virtual shield

[rocketray]

saw an add for it to stop all tracing/tracking of Internet use....any comments Serk?

[Robert]

Not Serk but this may be of some help.

A VPN is basically an encrypted tunnel to a site. 

A VPN stops most tracking, and stops most hacking of information but there is another problem, if the gov comes in and raids or wants to see the records of most internet hosts they have to turn them over in most cases. The idea is not to have a record of who pays them or search terms that ties it to your account. So you really want an offshore company and one that does not keep records of internet searches and payment records or at least one that doesn't tie the 2 together. The best do not keep records of searches at all and there are many out there just do a bit of research. If the gov comes in and wants to see who searches what the only assurance you have is that the company does not keep records. If it does they can be subpoenaed and brought into court. This is one aspect of a VPN that needs to be thought of if you are considering one.

The cost is also a problem since its a money making proposition for most. I use a VPN occasionally but it only costs about 39 a year. Another maybe benefit is if your provider is slow it may speed up the service since a VPN should have its own servers. Your internet provider more than likely does keep searches and history on you for at least a year and a half, a good VPN will put a halt to this. Even most sites you visit will keep a list of ip addresses that visit them which the VPN will eliminate. But a good VPN will also make banking and such a little harder since the bank will not recognize the address you are on and may ask for additional verification of who you are. Some other programs or sites that are sensitive will do the same thing. This will happen each time you log in with a VPN also not just once.

Some virus programs have a secure window for banking and purchases on line also. So when you open your bank site the virus program provides a VPN for you to do your banking with. ESET does have this ability and as far as Virtual Shield, I dont know much about them but personally I would look to another program. As a general rule highly commercial ventures are not interested in your security but interested in making money and therefore your privacy the thing you want from a VPN is compromised or put second.

[Serk]

I looked up Virtual Shield and it is indeed a VPN service.

A VPN service creates a secure encrypted tunnel between your computer and their servers. All the intermediary systems can see if that you have a secure connection between your computer and the VPN hosts computer. Then the VPN host's computers will go out on the Internet on your behalf, getting whatever it is you're doing on the Internet, bring it to their computer, encrypt it and send it along the encrypted tunnel back to your computer. (This all happens basically instantaneously.)

Now, most sites these days are encrypted anyway, so all an intermediary can see is that you connected to site X, not what is being sent back and forth between your computer and site X.  All your banking, purchases that sort of stuff is already happening over an encrypted, secure link.

Using a VPN service also puts all your faith in the VPN hosting company. If I were to use one I'd do my homework on the specific one I was after, make sure you get one that is NOT hosted in the USA, make sure you get one hosted in a country with no data retention laws, and inquire as to what their logging and data retention policy is.
A psychological side to using a VPN in this manner btw for the paranoid thinkers - In a world where most folks send their mail on postcards, that one person who always sends their correspondence in a tightly sealed security envelope is bound to draw more attention, assuming someone's paying attention to such things.

[Robert]

A VPN if you have cookies on your browser can still let a site know the address and if you are on line and the content of your session. So the browser has to be free of cookies and super cookies to browse anonymously. This is also the case for any virus or root kit you have on your computer that can steal information from you. So its not a single layer that keeps you secure its many different layers that combined make you as safe as possible, but there is never a guarantee.
TOR is not secure either.

Like Serk said how much do you really need it?

[Ramie]

There is no real way to keep anonymous if those in power want to find out they will one way or another.  I worry more about viruses, hacks, ransom-ware so I use this.  https://www.sandboxie.com there is a free version that you just need to go through a few extra clicks to get through.