The Truth About VPNs, Free VPNs, and Online Privacy \\ Day 19 - 30 Day Security Challenge
What’s up S’mores! I’m Shannon Morse and welcome to Day 19 of my 30-Day Security Challenge, where we’re protecting your digital life one bite-sized step at a time. Every day, we’re breaking down one concept of online security and privacy to make the process less stressful, and to keep you from burning out.
If you’re following along make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next video. And if you wanna get ahead and do the challenge on your own, you can grab the full 30-Day Challenge checklist and notes over at ShannonRMorse.com. All these videos are in a playlist, so you can binge-watch from Day 1 to Day 30!
This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe! Hit up JoinDeleteMe.com/MorseCode for 20% off any of the plans and learn why I paid for this service myself later in this video.
What is a VPN? And Why Should You Use One?
Today, we’re talking VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks! A VPN creates a secure "tunnel" between your device and the internet, encrypting your data as it travels between your computer and the VPN server. This is important because it protects your online activity from prying eyes like hackers, advertisers, and even your internet service provider (ISP).
In short, VPNs are great for privacy and can help keep your data safe from people snooping on you, especially when you’re using public Wi-Fi networks (like in coffee shops or airports).
Why Use a VPN?
So, why should you use a VPN? Well, there are a lot of reasons:
Using Public Wi-Fi - First, is simply when you use public Wi-Fi: Imagine you’re on public Wi-Fi in a coffee shop. An attacker could easily see what you’re doing online, especially if they’re also hanging out at that coffee shop on the same wifi network. A VPN encrypts your traffic, making it much harder for anyone to snoop on you.
Bypass Censorship - If you live in a place where certain websites are blocked, like in a dorm or an apartment complex with shared internet (or if you travel to a country with internet restrictions), a VPN lets you access the internet freely. This would’ve been handy for me back in the day when I was working at a bank and I tried to access a forum site but it was blocked. I know I shouldn’t be browsing the web while on the clock, bad employee, but what else was I supposed to do?.
Stop ISP Snooping - Your ISP (like Comcast or AT&T) can see everything you do online. A VPN keeps your activity private by encrypting your traffic, so even your ISP can’t see what websites you visit.
Access Region-restricted Content - Want to watch Netflix from a different country or access a website that’s blocked in your region? A VPN can make it look like you're browsing from a different country!
Security points aside, I often buy anime merch from websites in Japan that are region-blocked, as in you can only see what’s available and in stock if you’re online in Japan. I make it look like I’m in Japan so I can shop these sites and bypass those blocks, which not only saves me a ton of money, but also gives me access to products that aren’t usually sold here in my home country.
So here’s the thing. A VPN is great for protecting your internet traffic, especially on public WiFi, hiding your IP address, encrypting your connection, and preventing your ISP or random people on the same network from snooping on what you’re doing online. But a VPN alone does not magically erase your personal information from the internet.
You can have the best VPN in the world running 24/7, but if your home address, phone number, email addresses, relatives, and even old usernames are sitting on dozens of data broker websites, identity thieves can still piece together a scary amount of information about you.
Did you know that identity theft affects millions every single year? One major avenue for identity thieves is the massive amount of personal information floating around online, often collected and sold by data brokers without your knowledge. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I use DeleteMe to help protect my privacy.
I’ve personally used DeleteMe for years, and one thing I really appreciate is that they do the tedious work I absolutely do not want to spend my weekends doing myself. I don’t want to spend my free time doing admin work, I want to play Clair Obscur and Magic the Gathering and take my dog on hikes, not be on my PC fixing my privacy. Before using the service, I remember searching my own name online and finding old addresses, relatives, phone numbers, and all kinds of weird data aggregation sites that I never signed up for. It’s unsettling how much information is just publicly available.
DeleteMe actively removes your personal data from data broker websites and continuously monitors those sites over time because your information can reappear later. So instead of manually emailing dozens upon dozens of companies yourself, they handle the removal process for you. In my report, it shows they saved me literally hundreds of hours of work.
And from a security standpoint, I also appreciate that DeleteMe employs advanced threat detection tools and maintains a dedicated Security Operations Center to monitor and respond to potential security incidents 24/7. When you’re trusting a company with privacy-related services, that level of security commitment matters a lot.
So my recommendation is this: think of privacy in layers.
A VPN protects your internet traffic. Strong passwords and MFA protect your accounts. And DeleteMe helps reduce the amount of personal information already floating around online.
