN Enabled, but I imagine it would be a matter of research, trial, & error to find a VPN + server location. 

The thing with Tor and The Dark Net - PGP Encryption. Thats really the money shot of it all. Its not illegal to visit the dark net (country specific) but its illegal to illegal things ON the dark net and thats where PGP comes in. 

If the speeds are a suckin' then you have to switch server locations.

----------


## Slick

> I just turned on my VPN to start a download then tested the internet speed: 34 Mbps. Traffic is light on New Year's day, no doubt.


Gotta list your server locations. A lot of people say that Singapore server locations actually increase international speeds.

----------


## Sumbitch

> Set it on the USA-Denver Colorado server location and US Netflix works pretty well. I get up to 1080p within about 1 minute on Macbook Pro & Safari, 3BB 50/15 mbps. Use Express VPN all the time browsing, no problems, just have to switch server locations when needed.


No doubt that's close to home, EH? Where do you relocate your server when needed?




> The thing with Tor and The Dark Net - PGP Encryption. Thats really the money shot of it all. Its not illegal to visit the dark net (country specific) but its illegal to illegal things ON the dark net and thats where PGP comes in.


Right and PGP can be a bitch to learn which is why a lot of buyers skip it. I tend to think the TOR browser is all you need also but there are some computer geniuses here (not being sarcastic) who say you still should use a VPN.

----------


## Slick

PGP Encryption is a way to encrypt text in a way thats still uncrackable by the NSA. Allows 2 people to talk without anyone else ever being able to know whats actually being said. Bit complicated at first.

Edit 

Yep a bitch to learn for sure.

----------


## Sumbitch

> PGP Encryption is a way to encrypt text in a way thats still uncrackable by the NSA. Allows 2 people to talk without anyone else ever being able to know whats actually being said. Bit complicated at first.


Can you post a layman's instructions here?

----------


## Slick

> No doubt that's close to home, EH? Where do you relocate your server when needed?


Well I mean I'm in Thailand and US Netflix is a bit of a bitch to get working nowadays so that specific ExpressVPN server location 'Denver' works well here. 

Anywhere when I want to spoof. Cant really use the same VPN Server Location over and over again or a pattern could be recognized. 

If its being slow I will switch to a random Singapore server in the list and try that first as a default go-to.

----------


## Slick

> Right and PGP can be a bitch to learn which is why a lot of buyers skip it.


A lot of sellers will not do business without PGP encryption, and its pretty dangerous to try and do it without it. 

Allegedly.

----------


## Sumbitch

> Well I mean I'm in Thailand and US Netflix is a bit of a bitch to get working nowadays so that specific ExpressVPN server location 'Denver' works well here.


And you get 50 mbps? That's damn good. What is your mbps wo the VPN?

----------


## Sumbitch

> Originally Posted by Sumbitch
> 
> Right and PGP can be a bitch to learn which is why a lot of buyers skip it.
> 
> 
> A lot of sellers will not do business without PGP encryption, and its pretty dangerous to try and do it without it. 
> 
> Allegedly.


They also recommend you maintain a "safe" house for delivery. That's a squat, man. Who has one of those with a valid PO address, especially if you live in a foreign country?

----------


## Slick

> Can you post a layman's instructions here?


Well there really isn't a layman way. Its gonna be OS Specific but it looks something like this:

This is the message I want to send:




> Teak door is a British Colony.


And this is the encrypted version:




> -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
> Comment: <<SNIP>> - <<SNIP>>
> 
> hQIMA8c0ikNZDxpJAQ/+IE5jETlM+SnDd9/3ifh58JawJBJEy1YWect9xS08B/Ao
> J3eL2aPAhm+uxxFG0j8oYw0wAMikMNlCtBQQmnaUqr2ipCSgKH  gHqgMj7Z87dKv9
> 3ZbjC7qhtXRqY41AUMhcn6+9/uTd1fTtQqXgTMd3MhBHGJhuLqSsumg9WOI/pnHZ
> 2BkTcRqnn7Eta42fIMl/MET4rB+QHJN62DHH5HUYcXO9MAPc4fIm83ergn+Zvv+F
> Ky2MYAeY4mAfVJ6f8BLxybA3VEakKnPaRerApes7MgDHueanqz  9SbH1ythx8Oaew
> CvfA4PPBVZN3hTANuRR36S9gFaWlJV0ESSKmsAN/pYJMxVqZE4+y0JNvDPjiIWy/
> ...


