It's a secure and encrypted connection from your PC

Oculus Spirit [97674]

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Joined: 7/13/02

May 29, 2018, 4:02 PM

to their server. From there, they handle the DNS query and the connection and transmission (ssl or not, just like the regular internet). The point of it is to obscure your IP from the destination server. Now they (VPN) can technically see your every connection, but they essentially become your ISP. Then, depending on the country, they can not be subpoenaed, and if they are, they keep no logs, so there's that.

So if you want to download a movie or MP3 music, you can do it through the VPN and the IP the end user sees is their IP and not yours. So when the RIAA or whoever sees "your" IP on bittorrent, or whatever, downloading a movie, they see the VPN's IP, not yours. They subpoena the VPN and that gets nowhere. You can also get around IP blocks this way if you're in a country where internet is controlled. You can also watch Clemson games on Sling that are blacked out for your area.

And you can go even further and add tor to the mix and then use tor through a vpn and it's even harder to trace, like impossible really. The key is to find a VPN in a foreign country that does not retain logs.

I use it mainly for downloading movies. The RIAA sits out there and monitors IP's sharing and downloading movies. They have an automated system, really, to harvest those IP addresses and then then send subpoenas to the ISP. The ISP usually sends a nasty warning letter to the user, and if the infringement continues, they can cut their internet. VPN prevents them from subpoenaing your ISP.

You install their software and your entire network and internet connection is encrypted. Your ISP doesn't even see your connection to their server because they do the DNS lookup. It doesn't even show up on your router logs as a connection.