Some people try to hide parts of their email addresses from online scrapers by spelling “at” and “dot,” according to a Washington Post technology newsletter. But unfortunately, “this spam-fighting trick doesn’t work. Not at all.” They warn that this isn’t just “anti-spam fiction” but “an example of the digital self-protection myths that consume your time and energy and make you less secure.”
“Today, let’s dispel four misconceptions about privacy and security, including that you need a VPN to stay safe online. (No, probably not.)
Myth #3: You need a VPN to stay safe online.
…for most people in the United States and other democracies: “There’s no real reason why you should use a VPN,” said Frédéric Rivain, chief technology officer of Dashlane, a password management service that also offers a VPN.. If you’re researching sensitive topics like depression and don’t want family members to know or companies to keep records of your activities, you’re better off using a privacy-focused web browser like Brave or the search engine DuckDuckGo, according to Rivain. If you use a VPN, that company has a record of what you do. And advertisers are still figuring out how to serve ads based on your online activity.
PS: If you’re worried about crooks stealing your data when you use WiFi networks in cafes or airports and want to use a VPN to disguise what you’re doing, you probably don’t need to. Using public Wi-Fi is now safe in most cases, my colleague Tatum Hunter reported.
“Many VPNs are also shady and can do far more harm than good,” continues their myth-busting, directing readers to a previous Washington Post analysis (with some safe recommendations).
On a more sympathetic note, they concede that “being a human on the internet is exhausting. Businesses and officials could do a lot more to protect you.”
But as it stands, “the internet is a non-stop fraud machine and a little paranoia is healthy.”