And there are "keys" that need to be used but basically that wall of garbled text is the only text you would send to a person.

----------


## Sumbitch

^ but how do you create and use the keys that provide encryption?

----------


## Slick

> And you get 50 mbps? That's damn good. What is your mbps wo the VPN?


Pretty much when I just do a simple test thats by default to Bangkok or Korat. Maybe 35ish peak hour. No VPN. 




> They also recommend you maintain a "safe" house for delivery. That's a squat, man. Who has one of those with a valid PO address, especially if you live in a foreign country?


Sellers don't care what address you use, or where the address is, as long as they state they don't mind shipping 'overseas' and sellers will also ship to known buyers with good feedback or a long history. 

The address thing isn't really an issue, but PGP is for a lot.

Allegedly.

----------


## Slick

> ^ but how do you create and use the keys that provide encryption?


Fuuuuuuk ok give me a minute on that.

----------


## Sumbitch

^ get yourself a jug of samosas and take all day.  :Smile:

----------


## Slick

> ^ get yourself a jug of samosas and take all day.


Too much work. PM Sent.

----------


## Slick

Standard test, no VPN



Express VPN/Denver, standard test:



Express VPN/Singapore, Jurong, Standard Test:

----------


## Sumbitch

> I have paid for IPVanish and can barely browse when connected. Used it two years ago and it was great. Decided to sign up again recently and it takes minutes to open a page. Like being on dial-up again.


Have you selected the fastest and closest server? The servers are listed along with their current capacity (the lower the better) on their website. I chose the Bangkok server and Speedtest.net by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test gave me a ping of 17 ms, a download speed of 70 Mbps and an upload speed of 30 Mbps, which is faster than what I'm paying for. For newbies and n00bs: 


> *The ping* is the reaction time of your connectionhow fast you get a response after you've sent out a request. A fast ping means a more responsive connection, especially in applications where timing is everything (like video games). Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).
> 
> *The download speed* is how fast you can pull data from the server to you. Most connections are designed to download much faster than they upload, since the majority of online activity, like loading web pages or streaming videos, consists of downloads. Download speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
> 
> *The upload speed* is how fast you send data from you to others. Uploading is necessary for sending big files via email, or in using video-chat to talk to someone else online (since you have to send your video feed to them). Upload speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).


IPVanish is rated #1 by the Tor project:




> *What is Tor?*
> 
> *Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.*
> 
> *Why Anonymity Matters*
> 
> *Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location.*

----------


## Sumbitch

> The address thing isn't really an issue


Um, it depends on what is being mailed to you, EH?  :Wink:

----------


## blue

> Security is essential if you're doing any torrent downloads


For torrents  a Seedbox is best-
You instruct it to download a  torrent file to the hosts servers -which sit on a super fast connection.
It saves the file there for you, and seeds it too as required, and when you are ready you download it from there, as a normal file, to you own computer, which it sends at the top speed of your internet connection.

----------


## Slick

lol^

TestMy.net is what I normally use. Its a more realistic speedtest




> What makes TestMy.net Different?
> 
> TestMy.net will provide you with real-world broadband speed test results in real-world conditions. We stand for the consumer not the ISP so TestMy does not inflate scores to make your provider look better than they are or host our test servers on the edge of ISP networks. Our speed test servers are configured to maintain quality of service for thousands of miles and are hosted in locations where many popular websites are hosted. We believe this is a more accurate representation of your true speed. Most Internet consumers don't think about the Internet service providers responsibility in peering beyond their own network. Many Internet providers send users to their own internally hosted connection test. When you surf the net, how often are you visiting a server within your hosts network?


