On Friday, 5 August 2022 21:45:25 BST Dale wrote:
> Michael wrote:
> > What kind of protection are you seeking - what is your threat model?
> 
> I'm mostly wanting it so people can't just look and see what I'm doing
> or where I am, mostly my ISP.  

In this case 'people' and your ISP will see you are connecting to the remote 
VPN, but not what website you visit thereon.

The website you visit will not see your real IP, but the exit IP of the VPN 
node.  This may break some websites and streaming services who only allow 
connections from specific jurisdictions.


> I do a little torrenting and such too.
> ;-)  That said, even if I go to my bank's website which is https, it
> will also go through a VPN which also encrypts the traffic.  My bank is
> secure as far as I know but having more protection added can't be a bad
> thing. 

All connections to banks are encrypted end-to-end for decades now and the 
encryption has becoming stronger over the years.


> I'm torn between torguard and surfshark.  I'm not sure where torguard is
> located but surfshark is in the Netherlands I think.  Outside US
> jurisdiction and from what I've read, they never give info to anyone
> about their customers traffic.

Yeah, that's what they all say - their business model depends on it.  State 
sponsored actors are likely to know what the need to know anyway, with or 
without the explicit VPN providers collaboration.  ;-)


> I'm still researching torguard.  Maybe
> someone here knows where they are located???

I understand they are a US based provider in Florida:

Vpnetworks, LLC
618 E South St
Orlando, FL 32801

 but they have VPN servers all over the globe.  Some are virtual servers and 
are NOT physically located in the countries they claim.  The fact it is 
located in the USA it means the authorities can request client list 
information.  VPN providers in jurisdictions like BVI, Panama, or even 
Switzerland might stand a better chance.

Anyway, this is a moot point.  If a VPN provider protects your traffic from 
'people', who protects your traffic from the ... VPN people?!  LOL!

I don't use VPNs, but the interwebs are buzzing with reviews and suggestions.  
If torrenting is a requirement, then associated forums and mailing lists would 
provide advice on what works best for your use case.