this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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Privacy
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Damn, people here really misunderstand the threat surface. The Google VPN is just fine for staying safe from things like rogue wifi hotspots and even Stingray devices to some extent. It's also makes it much harder for your ISP to data mine your web activity. Obviously if you have an Android device using Google services, Google already has access to pretty much any information they might get from the VPN service. If you are de-Googled, then obviously you'd never use this.
For the vast majority of people, privacy should be what happens outside of your curated public image. Everyone has a public image. If you try to be completely dark all the time, chances are you will slip up and just end up in an even worse position because you don't understand when or how you've lost control. This is counterintelligence 101. Real first day stuff, but so many of the 'pop-security' influencers on the internet struggle with it, because they don't have any practical CI training. However, having a public image doesn't mean you cede all control to every observer. Obviously there are many choices for VPNs, but for everyday use, this VPN Google bundles with various other products is generally high quality.
There are quite simply better services out there, why defend a mega corp? You said it yourself they will sell every fucking byte of data, VPNs aren’t hard to figure out especially these days with ezpz UX.
Truly fuck this service, it’s not like it’s the only one with low barrier of entry, it provides some security but by nature dissolves privacy. You also can’t shift your location at all so it’s even less useful
Mullvad for example is easy as FUCK is super cheap (google one vpn is essentially the same pricing model for basic, $2 diff, the difference being mullvad doesn’t limit your data like google one does!!!!) and performative, as well as anonymous, no account or bullshit, plays nice with their simple-as-fuck default user apps or with others like WireGuard for more config
WHY use an inferior service that fucks you? Especially as it limits amount of data whereas mulvad doesn’t.
It’s worse in every fucking way
An easy barrier of entry isn't always the issue at hand. I think what the user is saying, hate Google or not, you are at the very least safe to some degree. A lot of people don't realize that VPNS are just ways of manipulating where your data goes and who sees it and that VPNs can be abused as services even if they aren't Google.
Those same services can sell your data just the same as Google. Let's not forget that the "mega corp" everyone loves to hate is the reason you have Android competing against iOS which is part of another mega corp. People on Lemmy should get the fuck off their high horses.
Upvoted because Mulvad. 👍