For example Speedtest.net clocked me just now (Bangkok Server)



TestMy.net > Combined Test > Tokyo Japan > Result Details:

Speed Test Result Details for ID OCoWkbxj3.L6DikPNh7




> TiP Summary - Minimum :: 9.21 Mbps | Middle :: 23.75 Mbps | Maximum :: 38.21 Mbps


Singapore Server:

http://testmy.net/db/SVEbN9njM.6LUnEZGi7




> TiP Summary - Minimum :: 23.9 Mbps | Middle :: 29.45 Mbps | Maximum :: 31.63 Mbps


Testing to Bangkok with basic SpeedTest isn't a very good indicator of 'speed' as probably 99% of the internet the expat looks at is hosted outside Thailand, so right off the bat your bottlenecked by their international gateway. 

Probably gonna get 10,000 times worse if the junta gets their single gateway.

----------


## Slick

You guys worry about Torrent downloads that much? Ive downloaded several terabytes of torrents without anything other than just downloading to my HD or External HD. Never had any notice in thailand. 

In the states I had an ISP (Verison) throttle me due to their "Fair Use Policy" for the "Remainder of the Billing Cycle" once.

Thats it.

----------


## baldrick

> For torrents a Seedbox is best


and they provide an openVPN server which you could configure to do more than just access your stored files

----------


## blue

Seedbox helps if you have a slow connection too
you can get the karma of uploading terabytes back too .

I used to use this dirt cheap one 

https://justseed.it/index.csp

 but now you have to pay by bitcoin, not sure how that works
I'll look into it when my brain is working better..
 Anyone  here use bitcoin ?

----------


## Slick

> Anyone here use bitcoin ?


Thats kinda like asking about PGP Encryption. Bit of a bitch/sorta complicated. 

Do you have a credit/debit card? Not a Thailand one, but a real deal western one.

----------


## Slick

https://www.circle.com/en

This is what I use, but its been a while. Complicated at first.

----------


## baldrick

> but now you have to pay by bitcoin, not sure how that works


easy as fcuk - sign up to an exchange in your own country - transfer some cash to your account - buy btc

i use bx.in.th in thailand and coinhaiko in sing - both originally just wanted a selfie with your passport and the name of the site on a piece of paper - sing now requires a local mobile number that they send a confirmation text to

yes the exchange can get cracked so don t store more alue there then you could afford to lose - but it is unlikely

i also have electrum portable wallet stored on a usb stick - normally a btc transaction takes about 10-15 minutes to propagate and get signed into the blockchain


if you have no interest in speculation - then just buy what you need and send it to the address who you want to pay

crypto curriencies and the various blockchains will be heavily used in the future - get familiar with them

----------


## Dragonfly

> crypto curriencies and the various blockchains will be heavily used in the future - get familiar with them


you are dreaming a bit here, they are about to be made illegal eventually

mark my words, and come back in 3 years to see where it is

----------


## blue

> Thats kinda like asking about PGP Encryption. Bit of a bitch/sorta complicated.







> Do you have a credit/debit card?


yes but I was hoping to use paypal to get the bitcoin 






> sign up to an exchange in your own country


i'll have look at that.

----------


## blue

Upon further research - fuck this bitcoin with PayPal lark,
Einstein would have been scratching his head too

I'll wait for a  bitcoin ATM to come to North Yorkshire

----------


## Slick

> Upon further research - fuck this bitcoin with PayPal lark,
> Einstein would have been scratching his head too


Yeah, you should have looked at it first before quoting Einstein. That link I posted, thats all you need. That, a smartphone, credit card, bank account.

----------


## Slick

> easy as fcuk - sign up to an exchange in your own country - transfer some cash to your account - buy btc


I wouldn't say thats easy as fuk. Especially if nobody has done it before. Buying BTC is only a part of it. Then there is using it, blockchain, wallets, etc... 




