I can take a stab at this.

So let's talk Internet traffic first. When you go to a website, your device first has to do a DNS lookup to find out the IP address that corresponds to youtube.com. The DNS server sees your IP address and probably logs that request, and that it has responded. Next, your browser attempts to connect to the IP, get a response from youtube, and render it.

If this was back in the day, youtube would probably let you connect with an unencrypted connection - http://youtube.com/, but pretty much everyone uses https these days (SSL encryption).

Encryption is basically just a way to secure a connection from eves droppers (namely, your Internet service provider/government). But the end points of the encrypted communication (in the example above, your device and youtube) is decrypted at your browser and at their servers. All your ISP can see is the DNS lookup (assuming you are using their DNS servers, or that you aren't doing something like DNS over HTTPS - encrypted lookups), after that all the youtube traffic is encrypted so your ISP just sees a bunch of data going to a specific IP address.

So what does a VPN get you?

Well, now your source IP when you reach youtube isn't your phone or your home in Ohio, it's wherever that VPN terminates. This is probably the best use for VPNs - to get around region locks.

Your local ISP only sees the DNS request, then a bunch of encrypted traffic (same as before).

But critically, the VPN owner can log every single bit of unencrypted traffic that passes through. Also, they can link your behavior to a paying account via username/password and payment methods (not great for privacy). They effectively fill the role of your original eves dropper - your ISP.

So what did using a VPN actually do?

• Your ISP no longer knows as much about your browsing, so I guess that's good.
• But now another 3rd party knows as much as your ISP did prior to using the VPN.
• Your ISP doesn't know your DNS lookups now, but your VPN provider might.
• SSL traffic is still encrypted regardless - no change here.
• YouTube doesn't know your device's original IP (maybe).

The only other thing I'd say is that VPNs + torrents can may e protect you from DMCA take down notices. It'll be that VPN termination IP that shows up in trackers, not your ISP provided IP.

It's kind of like if you hired me to browse the internet for you.

Am I gonna protect your privacy?

If you don't trust me - random guy - why trust VPN company - with vested financial interest in collecting and selling your data?

Not to mention browser issues.

Except the video took 10 whole minutes to get there and probably wasted more than 2 sentences describing the problem.

I hate videos that could just be a 2-minute read.

Agree on that it may be an exception for Proton with your reasoning.

I've heard this before about Proton's issues with releasing source code in timely manner or at all but didn't know much about it so I just looked up more info; it seems at least their VPN client does have all the source code publicly available though (for each OS it's available on). Whereas they do have holes elsewhere in unprovided code for various Proton service clients.

The idea SHOULD be that the VPN provider knows less about you.

Then we give them our address and credit card. Ah well.

What about Facebook's VPN?

/s

Yeah, but i t was related to their CEO's political views, not the VPN's quality.

Afaik (and also according to the video itself), proton remains, together with iVPN and mullvad, one of the vpn's that you can still trust. At least for now.

Any commercial entity will allow the state to spy users.

Using somebody else's vpn is only useful for getting geoblocked content. If you want actual protection from the government you need it running on your own hardware and configured with a dead man's switch.

Or simply for hiding your IP when torrenting. Bouncing things off of your home network is fine for hiding your activity when using public WiFi… But it won’t do a goddamned thing to protect you when you’re torrenting at home. Plenty of people have ISPs and/or governments that care a lot about what they torrent. So using a VPN is a very easy way to avoid those bright red “we’re going to shut off your service if you keep torrenting. Also, we gave your IP to the copyright owners and you’re being sued” letters.

Aren't VPN:s subject to exactly the same laws as ISP:s? My ISP only records precisely as much as the law requires and throws it away as soon as permitted.