Residential internets are now proxies for AI scrapers.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45741357

specifically, “free” VPN isn’t free. They use your computer that has the VPN software installed as an exit nodes for other customers. Those other customers hammer websites for their AI until it gets blocked. Sucks for you, unfortunately.

Talk to your kids about the dangers of VPNs before it's too late.

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cuu508 16 hours ago | parent [-]

Which VPNs are like that?

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ErroneousBosh 15 hours ago | parent | next [-]

All the ones you don't construct for yourself out of an inexpensive VPS.

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shermantanktop 15 hours ago | parent [-]

your preferences don't sound like facts. Are you claiming that paid VPNs "all" do this as well?

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ErroneousBosh 15 hours ago | parent [-]

How do you think they make money?

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Wingman4l7 13 hours ago | parent [-]

...through the subscription fee.

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ErroneousBosh 12 hours ago | parent [-]

And from selling your data to whoever shows up with enough cash.

What, you think they're leaving that money sitting on the table?

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cuu508 11 hours ago | parent [-]

It's one thing to operate with an assumption that any VPN other than your own should not be fully trusted.

It's another thing to claim all of them are obviously corrupt.

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ErroneousBosh 10 hours ago | parent [-]

If you had a company whose core business proposition was Quite Obviously Shady, would you expect them to be scrupulously legit in other areas?

Quick question for you - rhino poaching is a huge problem in Africa, with poachers getting a surprisingly small amount of money per rhino they shoot, because the buyers only want the horns. Do you think paying the poachers more to not shoot the rhinos would solve that problem?

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shermantanktop 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Suspicions, inferences and reasonable concerns are perfectly fine. Answering questions with questions is less fine.

Statements of categorical fact about a whole class of things (in this case VPNs) demand more than that.

	▲	ErroneousBosh 26 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Well, it's not my bank account and it's not my IP address. You do you.

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fragmede 16 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Hola is the big one, but in practice, if we hypothesis that no one's running a VPN as a charity, free VPN products need to make money someway, and if you're not paying to use it, how else are they gonna make money?

So basically be suspicious of every single "free" or suspiciously cheap VPN. Go with known brands that come recommended by mulitple people, especially from people "in the know".

Though PirateSoftware (a person) has a good bit on why he doesn't advertise for VPNs on his channel.

	▲	WorldMaker 8 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Hola's worst division got spun out into a separate company, Bright Data. Bright Data's worst innovations since "Free VPN" are using those "Watch this ad for 30 seconds for bonus in-game currency" things in many, many awful mobile games and using those as a "opt-in" signal to use the user's device for those 30 seconds (or however long) as an exit node for whatever scanning/botting processes they resell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Data