> i use bx.in.th in thailand and coinhaiko in sing - both originally just wanted a selfie with your passport and the name of the site on a piece of paper - sing now requires a local mobile number that they send a confirmation text to


That link I posted above, "Circle" they use "Authy" Or "Google Authenticator" for their 2-step authentication as an option other than a phone number. Free smartphone apps. Very fukin handy as you can be anywhere in the world, as long as there is WIFI, you are good to go for transactions. No need to receive SMS authentication codes or a phone number at all. 

Still kinda time consuming though, you need to constantly have money in your wallet as actually buying BTC and it making it to your wallet can take days on some sites if you are not completely setup & verified already. Its a process.

----------


## Patrick

Does anyone use Avira Phantom VPN Pro.?

Any comments on that?

Patrick

----------


## baldrick

> fuck this bitcoin with PayPal lark


where did I say anything about payal ? thats just a scam to sell you overpriced coin




> Especially if nobody has done it before


no body showed me how to do it - I was going to try the paypal/btc route , but a bit of googling and calculator indicated it was very much overinflated pricing

so a bit more googling and reading - find bitcoin exchange , look them up to see if there were any indications they were scams - and then hit the join button

https://www.kraken.com/ - for the europeans

I sent fractions around to my account in thai , sing  and my wallet on my computer until I decided I knew what I was doing

watch some youtube

you cut and paste addresses so there should be no fat finger fcukups




> you are dreaming a bit here, they are about to be made illegal eventually  mark my words, and come back in 3 years to see where it is


butterfly - this discussion is above your paygrade - your drivel on subjects you think you know about will be made illegal before blockchain technology is

----------


## Slick

> no body showed me how to do it -


Same here. But there is a learning curve no doubt and also a base knowledge of puters' as well. 




> https://www.kraken.com/ - for the europeans


I have an account with this site as well linked to my US banking stuff. A lot of the legit BTC trading sites accept accounts in Pound, Dollar, and Euro.

----------


## Slick

> Does anyone use Avira Phantom VPN Pro.?
> 
> Any comments on that?


Never used it but the 'pro' version is the paid one, so thats gonna be wholeheartedly better than free. Free ones don't work all that well. 

What are you using it for?

----------


## Dragonfly

> butterfly - this discussion is above your paygrade - your drivel on subjects you think you know about will be made illegal before blockchain technology is


I am no plumber baldrick, so stop acting like one  :Smile: 

you are obviously not reading the news from Central Banks and regulatory bodies, they are putting in place a few interesting things to block eventually the whole thing

we never know, bitcoins could finance terrorist activities  :rofl:

----------


## Slick

> you are obviously not reading the news from Central Banks and regulatory bodies, they are putting in place a few interesting things to block eventually the whole thing


Banks can't do shit with bitcoin. Its a nothing burger as they don't get their fees. Regular banking systems don't want crypto currencies. Nothing they can do about it as the entire system is built on anonymity and independence from the 'regulatory bodies'




> bitcoins could finance terrorist activities


Probably do in all honestly, but so does any paper currency + drug money.

----------


## baldrick

Bitcoin is only the most well known of the crypto curriencies and causes the know it alls to spout off like your average daily mail /usa today reader

the real tech is the blockchains and bitcoin's is but one with some issues with privacy and size coming to the fore

ethereum would be the next most well known -ETH - is not really even meant to be a currency , though you can trade it on exchanges etc - it is a computer itself , able to be programmed and allow 2 or more parties todesign contracts between themselves which are encoded in the blockchain and have hard and fast indicators as to when the contract or stages are completed - plus a lot more which is beyond me as yet - soon some country or NGO will step up and be encoding the ownership of land in the blockchain which means it will not be able to be changed without the assent of both parties - this is hugely important in africa

zerocash - ZEC - is a new blockchain designed to solve some of the bitcin problems with privacy - only started at the end of october after running as a test blockchain for a year or so.

