this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2024
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Privacy

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I am thinking about changing VPN, I am currently using ProtonVPN and I was thinking about changing to AirVPN (for its prices and port forwarding) or Mullvad (Everyone says it is better regarding privacy but I don't know why).

Which one would you recommend and why? I have seen a lot of criticism towards AirVPN for being based in Italy, but if they don't collect the data as they say they do, there shouldn't be any problem, right?

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[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Torrenting means you’re sending copies of the files to anyone with a magnet link. Great for quickly sharing legitimate software with a wide group. If you’re trying to download stuff you don’t have a license for, torrenting is a bad solution. Better to find a small community where you can just share files directly, peer to peer or on a private server.

Torrenting has a very obvious digital fingerprint, so even if you’re using a VPN, your ISP knows you’re torrenting. And if your VPN provider gets served with a notice and their country is a member of any international trade agreement, they know who you are and have a responsibility to take action against you.

[–] ReversalHatchery@beehaw.org 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Torrenting has a very obvious digital fingerprint, so even if you’re using a VPN, your ISP knows you’re torrenting.

even through vpn? how? there are many other useful (and legal) things you can use that practically always makes traffic

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

It’s about the traffic shape and size; the packets are all encrypted, but unless you’re filling the gaps with random noise, there’s a pattern to the randomness, in terms of packet size and density, and to the shape of the traffic volume over time.

If you’re streaming video AND torrenting at the same time, that will cover up some of the torrent fingerprints, but not all.

And if someone has the fingerprint of a torrent from a non-VPN source, they can pretty reliably figure out exactly which torrent you’re connected to. Pretty much nobody goes to that level of analysis for a random person though; they’d have to already have some reason to be watching your network traffic AND find it worthwhile.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 2 points 1 month ago

I'd take what you're reading here with a grain of salt.