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Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

vpnpro.com

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Re: Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

#41

Post by david_shaw »

pdonis wrote: post #40
dperfect wrote: post #19

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like this is trying to scare people into thinking that the VPNs mentioned are doing this tracking on the sites you visit while using their VPN, when it's really only about the VPN's own website (which people usually visit only when they sign up). It doesn't explicitly say the tracking is happening while using the VPNs in question, but I would bet a large portion of readers assume that…

If the VPN company insists on tracking me to this extent when I'm on their website, why should I trust them to not track me when I'm using their VPN? You would think a company whose core product is supposed to be about privacy would be extra careful to respect its customers' privacy on their own website.

> If the VPN company insists on tracking me to this extent when I'm on their website, why should I trust them to not track me when I'm using their VPN?

I think you make a valid point, but there's a difference between their sales pipeline and their actual product. These VPN providers are businesses, and they're trying to optimize their sales. What demographics are most interested in their products? How did they get there? Does Google Analytics (or Facebook, or similar) have profiles on people shopping for VPNs? Are there advertising patterns that could have better ROI for attracting users?

I'm not defending the ethics of major VPN providers -- they certainly don't all have stellar records -- but I would be surprised if any major SaaS company didn't track user behavior on their brochureware/sales pages.

Re: Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

#42

Post by teslademigod1 »

zo1 wrote: post #38
dperfect wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, you and I both recognize that they're only talking about the VPN's own websites, but I'd bet good money that a majority of less-technical readers (not HN readers) won't understand that distinction. It feels like the author knows that, and deliberately failed to point out the fact that the tracking in question doesn't affect a person's privacy while using the VPNs. Case in point: > Remember, these trackers are ma…

I'm a technical person, and the title absolutely baffles me. "Top VPNs Recording Users" "Potentially Leaking Data When Visiting Their Sites" what data, and how would I be leaking it to their site? Why is this pertinent and what does it have to do with them recording users? Are they recording users history and leaking it to their own sites? So many questions, so much click-bait. The net result is that I had to waste t…

Yeah... but that last part is crucial "... when they visit their website"

It's like a title saying "US government tracks travelers when they visit the US"

I wouldn't right off the bat assume that the US gov't is tracking all travelers all the time. I'd assume it's only when they land in the US

Re: Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

#48

Post by AlexandrB »

david_shaw wrote: post #41
pdonis wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the VPN company insists on tracking me to this extent when I'm on their website, why should I trust them to not track me when I'm using their VPN? You would think a company whose core product is supposed to be about privacy would be extra careful to respect its customers' privacy on their own website.

> If the VPN company insists on tracking me to this extent when I'm on their website, why should I trust them to not track me when I'm using their VPN? I think you make a valid point, but there's a difference between their sales pipeline and their actual product. These VPN providers are businesses, and they're trying to optimize their sales. What demographics are most interested in their products? How did they get th…

> What demographics are most interested in their products? How did they get there? Does Google Analytics (or Facebook, or similar) have profiles on people shopping for VPNs? Are there advertising patterns that could have better ROI for attracting users?

Great. But being privacy-conscious organizations, the VPN providers are surely including a clear and explicit opt-in/opt-out to any kind of data collection. Right?

Checks nordvpn’s site

Whoops. Nevermind.

Re: Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

#49

Post by fyrefoxboy12 »

GrinningFool wrote: post #37
fyrefoxboy12 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what you can see, but the full title shows that it's about websites and their info section shows that they only analyzed websites. "In order to analyze these websites..." i get what you mean, but i think that's a bit more about reading comprehension than what they've been doing.

> I don't know what you can see, but the > full title shows that it's about websites "Top Virtual Private Networks recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their web sites" When the acronym is expanded, the title strongly suggests a problem with the networks , not VPN providers .

Well, I meant the full title when you click through to the page:

"Top VPNs are recording users and potentially leaking their data when they visit their website"

I had to truncate it here to fit

Re: Top VPNs recording users, potentially leaking data when visiting their websites

#50

Post by eyegor »

intopieces wrote: post #45
metreo wrote: post #43

Why doesn't everyone just use Tor?

I thought Tor had exit nodes set up by the government. Is this not true? Serious question.

Yes, of course they do. Most governments probably run some tor nodes. The privacy gamble is that you only have privacy if the entrance node and exit nodes are controlled by different operators.
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