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Does a VPN used on a smartphone with Wi-Fi disabled (mobile data only enabled) provide any sort of protection? (beehaw.org)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I've never completely understood this, but I think the answer would probably be "no," although I'm not sure. Usually when I leave the house I turn off wifi and just use mobile data (this is a habit from my pre-VPN days), although I guess I should probably just keep it on since using strange Wi-Fi with a VPN is ok (unless someone at Starbucks is using the evil twin router trick . . . ?). I was generally under the impression that mobile data is harder to interfere with than Wi-Fi, but I could well be wrong and my notions out of date. So, if need be, please set me straight. 🙂

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Definitely! If your VPN keeps logs, is in a surveillance-friendly jurisdiction, etc, then details of your internet traffic can be revealed by your VPN. I recommend Mullvad, paid with cash, for the most security. It can also help to pick VPN servers outside of the most egregious jurisdictions, like picking EU servers over US or HK servers.