Hi,
I’m using opera VPN currently but having just switched my ISP I want to know if it’ll stop them spying/seeing what websites I’ve been on. Because I’m a new customer to them, I don’t want them being nosey and in my business or using my preferences for marketing.
Thanks
So you want opera to use your information for marketing but not your ISP?
A VPN sends your computer’s internet traffic through an intermediary, in this case another server configured to route internet traffic to and from devices that are connected to it.
Your ISP will see your connection to the VPN, but beyond that it won’t see anything. This is why VPN services advertise things like “no logging of activity” so there’s no record of your browsing on their end in case the police or FBI come knocking. Whether or not they actually keep logs is another matter. There have been instances where VPNs have said they don’t keep logs, but then suddenly had tons of logs to turn over to law enforcement when they showed up. So basically you’re trusting that your VPN is keeping a promise of not logging your computer’s requests.
Another measure is to use TOR browser with a VPN. I’ve done this in the past with pretty good speed. I couldn’t stream video or anything, but basic browsing worked fine. TOR is similar to a VPN but with added encryption and “nodes” to make it difficult to track your activity.
Just remember… if someone wants to see your information/activity bad enough, they will find a way regardless of what you’re doing.
The Tor browser is pretty locked down. It would be decent for normal browsing.
Unless your ISP MITM attacks your internet connection using BGP protocols, your VPN is likely to be safe from the ISP. It might not be safe from the VPN, the browser or the operating system.
If not your ISP, the VPN might. That traffic you does exit towards the internet somewhere. Here you can choose netween your ISP or the VPN.
I suppose the most anonymous traffic is via Tor since there is no company behind it that sees all your traffic in theory (yeah FBI and the like might have some insight but they will probably not monetize your traffic if that’s your concern). But it will also add the most latency and it will restrict throughput.
If you’re not using your ISPs DNS servers your ISP sees that you are connected to the VPN servers but nothing else. Everything you do online at that point is shown as traffic between you and the VPN.
A VPN is a great way to prevent your ISP from knowing or tracking which sites you visit. A VPN that allows you to pay anonymously means neither your ISP or your VPN provider will be able to instantly associate your browsing habits with your name/address/account. If your VPN provider logged your traffic and put some work in it, it would not be hard for them to figure out who you are even when paying anonymously. You place a lot of trust in a VPN and while some VPNs might be untrustworthy many ISPs have proven themselves to be so a VPN is often a much better option.
Never even gave that a second thought!
I suppose what I don’t want is my ISP posting garbage through my door or having other companies phone me trying to sell me stuff, but I never even considered Opera might do that.
So I heard that TOR is kinda dodgy in it’s own right and that I should only use it if I’m super tech savy, is that right?
Lol the FBI are no concern of mine, I just don’t want junk mail coming through my door and people phoning me up trying to sell me x and y because of my browsing patterns. I’ve had it before where my details were passed on and all of a sudden I’m getting text messages from pizza shops and the like
No. As far as being dodgy, no more than anything else I would think. Not entirely sure what you mean as far as dodgy, though. As far as tech savvy, absolutely not necessary. Check out their homepage, you can download and install the TOR browser very easily, and there are plenty of easy to read resources on what to do beyond that to ensure your own safety online.
Depends.
I wouldn’t use anything over Tor that doesn’t use SSL.
The actual operation of Tor is pretty straight forward. Assuming you have a clean source. As long as the browser is updated, it should defeat the majority of threats. If you have a tempest antenna in your AC thermostat, it isn’t going to matter if you use Tor.