Are VPNs Just A Scam? 

I've been saying for years that if there was a government agency that wanted to narrow down people doing nefarious things online that all they would have to do is create a VPN and start marketing it on RU-vid.

_"Please don't commit crimes."_ Well since you asked nicely Reilly, I won't.

~~This Video was sponsored by Private Internet Access~~

You forgot about the biggest reason people use VPNs: students using VPNs to get around the restrictions on the school WiFi.

Every VPN's sales pitch: Don't trust your ISP/Goverment with your data! Trust us intead! A company you just heard about now and didn't even exist few years ago. Seems legit, shut up and take my money.

Riley: "So be very careful about whom you trust" Hey Riley, I'm still waiting on my vacuum cleaner

All of the reputable RU-vidrs only seem to be talking about all the extra netflix I can get to these days...curious, very curious.Tom Scott was miles ahead of the curve as usual :)

Also gotta watch out for those pay once "Lifetime" VPN's that pop up just before Black Friday and claim bankruptcy in January.

What we'd also like to know is how profitable are VPNs, seeing how they have apparently taken the sponsorship in pretty much every tech youtuber channel, and also there seem to be so many player entering the VPN market in recent year.

I remember Tom Scott's video about VPNs 😅 "that's a lot of money left on the table. A LOT of money." And "if you're gay, a pirate, an assassin, or a gay pirate assassin"

Finally, an authentic quick look at VPNs. I often see ads play up the security risks in a misleading way.

"Are VPNs a scam?" Not when the school wifi denies access to everything but as soon as you load a VPN up, everything works great... 😁

Defending against your ISP is nice, but for the most part, the people selling you out are the websites themselves. They are the ones who are intergrated with advertisers, even when they themselves aren't showing ads.

Decentralized VPN can be a much better alternative, in terms of stability and security.

"The Moon is pretty libertarian." Yeah, but the latency...:(

IMO, the question that needs to be answered is "does a VPN give me any privacy or security benefits, and if so, what are they, and in what circumstances do they help?". I'm not sure the average person needs to worry about VPNs logging data and responding to LE requests (though that is an important conversation to have for human rights advocates in hostile countries!)

It's also sad that "VPN" has become synonymous with "Proxy". The original goals of VPN's was to access private resources like a NAS and a properly configured VPN does not proxy general internet traffic. I assume it's just that modern mobile platforms allow to easily configure a VPN but not Proxies so it just got abused as proxy and we got stuck with the name.

VPNs were never about privacy, Tor is about privacy, Use VPN for geo-blocked content, Use Tor for everything private

It's disappointing that he didn't mention security by design vs security by policy. You can't know that a VPN company's claims that they aren't logging or handing over data to law enforcement are true, but you can know whether it's possible for an open-source, well-reviewed piece of software to do so. That's why TOR is the current gold standard. It's not because they have a good privacy policy, it's because there is no way that any part of the system could link your personal IP with the sites you're visiting, even if they tried.

I was going to commit some crimes today but after watching this video I have changed my mind. Thank you, Techquickie!

Just don't get fooled into paying for a VPN for security and privacy concerns (which likely were born from their very own fearmongering). Only pay for a VPN for the right reason: to work around the access limitations of your internet.

Bottom line: Sooner or later, you have to hand off your traffic to someone you don't know.

I was expecting "Thanks to our sponsor Nord VPN"

Not that long ago, A VPN was an encrypted wormhole through the internet that gave you a LAN connection to a non local network, What do they call that now? Back then we had these things called proxy servers, what ever happened to them?

Riley: So be very careful about whom you trust TechLinked viewers: Tell us about it RILEY where's our cake?

I love how I just had a pulseway advertisement with Linus in the shower.

After advertising VPNs for like 5 years non-stop, "Are VPNs just a scam"?

Answer: Depends if you're doing a sponsored vid with them or not

Or, the main reason for using VPNs - to establish a secure connection to remote networks, usually for work or to link private networks across multiple sites.

2:52 I'd like to celebrate Riley's pronunciation of hola: WHOLA!

You can't truly trust any VPN since they only offer privacy by policy, not privacy by design. For complete trust and anonymity TOR is your only option.

Or use case #3, the little known option, to connect to a remote network for access..... Like working remotely.

I personally don't use a vpn for "privacy" I use it for accessing website that are not available for my country.

