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A 14-Year-Old Asks: When Should I Get a VPN?
"One of my students sent me this letter," writes Slashdot reader Hasaf. "I have a good idea how I will answer, but I wanted to put it before the Slashdot community." The letter reads:
Right now I am 14 years old, I was wondering when I should get a VPN... I was thinking about getting the yearly deal. But right now I really have no need for a VPN at the moment. I was thinking of getting a VPN when I'm in 11th grade or maybe in college. What do you think?
Of course, the larger question is what factors go into deciding whether your need to be using a VPN. So leave your best answers in the comments. When should you get your first VPN?
Of course, the larger question is what factors go into deciding whether your need to be using a VPN. So leave your best answers in the comments. When should you get your first VPN?
First thing is that you need to understand what exactly a VPN is and what it protects you form. People hear VPN associate it with privacy and security and think it's a magic pill. It isn't. It has very specific uses, and it can protect you in some ways, but in many it doesn't.
I always compare it with a very long cable that you stick into another network. Imagine, you are at McDonalds, and you could have a very long cable to your home network. You could access your NAS at home, surf from the IP address at home, all through that cable. That is what a VPN is: it allows you to plug into a different network. So what does this protect you from? In my example, from McDonalds and the other patrons on the McDonalds network. They can try to see what you do, but all they will see is the "cable" (the encrypted traffic) to a certain IP address (your home connection). What happens on that cable is opaque to them.
However, if you surf the Internet over a VPN, it has an endpoint. In my example, that would be your home connection. So the sites, you visit see your home connections IP, your parents still could have filtering software on that home connection, etc... It would be as if you were physically at home and no different. The sites you visit can still track you.
So, VPNs are basically good for three things:
So, now, with this information, you should be able to ask yourself: Is this the kind of functionality and protection I need? If no, you don't need a VPN. If yes, go ahead.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
Commercial VPN? Roll your own and that goes away.
Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
Never carry anything to another country that's actually personal. Take a burner notebook/phone with you. Use a local SIM card and if that's not possible, never store contacts/addresses on your own SIM card (dumb idea anyway). When crossing a boarder, have devices that are total clean and innocuous--not signed in to any account you actually care about and maybe signed into throwaways that you don't care about.
If a device leaves your sight it's been compromised. If your notebook is in your hotel room and you are not it's been compromised. Doesn't matter if it actually has, treat it as if it has been. Wipe, reformat, or toss it when you're done. Change any passwords you may have used upon your return home.
If you cannot afford a burner notebook, at least take an image of your drive and put it somewhere safe that you leave at home, and reformat/reload things.
You will access important data using a cloud drive that contains, among other things, your VPN client, when you reach your destination.
Keep in mind that VPNs hide your traffic from prying eyes. They do not hide the fact that you're using a VPN from anyone with half a brain. So if you're traveling to a really backwards country that outlaws VPNs please remember that--and while you're at it, rethink why you're going there in the first place.
If you're not a US citizen and coming to the US, remember that the US is now a third world police state, especially at its borders, and that protections that apply to American citizens don't necessarily apply to you. Frankly, as an American, I'd say do what a lot of non-Americans are doing and just avoid coming here unless or until this place wises up, stops being politically correct, targets people who are actual problems instead of everyone, and generally starts respecting individual freedom again.
He was offering to pay her bus ticket to travel across state lines. I only sporadically perused her IMs. I'm glad I caught that one. Now, you can eat a dick. Kids are stupid.