If you want to take more control over your digital privacy, check out DeleteMe and use promo code SNUBS for 20% off your plan. Go to joindeleteme.com/morsecode and use code SNUBS for 20% off. Huge thanks to DeleteMe for sponsoring this video and supporting the channel!
What About VPNs and Illegal Activities?
A common misconception is that VPNs are just for people doing shady stuff online. Not true!
For example, I recently used a VPN to buy tickets for a museum in Japan. The website blocked international traffic, so I connected to a Japanese server through my VPN and purchased the tickets without a hitch.
VPNs are also super useful for streaming, like if you want to access different Netflix libraries from around the world!
The Problem with Free VPNs
There is a problem, though. Free VPNs aren’t always as “free” as they seem. A lot of free VPNs make their money by selling your data to third parties like data brokers, showing you ads, or offering limited data usage.
I tend to steer clear of free VPNs unless I use an open source set-it-up-yourself OpenVPN or Wireguard, which is always a possibility. Since this isn't a 30 day security challenge for folks already using everything I'm talking about, I'm gonna skip the Wireguard set it up yourself option in this video and go straight to the more convenient plug-n-play apps instead which are more consumer friendly. Each of the ones I use cost a bit of money but they also offer better security and enough convenience to not put a damper on regular browsing.
I don’t recommend using free VPNs unless you trust the provider, and even then, it’s a gamble. You want to make sure your VPN doesn’t log your personal data, and many free options just aren’t transparent about this. If you’re serious about your privacy, it’s worth paying for a reliable VPN or building it yourself.
Choosing the Right VPN for You
When choosing a VPN, here’s what I recommend you look for:
Cross-platform support: Make sure your VPN works on all your devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets.
Clear pricing: VPNs usually have a subscription model. Look for one that offers great privacy and works on multiple devices at once.
Exit nodes: Check if the VPN offers exit nodes in the regions you need. For example, I needed to access a Japanese website, so I looked for a VPN with Japanese exit nodes.
Logging policies: Always check a VPN’s logging policies! You want one that doesn’t store your browsing data. A trustworthy VPN provider should have a no-log policy.
Will it work?: some sites block certain VPNs, or it may not be available in your country at all. If you can sign up for a trial before dedicating your payment to a specific provider, it may be worth it to test out a few different ones.
Back in the day, there was a website that had a huge list of VPNs with privacy details about each one. They sold out, so in my research, I found a new, updated spreadsheet on R slash VPN listing out all the popular consumer options on the market that you’d most commonly see. This is a great starting point, but I would still recommend choosing one based on what YOU need, not based on a rating creating by another person. Their criteria may not match what you need.
My Favorite VPNs
I’m often asked what my favorite VPN is for most people, and while I do prefer the DIY option, I also know that folks want something un-managed that they can just download and use. My favs are changing all the time based on vulnerability disclosures, new technology, and audit announcements, so I’ll notate some of the ones I’m currently using down below and whether or not I can get y’all a discount on ‘em. None of them are sponsors, by the way, they’re services that I’ve paid for myself as a customer, and I reached out personally to see if I could get my audience a deal.
The Downsides of VPNs
Before you get started, keep in mind that VPNs can slow down your internet speed, especially if you’re using a faraway server. Also, no VPN is 100% foolproof - it depends on who you trust with your data, and it’s important to choose a reliable service.
Most VPNs are fairly reasonably priced, so if you try one that you don’t like or it doesn’t fit your needs, there’s no downside to switching.
Obviously there are tons of other VPNs out there so choosing which one is best for you will be a personal choice, so I won't go as far as to say "the ones I use are perfect for you! Use those!" Make your own choice on a VPN, but first and foremost make sure to do research on the one you choose.
Day 19 is now complete! Day 20 is all about cleaning up your friends lists. Yup, you heard right! But first, make sure to subscribe on youtube and hit up shannonRmorse.com for the downloadable checklist and to skip ahead on the 30 day security challenge. Again, I'm Shannon Morse and I'll see you soon for day 20!
Huge thanks to DeleteMe for sponsoring today’s episode 💜
Use code SNUBS for 20% off your plan! https://joindeleteme.com/morsecode
🔒 Day 19 of my 30-Day Security Challenge is all about VPNs, online privacy, public Wi-Fi safety, and why protecting your internet traffic is only ONE layer of digital security.
Get 70% off Proton VPN: https://go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_id=26&aff_id=8656
🌐 Follow the Challenge: https://snubsie.com/30-day-security-challenge
▶️ Watch the Full Playlist: - Full Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_lKuDhUjLE&list=PLeYHKbaShxTEyhny7eoWDZ92w-4bLS1Tp&index=1&t=1s