no matter what the people denouncing this technology have to say , I would suggest people do some of their own research - maybe read a book or 2

this book I read earlier last year and is not too hard for beginners to understand

Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World by Don Tapscott ? Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists




> we never know, bitcoins could finance terrorist activities


likely your pimp finances terrorist activities - every cc of sperm you swallow helps fund planes that crash in to churches full of kittens

----------


## Dragonfly

> Probably do in all honestly, but so does any paper currency + drug money.


but cryptocurrencies will be easier to block or ban eventually, and they are working on it. Those exchanges are going to be blacklisted by every payment systems eventually.

remember how unbreakable the dark internet and silk road website were  :Razz: 

still an interesting concept to read and learn, but don't put all your money into it, or you will be crying in your beers

----------


## Slick

> remember how unbreakable the dark internet and silk road website were


Still going strong. Right now.

----------


## Sumbitch

Seedboxes are everything Slick and Baldrick have posted but given the expense (like $20/mo-$40/mo for extreemseed.com) for what they offer (speed and anonymity but only to your torrent client), you have to share a lot of torrent files to make them cost effective. VPNs give you _privacy_ , rather than anonymity, for every transaction you make on your computer.

----------


## Sumbitch

> Avira Phantom VPN Pro


A couple of things you'll want to be sure of is that your VPN hides your internet activity from your internet provider and that your VPN uses some kind of encryption. The Tor browser hides from your ISP, sends only encrypted data  and gives you a full range (low, medium, high and in between) of security and privacy options regardless if you have a VPN or no. What's your threat module? (high, medium, low). If its low, the additional cost of a VPN may not be worth the cost. But if its high there are big reasons to add the additional layer of anonymity and privacy that a VPN _can_ provide. Here is macabre illustration of the importance of hiding your activity from your ISP: 


> This would have been a benefit to the student who sent in a bomb threat over Tor (not that I condone ever doing that), as he was deanonymized by being the only person to be using Tor at the time in Harvard's network logs. Using Tor through a VPN would have hidden the fact that he was using Tor at all.


 Read about using Tor with and without a VPN and see a list of the Dark Net markets that reside on the hidden internet. WARNING: don't go there, even for surfing, if you're not using TOR or similar browser (ie open source free software for enabling anonymous communication) and there are only a couple of alternatives to TOR. https://www.deepdotweb.com/jolly-rog...or-with-a-vpn/

----------


## Sumbitch

There's a documentary about the Deep Web and bitcoin that u can, ahem, download here:https://thepiratebay.org/search/deep%20web/0/99/200

Common definitions: 


> *The Surface Web is anything that can be indexed by a typical search engine like Google, Bing or Yahoo.*





> *the Deep Web is anything that a search engine can’t find*





> *The Dark Web then is classified as a small portion of the Deep Web that has been intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers.*

----------


## Jesus Jones

> Originally Posted by Jesus Jones
> 
> I have paid for IPVanish and can barely browse when connected. Used it two years ago and it was great. Decided to sign up again recently and it takes minutes to open a page. Like being on dial-up again.
> 
> 
> Have you selected the fastest and closest server? The servers are listed along with their current capacity (the lower the better) on their website. I chose the Bangkok server and Speedtest.net by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test gave me a ping of 17 ms, a download speed of 70 Mbps and an upload speed of 30 Mbps, which is faster than what I'm paying for. For newbies and n00bs: 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tried BKK and Sing.  Still frustratingly slow.

----------


## Sumbitch

> Tried BKK and Sing. Still frustratingly slow.


You know your VPN is on if your upload speed is faster than your download speed.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Jesus Jones

> Originally Posted by Jesus Jones
> 
> Tried BKK and Sing. Still frustratingly slow.
> 
> 
> You know your VPN is on if your upload speed is faster than your download speed.


My VPN hasn't been on for months because it has been shit.  Only ever used it on my home desktop.

