A VPN (Virtual Private Network) adds privacy and security to your browsing. But does this make your internet activity truly anonymous? Or is total privacy just wishful thinking? The short answer? Yes, if you have a VPN you can, to some extent, still be tracked.
The long answer? A VPN disguises your IP address by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel and assigning you a different IP, often from another location. This makes it harder for websites, ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and some entities to track your location or browsing activities.
So, it’s true that tracking online activity is harder with a VPN, but that doesn’t make it impossible. Let’s explore why that’s the case, starting with who wants to track you and why.
Who wants to track you online?
Why would anyone want to track you online? That’s the first question we need to address. Understanding why people or entities want to monitor us is key to grasping what VPNs aim to prevent. Let’s take a closer look.
1. Internet Service Providers
Your ISP tracks everything you do on the internet: ISPs can track much of your online activity, including websites you visit, the services you use, and metadata like the amount of data you send or receive. However, they generally can’t see the specific content of your communications if you’re using encrypted websites (HTTPS) or services like a VPN.
2. Government entities
Some government agencies request activity logs from ISPs, often to combat crime. However, in some cases, governments collect logs to gather intelligence or censor free speech. This is especially common in countries like China and Russia, where individuals may be persecuted for expressing dissenting views.
3. Browsers
Using Chrome or Firefox? They likely know more about you than you realize. Many browsers collect data, such as your browsing habits and device information, and can access your location if permitted. Chrome, in particular, gathers extensive data for ad targeting and personalization. Firefox, while more privacy-focused, still collects some telemetry data unless you opt-out.
4. Cybercriminals
Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to track your activity—whether through malware, phishing, or cookie hijacking. If they find an entry point, they’ll exploit it. Once they infiltrate your privacy, they may attempt to steal your identity or sell your data to other criminals.
5. Websites and advertisers
Websites track you to analyze your data, including how you arrived at the site and what content you’re viewing. This information helps them display targeted ads and customize the content they present to you, aiming to enhance user engagement and profitability.
How are VPNs supposed to protect you from tracking?
Every device connected to the internet has an IP address—a unique identifier that reveals your approximate location. Websites, ISPs, and even criminals can use your IP address to track your online activities.
A VPN encrypts your data and masks your IP address, acting as a middleman. It routes your internet connection through a secure tunnel to a private server owned by the VPN provider. This tunnel uses advanced encryption algorithms, and during the process, your IP address is replaced with the VPN server’s, masking your geographic location and making it harder for entities to track you.
While this is the core function of VPNs, it’s important to note that using a VPN doesn’t guarantee complete anonymity. Let’s explore where VPNs fall short.
When Can’t a VPN Protect You?
While a VPN hides your IP address and enhances your privacy, it doesn’t guarantee complete online anonymity. Several other methods still allow entities, advertisers, and cybercriminals to track you:
Malware
Even with a VPN, malicious software like spyware can infiltrate your device if you accidentally download it. Once installed, malware can track your online activity and steal sensitive information, bypassing any protection a VPN provides.
Cookies
When you visit websites, you’re often prompted to accept or reject cookies. These small data files track your activity across the site, remembering where you’ve logged in or keeping items in your shopping cart. Since cookies are stored on your device, they aren’t affected by a VPN and can still monitor your browsing, even when your IP is masked.
Digital Fingerprinting
Websites use browser fingerprinting to gather detailed information about your device, such as your operating system, time zone, installed software, and screen resolution. This data can be used to build a unique profile of you, allowing sites to track you even with a VPN.
While a VPN hides your IP address, tracking technologies like these can still identify you. Additionally, some entities can detect and block VPN traffic, further limiting its effectiveness in certain situations.
Detecting a VPN
Ever tried accessing Netflix with a VPN only to be blocked by the infamous m7111-5059 error? This shows Netflix detected your VPN. But how do businesses figure this out, and what else do they know? There are a few ways entities can detect VPN usage and block or censor your connection:
Deep Packet Inspection: Advanced software, often used by governments or large organizations, inspects data packet structures to identify VPN traffic. Countries like China and Russia are known to use this technique to block VPNs.
Known VPN IP Addresses: VPNs use a limited number of IP addresses, often shared by many users. If hundreds of devices are connected to the same IP, it becomes easy for websites to identify that it’s a VPN server. While this doesn’t reveal your activity, it can lead to blocking or logging by governments or websites.
Port Blocking: VPNs rely on specific ports to establish connections (e.g., OpenVPN uses port 1194 UDP or 443 TCP). By identifying traffic on these ports, entities can block connections associated with VPN use.
Digital Fingerprinting: Browser fingerprinting can uncover details about your device. If your browser’s fingerprint doesn’t match your changing IP address, websites may detect VPN use.
Can VPN Providers Track You?
A VPN acts as a middleman by routing your connection through a private server. While providers promise encrypted connections and “no-logs” policies, there’s no way to independently verify these claims. Some VPNs have been caught logging user data despite such promises.
For example:
- In 2017, PureVPN handed user data to the FBI despite claiming a no-logs policy.
- In 2020, seven VPNs (including Free VPN and Flash VPN) were found to be storing user logs.