What about the third use case of VPN, logging into your home network without having every server you run connected openly to the internet? I know that these VPNs are kinda different to the paid "circumvent country restrictions" VPNs, but they are still VPNs none the less. Or VPNs used to connect game servers to your buddies PCs, again without exposing the server to the internet. I don't really like how "VPN" has so many meanings these days. Sure they are all still Virtual Private Networks, but the use cases really differ.

Or the 3rd use case: the ORIGINAL use case for VPN’s is to have a cheap alternative to MPLS: bridging satellite offices via the internet so they are on the same network. There’s a reason why Windows put their “VPN” section in “Connect to a workplace”.

I dunno, but there was a time, a decade or a half ago, where I thought that VPNs and Proxy-Servers were distinct concepts.

I gave up on privacy and trusting ISPs a long time ago. Let's be honest, if your data was being stolen by everybody, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it.

OVPN in Sweden has been to court about it's "No logs at all" policy. And they stood up to the test. Zero logging and open DNS for anyone to use. Love those kids. Doing a great job. Edit: Mandatory logging is only for ISPs in Sweden. Not "other services".

This was a great start into exposing the truth about VPNs. I really hope in the future there will be a video covering the many lies various VPN providers tell.

"How do you know whom to trust?" Nobody. Set up your own vpn, period. It's the only way if you CARE about privacy.

They subpoena your banking records, bank records show who you pay for ISP and who you VPN through, they subpoena the ISP for your IP records, they notify the VPN that they are investigating activity from your IP and that they are not to destroy records or logs, they get a search warrant for the the VPN to turn over logged activity over a period of time which gets you caught red handed.

I've been saying for years, VPNs are only good to get around IP restrictions. No matter what they say in their policy, they can log everything you do and sell it if they want. Just like your ISP. Just because it might be ilegal do to so, doesn't mean it can't be done.

The good news. VPN's DO HIDE YOUR IDENTITY. (That's putting it bluntly and simple-speak terms.) The bad news. -VPN's can be blocked by websites so that you can't use that site. -VPN's still ALLOW your private information to be RECORDED BY ANYBODY. (Remember, hiding identity in real time and having recorded your personal information are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS!) -There are other small grievances here and there, but nothing too majorly important... I used to repair computers with my online gaming Manhattan friend about a decade ago and we would test out how VPN's and any and all other computer related "stuff" works...

Free trials are sketchy, they have a setting for a firewall to not leak your IP if you lose connection but once your trial free data runs out it leaks your IP, like if you fall asleep during a download and the trial data runs out it will leak your ip all night until you wake up or catch it regardless if you have the killswitch or firewall setting on.

With Netflix's crackdown on VPNs I'm really starting to regret getting a 2 year vpn subscription just for international Netflix viewing

yes, I want a vacuum with a new dust filter for a Hoover MaxExtract Pressure Pro, Model 60 and also a VPN please.

Please remember to use an incognito browser if you’re using a VPN. Otherwise you’re just using Google or Facebook’s data harvesting plan from a different IP. They still know it’s you.

I just started giving vpns a try a few days ago, specifically Nord. The third time I booted it up it connected to a host in Los Angeles. No joke, an isp location scan said it was connected to a Los Angeles police department building.

according to tom scott, if you are looking to keep your data secure, you don't need a vpn. Most of the internet already uses HTTPS so it doesnt really matter

"I hear the moon is pretty libertarian" - cue Neil Armstrong posting "get off my lawn" sign right next to the US flag

A) Even if you choose to encrypt your data, it is ONLY encrypted till it reaches VPN - where it decrypts it to actually send legible data to server/website B) Websites are getting smart and are slowly learning how to tell if someone is on a VPN; in which it will enforce geoblocking even if you were in the same country C) VPN’s provide barely zero privacy, as modern ad ai can determine individual users not by their identifiers but by how they use the Internet and what logins have been used via backend talk between servers (log into Google on any VPN, and your connection has the same privacy as no VPN - even if it has changing ip’s since your login will share those credentials as they change) D) VPN’s were never designed for privacy; and only protect your data until it hits the VPN server.

Turning on a VPN's encryption doesn't protect you from the VPN seeing your data. It must be decrypted before it leaves the VPN to be sent to the target URL. If that URL doesn't itself have HTTPS (SSL), then all that data is open to the VPN to view.

At this point I don’t even use the VPN I have. I just take ownership of the sites I visit and I am vocal about me being a dirtbag.