However, it seems it's a problem with my desktop.  Just installed on my laptop and it seems fine.

----------


## Sumbitch

I can't find any mention of a Sing VPN on the web. I get it. U mean Singapore. What VPN do u have?

----------


## Slick

> Tried BKK and Sing. Still frustratingly slow.


whats your internet speed without the VPN? And when its enabled?

----------


## Dragonfly

> Originally Posted by Dragonfly
> 
> remember how unbreakable the dark internet and silk road website were
> 
> 
> Still going strong. Right now.


of course still there, but well infiltrated  :Smile:

----------


## Pragmatic

Can anyone recommend 'Avast SecureLine'? I did try a VPN but it made my computer so slow I gave up on it. It came on a free trial. I don't know if that was why it was so slow?   :Smile:

----------


## harrybarracuda

> Can anyone recommend 'Avast SecureLine'? I did try a VPN but it made my computer so slow I gave up on it. It came on a free trial. I don't know if that was why it was so slow?


I wouldn't recommend Avast anything.

Surely Chrome with Browsec extension is all you need.

----------


## baldrick

I am still unsure why people would get a VPN just for torrents

use a seedbox




> Surely Chrome


fcuk chrome - it is going evil

start looking at seamonkey and palemoon for your next browser

----------


## bsnub

> I am still unsure why people would get a VPN just for torrents
> 
> use a seedbox


I use both for various reasons as well as private trackers which blow away the public ones for quality of content.

----------


## Pragmatic

> Surely Chrome with Browsec extension is all you need.


Its availabe on Firefox so I'll give it a go. Thanks to all.

----------


## Sumbitch

^ DotVPN and ZenMate are available for Chrome.

----------


## Pragmatic

^ Thanks, I'll see how things go.

----------


## Gazza

^
I just downloaded the latest version of Opera browser for W7 Ultimate. Comes with free VPN and unlimited usage. 

Switched on the VPN last night and browsing slowed down. I assume that's an unavoidable downside?

----------


## Norton

I use TouchVPN on my phone. So far no probs.
Gets around all the thai banned sites. Speed is shite with or without being on. All 3G at the house.

----------


## harrybarracuda

> I am still unsure why people would get a VPN just for torrents
> 
> use a seedbox
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Don't be silly.

----------


## Sumbitch

> Switched on the VPN last night and browsing slowed down. I assume that's an unavoidable downside?


True. It's a question of tradeoffs. Are you willing to give up some internet browsing speed in return for the privacy and anonymity provided by a VPN? The answer for me is: sometimes. In any case you should know the difference in speed when the VPN is turned on and when it's turned off. Top 10 Best Online Internet Speed Test Tools to Check Internet Speed at Free - All Tech Prime

----------


## harrybarracuda

Not for me. It's a question of what blocked sites I can unlock with a VPN.

----------


## Sumbitch

> It's a question of what blocked sites I can unlock with a VPN.


For me it's about the Dark Web. I also use the Tor browser which is as good as most VPNs. If you add a VPN on top of it that's about as secure as you can get on a Windows or a Mac platform. But you can install Tails, an open source OS, on a USB stick. All outgoing connections are forced to go through the Tor network: 


> Tor directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer network consisting of more than seven thousand relays to conceal a user's location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis.


About Tails: 


> It aims at preserving your privacy and anonymity, and helps you to:
> 
> use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship;
> all connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network;
> leave no trace on the computer you are using unless you ask it explicitly;


https://tails.boum.org/install/win/u.../index.en.html

----------


## harrybarracuda

Yeah, they know what you're up to, they just don't care.

----------


## Dragonfly

what kind of cocksucker use a VPN these days  :Smile: 

The NSA is tracking everything, even your fucking VPN traffic  :rofl:

----------


## harrybarracuda

FFS Look I'm even agreeing with Buttplug!

----------


## Sumbitch

> Yeah, they know what you're up to, they just don't care.





