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Mozilla VPN

blog.mozilla.org

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Re: Mozilla VPN

#71

Post by jefftk »

cgb223 wrote: post #52
Jonnax wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ask yourself why you want a VPN. Is it to avoid your ISP collecting browsing data off you and selling it? Perhaps using 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 as your DNS might be good enough. Is it to watch geo region blocked videos? Then pretty much any service will work for you. Except that video streaming sites have caught on and blocked hosting provider IP blocks. So that might require you to shop around. Do you want the most priva…

> Is it to avoid your ISP collecting browsing data off you and selling it? Perhaps using 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 as your DNS might be good enough. 8.8.8.8 is Google’s DNS so you’re really just trading being tracked by an ISP to a giant advertising company...

The privacy policy for 8.8.8.8 is actually really good: https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/privacy I wish more google products were so explicit in what they log and for what purposes.

(Disclosure: I work for Google)

Re: Mozilla VPN

#72

Post by abvdasker »

sequoia wrote: post #45

"For example, over 70% of early Beta-testers say that the VPN helps them feel empowered, safe, and independent while being online." What have these "feelings" got to do with anything? This is a measure of successful marketing and has nothing to do with the product or its efficacy. Personally I use Windscribe and I really like it (I've used PIA & Mullvad in the past). I use it for watching US Netflix and to make it sl…

I would counter that how safe people feel, and to what extent they have an expectation of privacy online will determine their behavior. The technical effectiveness of the product is one thing, but how users perceive it will determine whether it offers them any real benefit. These things do matter.

Remember Foucault's panopticon: If someone merely thinks they might be surveilled their behavior will change in profound ways. More concretely, if you think the government may be spying on your browsing habits, maybe there are sites you won't visit or comments you won't post or videos you won't watch. It's important not only that the product works, but that people feel it works so that they can behave more freely on the internet.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#73

Post by dewey »

satoshivpn wrote: post #31

What good is a VPN if you have to reveal all of your personally identifiable information to the vendor? You're better off using Mullvad directly--it looks like they don't require you to fork over personal information to use their service. Shameless plug: SatoshiVPN ( https://satoshivpn.com ) gives you access to your own private and anonymous VPN server with Outline pre-installed, no questions asked. Payments in Bitco…

> What good is a VPN if you have to reveal all of your personally identifiable information to the vendor?

Because most peoples threat model doesn't include actors that can force a VPN provider to give up their data. They just use it because it's making it easier to not get data stolen in a coffee shop and watch US Netflix.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#74

Post by jcul »

Jonnax wrote: post #22
haunter wrote: post #15

Every single time I start researching VPN services I end up more confused and with more questions than before because basically every vouched service has the same amount of negative comments too. Like feels like the whole sector is a honeypot (lol) of shady stuff and also they figthing against each other (or not?). So I just wait until when turns out Mullvad is also one of the bad guys.

Ask yourself why you want a VPN. Is it to avoid your ISP collecting browsing data off you and selling it? Perhaps using 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 as your DNS might be good enough. Is it to watch geo region blocked videos? Then pretty much any service will work for you. Except that video streaming sites have caught on and blocked hosting provider IP blocks. So that might require you to shop around. Do you want the most priva…

Though the last option doesn't give you anonymity. It just gives you privacy from your ISP. Any services you connect to can tie you to the IP of your VM. Sometimes the shared IP of a VPN provider might be desirable.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#75

Post by jwilk »

cgb223 wrote: post #52
Jonnax wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ask yourself why you want a VPN. Is it to avoid your ISP collecting browsing data off you and selling it? Perhaps using 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 as your DNS might be good enough. Is it to watch geo region blocked videos? Then pretty much any service will work for you. Except that video streaming sites have caught on and blocked hosting provider IP blocks. So that might require you to shop around. Do you want the most priva…

> Is it to avoid your ISP collecting browsing data off you and selling it? Perhaps using 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 as your DNS might be good enough. 8.8.8.8 is Google’s DNS so you’re really just trading being tracked by an ISP to a giant advertising company...

And then it's a shitty trade, because your ISP still can track you without much difficulty.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#76

Post by wasmitnetzen »

orra wrote: post #55
solarkraft wrote: post #27

It's a rebranding of Mullvad. I'm happy with Mullvad itself, and while I think Firefox is the most important browser I'm not very happy about Mozilla arguably destroying its brand and seemingly pivoting away from maintaining it. I'd directly pay for the development of FF, but not Mozilla's "btw, we now sell $completely_unrelated_product_without_even_an_ethical_business_model". They seem to be relatively safe from for…

You say that, but not enough people do directly pay for the development of Firefox. Of course, you are welcome to donate to the Mozilla Foundation. Also, your complaint about an ethical business model seems unfounded, especially in this instance.

> you are welcome to donate to the Mozilla Foundation.

Which does not pay for the development of Firefox.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#77

Post by flyGuyOnTheSly »

What is the main benefit of using a VPN?

I download music, movie, tv, etc files via torrent using my Canadian IP address and I have never seen anything more than an email from my ISP saying essentially "so and so company thinks you downloaded their material, don't do that ok?".

Is the general public so afraid of getting the odd email that paying $5/$10 month to make them disappear is a good deal for them?

Why wouldn't people just use TOR for free? It was extremely fast the last I checked.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#78

Post by bredren »

nprateem wrote: post #51
sequoia wrote: post #45

"For example, over 70% of early Beta-testers say that the VPN helps them feel empowered, safe, and independent while being online." What have these "feelings" got to do with anything? This is a measure of successful marketing and has nothing to do with the product or its efficacy. Personally I use Windscribe and I really like it (I've used PIA & Mullvad in the past). I use it for watching US Netflix and to make it sl…

People buy on emotions

What was the 500 startup guys phrase?

A product has to get you “Made, Paid or Laid“

Where Made was like a sense of positive promotion like a made-man in the mob I think.

Emotion is everything. If a product doesn’t make you feel good you’ll only buy it because you have to.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#79

Post by gzer0 »

helloooooooo wrote: post #24
pipermerriam wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use ProtonVPN. Same company as ProtonMail. Highly reputable with a business model around doing privacy and encryption well.

NordVPN shares offices in Estonia with ProtonVPN. For that reason I find it sketchy.

I would like to read more about this, do you have a source?

I cannot find anything reliable that suggests this! Thanks.

Re: Mozilla VPN

#80

Post by imglorp »

jrockway wrote: post #69

I am surprised at how much money exists in the VPN industry. Whenever I watch even a mildly-popular YouTube video, it always has an advertisement for the latest VPN provider. As far as I can tell, there is only one reason there is this much money in the field -- to subscribe to US-based video streaming services from outside the US. But they never ever say that that's the reason, they always say things like "work from…

I think you're right, a lot of VPN usage has to do with circumventing some tiered, segmented, bullshit content provider restrictions such as region or schedule or device type.

The fact that all these people are paying for a service plus VPN means the services are leaving money on the table. If they would simply offer what we want, when we want, where we want it, on the device we want, on a single service without a hassle, many consumer would be lined up for that.

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