There's a middle ground between using a VPN in order to hide when trying break into the pentagon's intranet and not wanting the moderator behind a message board you post on knowing your IP address information. This is something that nerds (not you) screaming "VPN are useless!!!" need to realize. I use a VPN for the latter of the two reasons. Nuance is important in intelligent debate.

Remember folks; to not be tracked and recorded on the internet, make your own internet, or just don't use one. Be careful though physical wire taps on local nets are still possible. But seriously privacy is dead, and so many of the youth just use their given names, not even knowing why usernames were ever anything else. _Feels old man_

Finally you admit this. Now for the best rule of thumb: Don't use a VPN you don't own if you're concerned about privacy. Getting past geofilters? Go for it, keep in mind many VPN services are getting banned from streaming sites for doing exactly this. But assume your activity is being logged. Looking to protect your privacy on the go? Set up a VPN server in your home network and either get a static IP or a dynamic DNS. But if you're looking to hide from your ISP or circumvent tracking, you're out of luck as far as VPNs go.

the biggest joke i heard was vpn's claims they can lower latency in games

My friend got a VPN to watch blocked Netflix shows, but Netflix knows he is using a VPN, so a message pops up telling him to disable it to access Netflix. LOL.

only circumstances where a vpn isnt a vpn isnt a scam:1 you misuse the internet illegally 2 ddos threats

You are telling me that agencies don't have a Room 641A in every VPN building?! Pffff

Probably, eventually everything gets hacked.

To be clear, your ISP can see the domain you access (e.g. RU-vid) but not what exactly you do there. For example, there is no way for you ISP to know you have watched this specific video. That part is already encrypted. They could probably guess though how much videos you watch by the amount of traffic you cause.

Actually a solid video. Im gunna be shamefully honest, i saw the glasses and mustache and though "this is gunna be a conspiracy thing" but this was a video that was pretty hard to pick apart. Should be proud, good info, concisely delivered, just all around solid. Well done. Thank you.

PC: *stops working* Me: why Me 2 seconds later: 0:17 I unplugged it

Remember when LMG was promoting a VPN service that ended up leaving unencrypted keys on a server?

Could you do a video comparing VPNs, TOR, I2P and HTTPS/SSL/TLS? edit: and which one does what (eg. HTTPS mean only you and the website can see your info, if you had tor and no https the exit node could see your info)

Very similar concept to how 4473s work in the USA when you buy a gun at an FFL (federal firearms license ie a gun store). While legally we’re not supposed to have a registry (like the VPN logging your data) some information is required and does have to be stored. Just because it’s not supposed to be logged doesn’t mean it isn’t being logged and can’t be used. Same way with tracking guns found via serial numbers and looking up who they were sold to via a 4473 (the form you fill out when buying a gun at an FFL). Super similar concept at least for those of us in the states. Cool to see a parallel in a different industry.

Look at Mr. Moneybags up here, upgrading his PC before the 12-year warranty expires.

im jealous of Riley's hair from many many years...

Missed out on an opportunity to tell viewers of alternative methods of security like tor.

to me it's NO and yes,it's why I can see this without paying

The drunk mechanic working on an airplane joke has aged incredibly

"Chemistry and thermodynamics of m&ms ", who expected to hear this line in their life?

VPN scam analogy is that someone comes to you and guarantees you something, but requires you to trust IT - BUT YOU DON'T KNOW THAT PERSON/GROUP.

Or, you know, for the actual reason why VPNs exists: to have a secure access to the corporate network. NATing to the Internet was not the point of VPNs.

*do not use VPNs, it's a scam* "Sorry, the content provider has not made this video available for your region." *proceeds to use VPN*

James and Riley are "those" friends that you do NOT wanna fall asleep around at a party!

Tom Scott said it best. Unless you're a gay pirate assassin, you probably don't need a VPN

So are they scams? After wasting 5 minutes of my time I still don't know.

All I can say is I one time signed up for a well-known VPN. I gave them my phone number and address as required for billing. Not too long after that, I started getting all sorts of spam email and spam phone calls. Could it have been the billing agency and not the VPN, of course. But if the VPN uses a billing agency that would share that info or if the VPN themselves did it, then that is no different and in some ways is worse than Google tracking my browsing data.

This has long been my theory. You think the government doesn't have the resources to whip up a VPN and make it look independently owned and operated. *LOL*

"AND, HEY! YOU WANT A VACUUM!??"

