• HelixDab2@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    ISPs definitely keep records. At least some VPNs claim that they don’t, and that their networks are set up in such a way that they can’t. Some organizations claim to validate the claims of the VPNs, but it’s unclear if they’re trustworthy.

    So your choice is to use something that definitely keeps logs, or to use a company that at least says that they don’t/can’t.

    • communism@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Yes, and there’s also the fact that some VPNs such as Mullvad let you be anonymous so even if Mullvad were keeping logs, if you pay privately they have no way of knowing whose logs they are (unless the content itself of your internet history reveals your identity). Meanwhile your ISP definitely knows who you are, and absolutely will collaborate with the police if asked to.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      The VPN company themselves may not keep logs. However, they might be a little black box somewhere in the data center…

      • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        As Proton made evident, VPNs can be legally compelled to start keeping logs on specific accounts as the result of a court order. So if you’re gonna do something incriminating, then I guess you should create a new account each time.

    • tired_n_bored@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      That’s exactly the reasoning I did for choosing a VPN. I know that VPNs are falsely advertised as “anonymous black magic” but better Proton or Mullvad than my ISP which definitely sells data to advertisers