My VPN makes me invisible on the internet

A small toggle switch on a screen is flicked to the right. A green icon appears. The user now believes they have vanished from the digital map. This is the promise of the Virtual Private Network, or VPN. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between a device and a server owned by a provider. This process hides internet traffic from the Internet Service Provider (ISP), which is the organisation that provides the physical connection to the web.

For many years, this felt like the gold standard for privacy. The ISP is the most obvious observer of online activity. It sees every domain visited and every single request made. By wrapping this data in encryption, a VPN stops the ISP from reading the traffic. This created a logical bridge in the mind of the user: if the ISP cannot see where the connection goes, the user must be anonymous.

A different set of eyes#

The encrypted tunnel does not make traffic disappear into a void. It simply moves the point of visibility. The VPN provider now sees every request that the ISP used to see. The user has not removed a middleman; the user has merely swapped one for another. This is a change of trusted party, not the removal of one.

If a VPN company keeps logs of activity, those records are available to anyone who can subpoena the company or breach its servers. Trusting a private company with every single web request is a significant leap of faith. Many providers claim to have a no-logs policy, but such claims are often difficult to verify without an independent audit of their entire infrastructure. The feeling of invisibility is a comfort provided by the marketing, not a technical reality.

More than an address#

The belief in VPN anonymity relies on the idea that an IP address is the only way a website can identify a person. An IP address is essentially a digital postal code for a connection. While hiding it prevents a site from knowing a user’s general physical location, it does nothing to stop more sophisticated identification.

Modern websites use browser fingerprinting. This is a technique that collects tiny, specific details about a device, such as the screen resolution, the list of installed fonts, and the time zone. These details combine to create a unique signature that can identify a person across different sessions, even if the IP address changes. A VPN does nothing to hide this signature.

Furthermore, logging into a personal account while using a VPN is like wearing a mask but handing over a passport. If a user signs into an email or social media account, the site knows exactly who is visiting. The VPN may hide the location of the house, but it does not hide the identity of the person inside.

This misunderstanding was largely established by aggressive marketing campaigns. Companies sold privacy as a product and used the word anonymity to attract people who feared surveillance. They focused on the ISP because that was an easy target to explain. They ignored the complexities of how modern websites identify users because those complexities are harder to solve with a monthly subscription.

For those who need to protect their identity, focusing on the browser is more effective than focusing on the tunnel. Using a browser designed for privacy reduces the amount of data leaked during fingerprinting. Avoiding logins when browsing privately prevents the site from linking activity to a real name. For those who require true anonymity, Tor is the correct tool. Tor is a network that bounces traffic through three different random nodes across the globe rather than relying on one central company.

To improve privacy today, stop relying on a VPN for anonymity. Use a browser that blocks trackers and reduces fingerprinting. Avoid signing into personal accounts when searching for sensitive information. If total anonymity is required, install the Tor Browser.