Need to sign off all other services before using VPN?

[GizmoHKG 0]

Hi all,

 

Please forgive my ignorance! VPN newbie here. I had a quick skim to see if I could find an answer for this question but couldn't.

 

I'm looking to sign up for an AirVPN account, in the knowledge that it will help me surf (and primarily stream/torrent) anonymously.

 

I'm using a Mac, and at any one time I'm logged in to every service under the sun, from Dropbox to various email services ... iCloud is up and running etc etc. When I launch a browser, e.g. Chrome, I'm logged into that by default.

 

My question is, if I launch the AirVPN client and connect to a server, am I shooting myself in the foot as all these services are (potentially) revealing who I am anyway every few seconds? Do I need to log out of everything (providing I can locate everything that's transferring my details) before activating the VPN, or is that not how things work and all is fine?

 

I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Any advice greatly appreciated!

 

cheers!

[LZ1 664]

Hello!

 

Welcome to AirVPN!

 

In terms of keeping identities separate, then yes it can be quite self-defeating signing in to the VPN after having used those services with your regular connection, as it constitutes cross-contamination. But depending on what your actual goal is with the VPN, this isn't necessarily a big problem. The service will still help keep you safe in regards to torrenting for example - although I urge you to read up on VPNs and "anonymity", so as to not get the wrong idea.

 

You could also always use different browsers, make new accounts and so forth, if you want to keep things separate. Coupled with a few good browser addons such as Ublock Origin, you can evade pretty substantial amounts of tracking. A VPN doesn't provide a 100% solution in terms of privacy, since many companies, especially giants like Google, have many more ways of tracking and identifying users, besides just matching IP addresses. So again, it depends what you want to do. If your goal is to become some kind of virtual ghost, then you'll need to do quite a few more things than just use a VPN .

 

My guide contains various links to sources on privacy and security, as well as answers to many common AirVPN questions.