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  • Bullfrog

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 8, 2009
    15,160
    Carroll County
    .
     

    Attachments

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    Feb 28, 2013
    28,953
    I don't like to give away our ancient kung fu secrets :ninja:

    I will say it's mostly just a matter of paying attention.

    I know it sounds silly, but this place has a vibe/rhythm to it and while we poke fun about "a disturbance in the force", after 14 years it's a little true.

    I wish I was as good at sniffin em out on my other home as you are here. The problem children we get there are usually on the road, so they’re usually signin up on truck stop wifi. That makes usin IP addys no good, so that leaves watchin a postin style.

    Of course, when somebody appears on a proxy or a VPNs, that usually ain’t a good sign. :innocent0

     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    ...

    Of course, when somebody appears on a proxy or a VPNs, that usually ain’t a good sign. :innocent0

    ...

    VPN is pretty much standard for work when traveling as well as personal if using "free" wifi from hotels or coffee shops. I think Joppaj had a thread last year on VPN options that got me to get my butt in gear too for a private one in addition to the work one. But agree that behavior combined with continuous use of a proxy or VPN could be a warning sign. It's not a court of law either with evidence to meet a threshold as it is a private forum. MDS has a much lighter touch that encourages some back and forth (topic dependent - some types of stupidity are nonstarters), relative to some other firearms related forums.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    gamer_jim

    Podcaster
    Feb 12, 2008
    13,233
    Hanover, PA
    Sometimes VPN is required for MDS. Some organizations consider this a "gun and violence" related forum and therefore block it.

    Someone protecting their own privacy should never be frowned upon.

    I highly recommend ProtonVPN.
     

    Threeband

    The M1 Does My Talking
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2006
    25,234
    Carroll County
    ...

    I highly recommend ProtonVPN.

    ...
    I used VPN FOR ALL

    Problem solved

    So for the non-technerds among us, how technically demanding is it to set up a VPN? How much does it cost?

    Rush Limbaugh has been plugging Norton VPN, which seems targeted to the mainstream non-nerd horde. It's advertised as "starting at $3.33 per month."

    Does anyone know how Norton VPN at $3.33 per month compares to Proton, or VPN For All, etc.

    Norton advertises that their competitors collect and sell marketing information from their users, by the way.
     

    swinokur

    In a State of Bliss
    Patriot Picket
    Apr 15, 2009
    55,394
    Westminster USA
    You install a small “dialer” piece of software and choose a server to connect to. Click on connect and your done. Hang up when finished

    That’s a simple explanation but not much more complicated
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    So for the non-technerds among us, how technically demanding is it to set up a VPN? How much does it cost?



    Rush Limbaugh has been plugging Norton VPN, which seems targeted to the mainstream non-nerd horde. It's advertised as "starting at $3.33 per month."



    Does anyone know how Norton VPN at $3.33 per month compares to Proton, or VPN For All, etc.



    Norton advertises that their competitors collect and sell marketing information from their users, by the way.
    It's not complicated to install, as swinokur noted. You start the program when you want to use the internet. There is often an option of which VPN server do you want to use, based on its geographic location. Once it's selected and you've started the program, then anything that you do on the internet is first sent to the VPN server that you've selected. Once it retrieves information, it sends it back to you. Internet traffic to/from the VPN server is encrypted, so your provider (e.g. your hotel's free wifi) doesn't know the content of the traffic or where you're going. Hotel wifi's are notorious for otherwise being unsecure and allowing other users to snoop on what you're doing and what information (passwords, financial stuff) that you're sending/receiving.

    Pricing sounds about right. I tend to avoid Norton software products. I use Nord VPN. A longer term contract gets you a similar rate, and you can put it on multiple devices. It's pretty simple to use.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,929
    VPNs the way to go.

    Some WiFi will substitute the secure site's cert with their own, allowing them to snoop your traffic. Narita's WiFi is notorious for that. They even inject themselves into email imap and SMTP traffic.

    A VPN will fix that nonsense.
     

    Vetted84

    Active Member
    Nov 8, 2016
    646
    So for the non-technerds among us, how technically demanding is it to set up a VPN? How much does it cost?

    Rush Limbaugh has been plugging Norton VPN, which seems targeted to the mainstream non-nerd horde. It's advertised as "starting at $3.33 per month."

    Does anyone know how Norton VPN at $3.33 per month compares to Proton, or VPN For All, etc.

    Norton advertises that their competitors collect and sell marketing information from their users, by the way.

    Switch to the Opera browser. VPN and ad blocker are built in.
     

    gamer_jim

    Podcaster
    Feb 12, 2008
    13,233
    Hanover, PA
    So for the non-technerds among us, how technically demanding is it to set up a VPN? How much does it cost?

    Rush Limbaugh has been plugging Norton VPN, which seems targeted to the mainstream non-nerd horde. It's advertised as "starting at $3.33 per month."

    Does anyone know how Norton VPN at $3.33 per month compares to Proton, or VPN For All, etc.

    Norton advertises that their competitors collect and sell marketing information from their users, by the way.
    I'm not familiar with Norton VPN, only Proton. I also use Proton for my email.

    For Proton's VPN it's easy, just click on app setup then click the "connect" button. Then visit a page that tells you what country you are from and verify it's working.

    Proton does have a free tier but you get limited service. Basic is $4/month.

    The things to remember are:

    1) VPNs do reduce bandwidth, so things will be a little slower.

    2) Some websites do not like VPNs so they will display a message telling you that you are banned or at least banned from your country. Proton has exit points throughout the world so you can find one somewhere that gets around this if you pay for it. The free tier has limited countries you can appear from.

    3) You have to remember to start and stop it. Occasionally it runs into a problem and you have to restart the device. This will reset the network settings and then your good to go.


    The big thing to remember is you just need to be sentient of your online identity and what's going on. It's not hard and I am happy to help any (or most) MDS members if they have questions. I believe online privacy and identity is become more important. Having another option, like a paid vpn, gives you more control over how you use the internet and who gets to view your data.
     
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    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Lots of good tips in the above post. With some of these programs, the experience is seamless. You turn on the VPN and do everything else as normal ... your web browsing, your separate email client (if you use something like Outlook), and other internet using applications. If you run into hiccups, follow the advice in the post above.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    VPNS only change your IP and secures your traffic. It doesn't change your "fingerprint". Unless you're running some obscure, non mainstream OS to stand out, anyone (most)could be running a basic MACbook(PC0 with X resolution, no java installed,etc... could be anyone. However, there are programs out there that will alter your fingerprint.
     

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