> A VPN, or virtual private network, is software that secures and privatizes data across the Internet by building an encrypted tunnel. When you access the Internet, your data passes through this tunnel which protects it from anyone who tries to intercept it. A VPN like PRIVATE WiFi encrypts everything: your email, your web browsing history, your IMs, your VOIP, everything. Another benefit of using a VPN is that even if your data is intercepted, your identity is protected, since a VPN masks your IP address.





> If a VPN is thought of as one hop, using the Tor network can be thought of as three hops. Instead of setting up a single server between you and your destination, using the Tor system bounces your connection through three separate servers before making the connection to the site you want to go to. The increased complexity of the connection makes it extremely difficult for anyone to monitor browsing traffic (though its been rumored that the NSA is making some progress in compromising the system).


Ask the Expert: Can a VPN Protect You From Government Surveillance? ? Private WiFi

Avoiding Internet Surveillance: The Complete Guide

----------


## harrybarracuda

Who do you think owns or has access to the VPN servers?

Who do you think owns or has access to the Tor nodes?

Why are you so gullible?

----------


## Dragonfly

> FFS Look I'm even agreeing with Buttplug!


can't let that shit happens Harry, 

you need to up your game,

----------


## Dragonfly

Tor is completely under NSA control, part of Pentagon war on information program,

why do people assume otherwise ? stupid as stupid does !!!

----------


## Sumbitch

> FFS Look I'm even agreeing with Buttplug!


Here's another one Harry...




> Tor is completely under NSA control, part of Pentagon war on information program,
> 
> why do people assume otherwise ? stupid as stupid does !!!

----------


## harrybarracuda

> Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
> 
> FFS Look I'm even agreeing with Buttplug!
> 
> 
> Here's another one Harry...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, he is a drama queen and gets carried away sometimes. You know what some gay men are like.

----------


## surinboy

Pure VPN is ok but it has an annoying feature when logging out of your computer. There are compulsory message to answer 'are you sure you want to....?' Its a windup to be honest. I probably will not renew with PureVPN

----------


## brisie

not that I have done this but a machine without Hdd just using Knoppix on cd or usb stick would be untraceable with a vpn?
Used to buy Linux magazines and loved there free distro cd's

----------


## wetbuster

they trace your IP address not your hard drive I believe but I have been known to be wrong

----------


## harrybarracuda

Just assume that the feds can see where you are and what you are doing, and don't give them a reason to be interested in who you are.

----------


## Sumbitch

^ No risk? My, my...

 :Bigok:

----------


## Pragmatic

Post deleted. Problem solved.

----------


## harrybarracuda

A VPN will not save you from government surveillance
Privacy is a multi-faced topic, and so to protect it, you need to take more than a single precaution.

By Chris Duckett for Null Pointer | April 30, 2017 -- 22:49 GMT (23:49 BST) | Topic: Security

Late on Friday afternoon, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police waltzed out in front of the microphones and admitted that his agency had misused the metadata that the nation's telecommunication companies are forced to store.

It was a stunning admission. The nation had barely made it a fortnight since the deadline for telcos to have their data retention systems in place had passed, yet here was the AFP self-reporting an event that saw an officer in breach of the metadata laws, and despite years of preparation and interaction with metadata, placed the blame on "human error".

Naturally for the cynics watching, AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin said the officer involved would not be punished, and the AFP said later in a statement that "it was not an offence under the Act".

Alastair MacGibbon, formerly of the AFP and now special adviser to the prime minister on cybersecurity, said on Twitter: "It's clear this is a story of human error which AFP caught themselves thru [sic] audit & owned. That's transparency & accountability."

The message is clear: The AFP are doing a good thing by admitting its mistakes, and you should continue to trust them. Don't fear that it is able to warrantlessly sift through the metadata of Australians at will.

The irony in this entire situation is the AFP was caught in the equivalent of the only mouse trap in a field several acres in size -- it was incorrectly given a journalist's metadata; specifically a week's worth of call records.

