Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are popular services for (supposedly) increasing your security and privacy on the internet. They are often marketed as all-encompassing security tools, and something that you absolutely need to keep hackers at bay. However, many of the selling points for VPNs are exaggerated or just outright
  • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
    47·
    10 months ago

    I feel like the opening sentences explained the reasoning behind the article sufficiently, even when there are plenty of valid use cases for them. This was mostly a response to manipulative marketing tactics:

    Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are popular services for (supposedly) increasing your security and privacy on the internet. They are often marketed as all-encompassing security tools, and something that you absolutely need to keep hackers at bay. However, many of the selling points for VPNs are exaggerated or just outright false.

    They’re not the only ones pointing this out, either. Tom Scott released a video on the topic a few years ago to explain his thoughts VPN sponsorships

    • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
      16·
      10 months ago

      Your comment in no way negates my observation. If the clickbait title of the article was “You probably don’t need a VPN to avoid market tracking” or something similar, you’d have a point.

      • Gamma@beehaw.orgEnglish
        23·
        10 months ago

        I was simply adding information your comment had left out, it wasn’t negating information at all. So congrats on getting the point, not everyone is trying to argue 🎉

        • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
          3·
          10 months ago

          You may want to reconsider your phrasing then if you don’t want it to appear to be argumentative.

          • ConstableJelly@beehaw.org
            25·
            10 months ago

            Neutral party here, I read it naturally as a supplement to your comment, not an opposition. I don’t detect an argumentative tone personally.

            • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
              2·
              10 months ago

              You’re welcome to your opinion but these phrases

              I feel like the opening sentences explained the reasoning behind the article sufficiently,

              They’re not the only ones pointing this out, either.

              are oppositional in tone.

    • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
      5·
      10 months ago

      Yep, articles have different audiences.

      Sure one group might understand why a tool exists and use it effectively, but there are also companies over-selling their capabilities and people are using it for things it doesn’t help with.

      This article is for them, simple as that

      • rallatsc@slrpnk.net
        4·
        10 months ago

        This is inaccurate, read the pinned comment on the video where he points out that the opening scene is entirely made up and isn’t about a real person.

          • rallatsc@slrpnk.net
            4·
            10 months ago

            The opening scene is a parody of his typical videos (which are typically about places/people) transitioning into a VPN ad segment. The fact that it isn’t about a real person means that it is not in fact from one of his real videos. If you watch the opening scene and read the pinned comment on the video my reply might make more sense.

              • rallatsc@slrpnk.net
                4·
                10 months ago

                So he typically advertises for VPNs? I don’t understand.

                He “typically” discusses interesting places/people. In the first 5 or so seconds of the video he discusses a fictitious person and how they “weren’t protected from viruses, but you could be with a VPN”. So he transitions from his typical video style to a VPN ad to then highlight all of the things wrong with VPN ads.