While most VPN providers may not track you, the risk remains that they could—especially if compelled by authorities.
Can Law Enforcement Track Your VPN?
Agencies like the FBI and CIA generally can’t directly track encrypted VPN traffic. However, they can determine if you’re using a VPN by:
- Identifying known VPN IP addresses or ports: Authorities maintain databases of VPN IPs and can tell if you’re masking your identity.
- Requesting VPN logs: If authorities determine you’re using a VPN, they can obtain a warrant to request logs from the provider. If the VPN logs user activity, they can trace your real IP.
- Compromising VPN providers: In 2020, the FBI and Europol shut down Safe-Inet, a VPN used by criminals. There are concerns that law enforcement may compromise or infiltrate VPNs to monitor users, as seen with the FBI’s Operation Trojan Shield.
Can Google Track You?
Even with a VPN, Google can track you if you’re logged into your Google account. Google will recognize you based on your account, browser history, and even browser fingerprinting. Even without logging in, cookies and other tracking methods allow Google to trace your activity.
Can Your Employer Track You?
If you’re using a commercial VPN, your employer typically can’t track your online activity. However, if you’re using a company-provided business VPN, your employer may have monitoring capabilities. Additionally, if you’re using company equipment, employers can monitor your activity through keyloggers or other tracking tools.
Decentralized VPNs: A Solution?
Decentralized VPNs (dVPNs) are gaining popularity as a more secure alternative. Unlike traditional VPNs that rely on centralized servers, dVPNs operate on a peer-to-peer network of community-driven nodes hosted by individuals worldwide.
Advantages of dVPNs:
- More Anonymity: Your traffic is routed through thousands of residential IPs, making it harder to distinguish from regular users.
- No Centralized Server: Without a central server, your traffic isn’t logged by a single entity, reducing the risk of tracking.
While dVPNs address many concerns with traditional VPNs, they’re still a developing technology. For now, they offer a promising solution for enhanced privacy. look at a handful now.
| Key consideration | VPNs | dVPNs |
| Centralization | Centralized. Traffic passes through the servers of one company. | Decentralized. Traffic is passed through an independent peer-to-peer network. |
| ‘No logs’ policy | You have to rely on the word of the provider that they don’t collect your logs once they pass through the VPN’s centralized server. | A distributed network of nodes, makes it harder for entities to shut down your traffic. If one node falls, the rest remain. |
| Accessing geo-restricted content | Easier for entities to determine you’re using a VPN and block you from watching content—your traffic comes from a known VPN IP. | Traffic is indistinguishable from a residential IP. Makes it harder for companies to discover you’re using a VPN. |
| Censorship | A single centralized point of control that government agencies and police can target and shut down. | Can be formally requested to provide logs (if they have them) to the authorities. |
| Trust | Reliant on the integrity of a centralized provider. | A trustless environment. Users don’t need to rely on the trustworthiness of one company. |
| Point of failure | Single point of failure (the VPN provider’s server) that attackers and other entities can use to compromise the VPN solution. | No single point of failure for attackers to target. |
| Legal vulnerabilities | Can be formally requested to provide logs (if they have them) by the authorities. | Even if authorities do request logs, the decentralized technology makes it impossible to provide them. They simply cannot exist. |
As you can see, decentralized VPNs tackle the two biggest issues surrounding VPN providers:
- The reliance on the integrity of VPN solutions to not collect logs.
- The ability for entities to see that you’re using a VPN and censor or block you.
Unlike a conventional VPN, the dVPN ensures privacy by default. Entities will find it harder to track you, and you don’t need to have blind faith that the provider is as trustworthy as they say they are. Collecting logs with a dVPN is impossible. Let’s briefly explain why.
Why can’t a dVPN collect logs?
Because the dVPN operates on a community-driven network of nodes, no single entity has control over all the traffic. Your data is instead encrypted and passed directly to the node rather than through a centralized server.
This ensures that, even if they wanted to, the dVPN app would have no way of tracking your activity or collecting your data. And the node operators only receive encrypted traffic. They can never determine where it came from.
Therefore, you don’t need to rely on the word of the dVPN solution that they aren’t collecting your data. The no-logs policy is enforced entirely by technology.
The Bottom Line
As a general rule, using a VPN is almost always better than not using one. Without a VPN, government agencies, ISPs, websites, and cybercriminals can easily track your online activities, making you an easy target.
A VPN encrypts your traffic and masks your IP address, significantly reducing the ease with which your activity can be monitored. However, your privacy ultimately depends on the VPN provider. If they collect logs despite promises not to, it opens the door to serious security concerns. This means they could hand over your data to authorities or sell your browsing history to marketing firms—bad news for anyone seeking true anonymity.
Decentralized VPNs (dVPNs) aim to solve these issues. While the technology is still in its early stages, its appeal is clear. The promise of enforced “no logs” policies through decentralized technology, combined with greater resistance to censorship and blocking, makes dVPNs increasingly attractive.
This shift suggests a growing change in how consumers select VPN providers. As dVPNs evolve, we may move toward a future where true anonymity is the default, not just an ideal.
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