Under the laws that force telcos to store customers' call records, location information, IP addresses, billing information, and other data for two years, there is a small caveat for journalists that forces agencies to obtain a warrant when seeking to uncover a journalist's source.

Neither the journalist, nor the telcos, will ever know that such a warrant existed, but these provisions were essentially a figleaf to shut up the Canberra press gallery under the auspices of protecting democracy and freedom of the press when the data retention laws were being considered -- and it worked.

But journalist warrants are almost superfluous. By asking for the metadata of anyone considered to be a journalist's source, agencies can still find out if communication with a journalist happened, and will therefore be able to skirt these provisions at will.

Upon the news that the AFP had handled the metadata of a journalist, the online outrage squad kicked into gear with a chorus singing the praises of Australia's magic bullet to security in 2017: using a VPN.

"Get a VPN. Use Signal!" the online masses screamed as Colvin was delivering his press conference.

To think that merely encasing one's data communications in a encrypted tunnel is enough to stop the authorities from invading one's privacy is no different from sitting on six drums of gasoline with a lit stick of dynamite and thinking you are safe because you have a fire extinguisher.

As Friday's events showed, no VPN in the world would have saved this particular journalist's call records. The only thing that would have, was to never have communicated with a source via the phone in the first place.

Even if the conversation had been moved onto a service such as Signal, if the journalist had physically met with the source and carried their mobile phone with them, a telco would then be able to provide the authorities with source's location data to help their investigation.

If the source had been silly enough to communicate via an email address controlled by an Australian ISP, the AFP could have simply requested the metadata of those emails to establish that communication with a journalist had occurred.

And all this same data could have been handed to the AFP about the journalist in question, if a journalist warrant had existed.

Encrypted communications are useful in protecting some aspects of people's digital lives from enforcement agencies, but it is a band-aid that constantly needs reapplication, not a cure.

The only way to truly get unwarranted government surveillance off your back is to end the system, and the US took a small step towards that last week when it ended the collection of domestic emails and text messages that mention details about foreign targets.

But it will be a long time before Australia makes any movements in the same direction, with both major parties continuing their support for the Abbott/Shorten data retention scheme they both voted for.

"This legislation was passed by Parliament with the assurance that the system had strong safeguards and could be trusted," Shadow Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said on Friday. "That trust has now been breached."

It might be tempting to think that Labor is beginning to realise it was sold a pup, but Dreyfus speaks of the "unique place the media holds in our democracy" and not the ongoing privacy breaches that occur on a daily basis to the rest of the population, or when journalists finish work and their metadata is regarded the same as everyone else's.

There were warnings in 2015 when former intelligence officer and now Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, said any access to metadata needed a warrant.

"Yes, that will be hard. It will slow things up. But it will ensure that the security agencies less and less unnecessarily access our property, and more and more focus on the property of people who should be scrutinised," he said.

"Of course they will ask for everything, that is their job. It is our job to limit what they get; to limit it to what is acceptable to the community; to limit the power of the state to acceptable levels."

Just over two years ago, Australia created a codified method for tracking the location and communication of all its citizens and residents, a scheme shrouded in secrecy that offers an unlimited buffet lunch to all authorised agencies.

Call me cynical if you want, but until the AFP stands in front of a press conference apologising for mishandling the metadata of an unemployed welfare recipient in the outer suburbs of an Australian city, I will not believe they are committed to transparency.

On Friday, the AFP gave lip service to updating the training and processes to the organisation, but make no mistake, it'll be business as usual when officers return to work on Monday, and the metadata of Australians is able to be warrantlessly sifted through by enforcement agencies to their heart's content.

Using a VPN is not a bad idea, but it is not a cure-all to the bigger issue of surveillance.

Telling people online to use Signal is like declaring someone needs to floss their teeth to fight off a tooth infection.

Australia needs an extraction, not a solution to remove the contents of last night's dinner.

A VPN will not save you from government surveillance | ZDNet

----------

