Using a VPS

[sh4d0w_w4tch]

I've seen very serious suggestions and admissions by people that using a VPS is an amazing way to remain anonymous and protect privacy.  For almost everyone, a VPS will not provide anonymity.  It takes a static IP address and locks it to your identity.  You can make an identity anonymous from real identity, but nothing is completely anonymous and you can never use the VPS under your "real" identity.  SSH keys alone are unique and would probably be a point of failure here unless one were to create a second key.  You cannot ever use the VPS as a SOCKS proxy or VPN for anything that you do under your real identity.  For example, if you go to some gaming website under a username that is part of your "real" identity, it would be very easy for the moderators to connect your "anonymous" identity.  Everything you do would be traceable to your identity.  You would not be able to do anything undercover and truly anonymous.

A VPS is still not completely useless.  If you don't care that it is generally not anonymous, you can work through it with remote access tools like SSH or a remote desktop client.  A setup like this will be fail-closed rather than fail-open.  You can easily use a command line IRC client and browser such as Lynx, but command line browsing might not be viable in most situations.  You could use a remote desktop connection to use a graphical browser.

[v32itas]

I think you mean VPN. Am I wrong? And it's like a goddamn philosophy you talking here. Absolutely obvious thing that you need to separate your personal life from shit you doing so I dont even see a point for philosophy here.

[sh4d0w_w4tch]

I think you mean VPN. Am I wrong? And it's like a goddamn philosophy you talking here. Absolutely obvious thing that you need to separate your personal life from shit you doing so I dont even see a point for philosophy here.

I'm suggesting that people use a VPN and not one on their own VPS.  Using one on your own VPS can be relatively anonymous.  I've seen the advice of "just get a cheap VPS and make your own VPN or SOCKs  proxy" get touted constantly to noobs who are asking how to hide.  A lot of people don't separate their identities.  I've seen webmasters who use their real name as the owner of their site and then make a second admin account and try to pretend that it's someone else.  Then there are people who go to meetups and use their username.

I'm sure most people here seperate identities, but most people don't.

[Teapot]

I'm suggesting that people use a VPN and not one on their own VPS.  Using one on your own VPS can be relatively anonymous.  I've seen the advice of "just get a cheap VPS and make your own VPN or SOCKs  proxy" get touted constantly to noobs who are asking how to hide.  A lot of people don't separate their identities.  I've seen webmasters who use their real name as the owner of their site and then make a second admin account and try to pretend that it's someone else.  Then there are people who go to meetups and use their username.

I'm sure most people here seperate identities, but most people don't.

I have mainly seen it be said to just get a VPN and fuck a VPS anyways if you cant separate your identity's then
nothing is going to help you remain anonymous no matter what you are using so your point is null.
If you wanted to make a thread about common sense (i think there already is one) when remaining anonymous online then you should have done that instead and not kept the topic focused on VPS's.

Most people are downright suicidal when it comes to computer security so that is also not a valid justification for your
post seeing as how the regulars on these forums are not mindless zombies waiting for something magical to happen on FB.

[sh4d0w_w4tch]

I have mainly seen it be said to just get a VPN and fuck a VPS anyways if you cant separate your identity's then
nothing is going to help you remain anonymous no matter what you are using so your point is null.
If you wanted to make a thread about common sense (i think there already is one) when remaining anonymous online then you should have done that instead and not kept the topic focused on VPS's.

Most people are downright suicidal when it comes to computer security so that is also not a valid justification for your
post seeing as how the regulars on these forums are not mindless zombies waiting for something magical to happen on FB.

True.  All the no-log IP hiding in the world won't help you if you make it clear that my54c3 _h4x0r is really xXxn00bPWN3RxXx who is Matt Hernandez.

I was hoping that this would be of use to someone who is starting out, not for the experienced members.

It was all low quality hacking discussions that were recommending VPS as a place to setup your own VPN where you can have your own NO LOGGING policy.  Even if you buy with bitcoin under a fake identity, the server host could still log connections.

If you think it would be better to move this to an existing thread then I can do that.

[v32itas]

True.  All the no-log IP hiding in the world won't help you if you make it clear that my54c3 _h4x0r is really xXxn00bPWN3RxXx who is Matt Hernandez.

I was hoping that this would be of use to someone who is starting out, not for the experienced members.

It was all low quality hacking discussions that were recommending VPS as a place to setup your own VPN where you can have your own NO LOGGING policy.  Even if you buy with bitcoin under a fake identity, the server host could still log connections.

If you think it would be better to move this to an existing thread then I can do that.

no fukin vpn gonna protect you against goverment. I'm tired to hear about such stuff. First of all there must be additional layer of security. Like using neighbours which you personaly dont know wifi ar using mbb purchased on someone else name. And sht like that. By siting in your fuckin home and believing that if you use PREMIUM VPN you are so much safer than using your own shitty VPN made on some kind of VPS is like believing in fairy tales.

[sh4d0w_w4tch]

no fukin vpn gonna protect you against goverment. I'm tired to hear about such stuff. First of all there must be additional layer of security. Like using neighbours which you personaly dont know wifi ar using mbb purchased on someone else name. And sht like that. By siting in your fuckin home and believing that if you use PREMIUM VPN you are so much safer than using your own shitty VPN made on some kind of VPS is like believing in fairy tales.

I understand that anonymity from the government is much more difficult to pull off.  As far as staying anonymous from users and hiding your IP address from skids, a VPN through a service or a server provider will be enough.  Using your own VPN will only provide anonymity as far as an alternative identity.  You can't be anonymous from that identity to the mods of a site or users on IRC.  Part of internet privacy is separation of identities and you can't maintain that if multiple identities share the same private static IP address.  (Not private static void main.)  For most people this level of anonymity is enough.