Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are popular services for (supposedly) increasing your security and privacy on the internet. They are often marketed as all-encompassing security tools, and something that you absolutely need to keep hackers at bay. However, many of the selling points for VPNs are exaggerated or just outright
  • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Spends most of article telling you why they probably aren’t necessary.

    Ends with 4 examples why they’re useful, which are the main reasons they’re used to begin with.

    • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      I feel like the opening sentences explained the reasoning behind the article sufficiently, even when there are plenty of valid use cases for them. This was mostly a response to manipulative marketing tactics:

      Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are popular services for (supposedly) increasing your security and privacy on the internet. They are often marketed as all-encompassing security tools, and something that you absolutely need to keep hackers at bay. However, many of the selling points for VPNs are exaggerated or just outright false.

      They’re not the only ones pointing this out, either. Tom Scott released a video on the topic a few years ago to explain his thoughts VPN sponsorships

      • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Your comment in no way negates my observation. If the clickbait title of the article was “You probably don’t need a VPN to avoid market tracking” or something similar, you’d have a point.

        • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
          0·
          1 year ago

          I was simply adding information your comment had left out, it wasn’t negating information at all. So congrats on getting the point, not everyone is trying to argue 🎉

          • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
            0·
            1 year ago

            You may want to reconsider your phrasing then if you don’t want it to appear to be argumentative.

            • ConstableJelly@beehaw.org
              0·
              1 year ago

              Neutral party here, I read it naturally as a supplement to your comment, not an opposition. I don’t detect an argumentative tone personally.

              • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
                0·
                1 year ago

                You’re welcome to your opinion but these phrases

                I feel like the opening sentences explained the reasoning behind the article sufficiently,

                They’re not the only ones pointing this out, either.

                are oppositional in tone.

  • Greenpepper@beehaw.org
    1·
    1 year ago

    Another good use for VPN is to counter dynamic pricing. My wife visited a website some time ago to request the price for a ticket. When she visited the website a second time the price had increased considerably. However when visiting the price with VPN it was the original price again. It saved her a lot of money.

    • beefcat@beehaw.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      You can also get around this by using a non-airline owned travel metasearch engine like Kayak.

  • floofloof@lemmy.caEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    The title should be “You should understand what a VPN is for, before using one.”