I used to think VPNs were all you needed for privacy. Now I feel dumb about it.

For years I just paid for a VPN and figured I was invisible online. Then last spring I read about how browser fingerprinting works even with a VPN on. Went to a site called CoverYourTracks and saw my unique fingerprint was still there at 89% uniqueness. That same week a coworker showed me how Facebook tracks you via share buttons even if you never click them. Now I run NoScript and uBlock Origin on Firefox and only use the VPN for torrenting. Has anyone else found that VPNs are basically useless for stopping tracking from big sites?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia_carter702mo agoMost Upvoted

Got paranoid after my neighbor's Nest doorbell caught me talking to my cat.

logan7051mo ago

Wait, did you really not realize those things record audio too? I used to think I was just being dramatic about privacy, but after seeing how much my neighbor's camera picked up, I completely flipped on the whole thing.

simonl112mo ago

Oh man, welcome to the club of people who got hit with the "VPN isn't magic" reality check! It's like buying a helmet for a bike race and realizing you still have to pedal (and also someone is still filming you from a drone). I had my own moment of clarity when I tested my browser fingerprint and it told me I was more unique than a snowflake in a heatwave. Now I'm over here with more browser extensions than actual friends, blocking scripts like my computer owes me money. Honestly, at this point I'm half convinced the only way to be truly private is to go live in a cabin with no internet and communicate via carrier pigeon (which probably has GPS tracking too, let's be real).