You disable the VPN, they show “unprotected”, come on, I’m not really unprotected, why such a dramatic word, I just disabled the thing a little, I’m “disconnected” but it doesn’t mean I’m actually unprotected, the same way it doesn’t mean I’m actually protected if I’m using a VPN.
Mullvad uses the term “Disconnected” in their apps, and their website header says “Not using Mullvad VPN”.
(I know that’s probably not a good reason to switch providers, but they are really good in other ways too)
I just saw that on Proton VPN but I remember seeing other services forcing this “unprotected” word as if it was the end of the world.
“Please you need us look how you need us now you’re unprotected holy shit”
It’s just fear-based marketing, which I have a strong distaste for as well
What a nice device you have got here. Wouldn’t it be a shame that something bad happened to you because you didn’t throttle your bandwidth or stopped paying your subscription on time?
If you’re using a VPN to protect the destination of your traffic from the prying eyes of your ISP or the state, then the VPN would absolutely be protecting it, and therefore when disconnected you are by definition unprotected.
But VPN is not a privacy service.
I keep seeing this but I don’t understand. Does it not improve your privacy with respect to your ISP?
If your ISP tracks you, then yes; the VPN “tunnels” past the ISP. But keep in mind that the VPN provider can also sell your browsing history. And the ones suitable to work around DRM laws, usually don’t have strict data protection laws.
The issue is, that a lot of VPN providers sell their service as a privacy service, with loads of superficial bullshit or false promises.
“If” heh
I wouldn’t trust any ISP to not be tracking users
Laws.
It sure is. You get privacy from your ISP, or the network operator of what you’re connected to. Thats why people famously use them for things like piracy. If VPNs weren’t private, privacy wouldn’t exist.
Virtual Private Network
Virtual wire from your PC to the provider. Nothing more, nothing less. And btw, the encryption of the “wire” doesn’t protect against online tracking (and https is already encrypted).
Au contraire:
A VPN, or virtual private network, helps protect your online privacy by encrypting your internet connection and masking your IP address, making it harder for others to track your browsing activity. It also allows you to bypass geographical restrictions, giving you access to content that may be blocked in your region.
The whole point of VPN is privacy.
youe internet connection is already encrypted if you are using https
deleted by creator
You’ll know in about nine months, give or take, depending on when you went unprotected.
Oh man you haven’t seen avast then
ITT: a lot of ignorant laymen who don’t understand the first thing about how the internet works.
It all depends on what you’re supposed to be protected from. Vpns protect your Communications from being intercepted and keeps your location anonymous.
So you are in fact unprotected from being located identified and tracked. You are also unprotected from having your Communications intercepted by a man in the middle.
If you’re on a public unsecured Wi-Fi network you are totally exposed. If you are on your own router connected through an isp, the ISP knows everything you’re doing, and attaches your billing information to that data and uses it.
So I really don’t think unprotected is a scare word. It is an accurate description of your situation.
VPNs don’t prevent a device from announcing its real location. And they protect you from a MITM at the ISP but not at the VPN provider, so you just switch who you trust. VPNs also don’t do anything to help with the browser fingerprinting that companies use to track you around the web. From the point of view of the services and sites you connect to, all a VPN does is change your IP address, and the IP address may not be a big part of how they track you in the first place. VPNs alone do not improve privacy much at all.
What VPNs do is shield your traffic metadata from inspection by the network hops between your client and the VPN provider (though the content is almost always enxrypted even without the VPN), and change your apparent location for any service that is exclusively using IP-based geolocation.
If you’re on a public unsecured Wi-Fi network you are totally exposed. If you are on your own router connected through an isp, the ISP knows everything you’re doing, and attaches your billing information to that data and uses it.
You don’t need a vpn to protect yourself over a public wifi network. All modern website have HTTPS with certificates so the website can’t get spoofed and no one knows what your doing on that website. Modern browsers will warn you before entering a website without https or a certificate. Using an encrypted DNS like nextdns further protects you so no one even knows what websites your visiting.
Ok I’m not 100% sure if using an encrypted DNS does fully protect you from outsiders finding out which website your visiting, hopefully someone can correct me if I’m wrong.
What other terms could they use?
- Vulnerable
- Exposed
- In Danger
- At Risk
- Potentially Compromised
- Unmasked
- Uncovered
- Unhidden
- Discoverable
- Unpresentable
- Uncouth
- Unbecoming
- Indecarous (might be my favorite now)
- Indecent
- Immodest
- …
disconnected
Your data is leaking
Better simply “You’re Leaking”
All substantially less likely to make me think of condoms
They could just provide the facts: your connection is not protected by the VPN. The scaremongering is just marketing for the next renewal.
That’s no fun
