Comment by seethishat
3 hours ago
I'm a long-time Mullvad user. I will continue to buy and use Mullvad VPN services (with my credit card that has my name on it) so long as it is legal to do so in my country.
VPNs are not 100% anonymous. They are not meant to be. Instead, they are meant to provide some level of privacy to law-abiding adults.
Most people would be embarrassed if their co-workers and neighbors knew the intimate personal details of their lives. Things they like, things they buy, things they do, etc. So, most people should use a VPN to protect their privacy.
By definition, 'most people' don't want or expect 100% anonymity online. They just want a bit of privacy in their personal life and their relationships. That's it.
VPNs don't protect (and are not intended to protect) criminals who want 100% anonymity from governments while committing online crimes. This is an important distinction. 'Most people' are not criminals and do not have this unrealistic expectation from Mullvad and other VPN providers.
> VPNs don't protect (and are not intended to protect) criminals who want 100% anonymity from governments while committing online crimes
My perspective is that if I was committing a serious crime, I don't expect a VPN to protect me. However, I care about my behavior being profiled and stuck in a database for LLM analysis years later, without a crime being committed.
With the amount of spinning rust being bought up by AI companies I am getting more and more serious about this.
VPNs aren't anonymous, no, despite people pretending they are. Nonetheless, the findings in this report do highlight some things that make user identification easier than you'd expect it to be.
I'd not throw the report out just due to what you argue here. These findings are valid nonetheless.