Free VPN

[jarod1005]

This is probably a dumb question, but where can I download a free VPN?

Thank you.

[lingyi]

There's an ongoing thread about that here: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/388528-What-is-a-good-free-vpn

The caveat is that a free VPN provider may use your traffic data for marketing purposes.

[jarod1005]

If a site recommends that you should have a VPN before downloading, is this fact, or, are they just trying to sell a product?

[jagabo]

If a site recommends that you should have a VPN before downloading, is this fact, or, are they just trying to sell a product?

It's usually a little of both. Download a bunch of torrents of movies currently in theaters, not yet on DVD or Blu-ray. See how long it is before you get a threatening letter from your ISP. This is because the studios monitor torrents and can see your IP address when you're downloading. They send a letter your ISP saying IP address X was illegally downloading our copyrighted movie at such-and-such time, on such-and-such date. Your ISP keeps logs of IP address so they know it was you that had the IP address at that time. They then send you a letter (or email, whatever). If they continue getting complaints from the copyright holders your bandwidth may be cut or your account terminated. And, in theory at least, the copyright holders can sue you in court.

Using a VPN hides your IP address and exposes the VPN's IP address instead. Many of the VPN providers claim not to keep logs of IP addresses so they can't go back to determine it was you that was downloading. Of course they all also say they don't condone illegal activity and say they may cancel your account if they find you doing so. The protection offered by using a VPN isn't absolute. There have been criminal cases where law enforcement has managed to track down criminals who used VPNs with advanced techniques. Movie studio's probably won't go to those extents.

[lingyi]

If a site recommends that you should have a VPN before downloading, is this fact, or, are they just trying to sell a product?

As jagabo stated, if a site recommends using a VPN, it's likely dealing in questionable content. A legitimate site wants you to not use a VPN because knowing where the visitors are from can be valuable for marketing purposes.

One legitimate reason for using a VPN is to encrypt your data traffic during transmission for security, though keep in mind that even using a paid VPN you're passing your data through the provider's servers.

Another legitimate reason, though sometimes ethically questionable* is to access content such as video streams that are restricted to a certain country or countries.

*A few months ago, there was a reality elimination show to create a new Kpop group by popular electronic vote. The voting was restricted to South Korea only, because there were complaints that the results of the previous season's winners weren't necessarily the choice of the locals. Some viewers outside South Korea tried to beat the system using VPNs but were discovered and their votes voided.

[aedipuss]

if it's something that can be done in a browser - opera - still offers a decent free vpn with their pc browser.