It makes me happy that in Romania there is no data collection. (As a Romanian myself)

Even some paid VPNs are untrustworthy, such as NordVPN when they took almost a year to confess they had found rogue servers on their network caused by one of the datacenters where they paid some servers leaving remote control software that was use in a nefarious way.

The ONLY reason to use such a VPN service is to go around geoblocking. It does not protect your security or privacy in any way. In no way would I trust better my VPN service than my ISP.

I would really like to see a video about 10-bit color on monitors and how this works with modern games. I know there are a few tech quickie videos that are like 7 years old that touch on the topic of HDR 10, but I would be interested in a gaming-focused take on this in 2021. I.E., is color banding solved in dark games? Maybe some illustrations on how 8-bit plus FRC works, etc. Also curious if a VA panel is technically a better HDR experience due to the supposedly better contrast ratio, or if a decent IPS is similarly good on a monitor. ---------------------------- Also, I read a few articles recently about why VA panels are best for curved monitors. VA (vertical alignment) panels work best because the pixels don't bunch up as easily (at least that's what I gathered). This explains why it's more difficult to find curved IPS monitors. I'm also interested why it's almost impossible to find curved IPS/VA 4k monitors. Wondering if this is for the same reason.

I work for a social media site where we have definitely reported people to the police and handed over relevant information to the authorities. It's a long legal thing, but it's done and I can definitely tell you, no one reads the fine print which says we will definitely do that if you're committing crimes. Even if your VPN is legit, its definitely worth reading the legal bits, because when it comes to what is or isn't tracked and what can and cannot be sent to say a government who asks for that data...you best know that before you feel secure "not committing crimes online" using your VPN.

Watching "Are VPNs Just A Scam?" while having my VPN on

I like how seasonic starts sponsoring Tech videos about their power supply when gigabytes PSU BLOWing up 🤣😂

The fact that I can stream Xbox games on my mobile phone by using a VPN in a country where the service is not yet available (and will probably not be for the next 10 years) tells me at the very least the VPN does exactly what it says it does. Whether this is a viable solution to keep my data safe, I don't know. I only use the VPN because it comes included with my password manager service.

It's really important that VPN doesn't mean that your ISP can't see what you're doing. If you're using split-tunnel configurations to access, say, a corporate network, your regular 'net accesses and DNS lookups will likely be completely visible. Any VPN used to protect your activity must, before the points on this video, route all traffic through the tunnel.

Ok, I don't generally bother with commenting on youtube videos....but I feel the need to do so here. Mad props, you actually acknowledged one major key point that I have literally never seen any youtube video ever acknowledge. EVER. Log retention requirement LAWS. The US has them. Any and all forms of telecommunication services, be it internet, or phone, or whatever, are required to keep logs for a bare minimum of 2 years. Now, there's more in the fine print, as to what the logs need to contain, but even being optimistic and saying only the most bare bones metadata...that is still incredibly dangerous information to have sitting on a database waiting for a breach. Everyone that I have ever seen that DOES come forward and talk about the darker side of VPN's and their privacy breaches, always dances around and dodges talking about this detail at all. At first, I thought that was where this video was going with things...but no, you actually acknowledged that issue. (You didn't mention the US doing it, but still, the fact it happens is still important to talk about!) Long story short, if your doing it for privacy purposes, yes, VPN's are absolutely a scam...if you live in the US.

Who do I trust more, my paid ISP who has no competition and therefore can do whatever they want, or my paid VPN, who has numerous competitors and therefore has to take care of their customers or lose money? Easy choice.

VPN’s are cool and useful tools. But they’re definitely not the be all end all internet privacy solution they sell themselves as

I use a self hosted VPN to access my home network. So neither of the listed reasons. IN YOUR FACE, RILEY. Riley's one of the best.

VPNs really don’t protect your privacy. What the do is encrypt the data between you and the vpn provider, they also change your public facing IP. That’s it.

People nowadays keep the WiFi on their phone turned on all the time and it's constantly looking for a WiFi network. It's ridiculously trivial for someone to just pose as Starbucks WiFi and your phone would connect to the device automatically if you've ever used Starbucks WiFi and not manually unchecked "save network" while doing so. Even if your school/university/residence has WiFi with a publicly or semi-privately available password, it's trivial to get phones to latch to your network. A VPN in this case can at least mask this traffic and prevent snooping (although the network host can still launch phishing attacks).

Tom Scott did a really god video on this

Best VPN is the one you make yourself in-house

I hate when people say just use for for anonymity but browsing regular sites with tor is often blocked