this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2025
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Privacy

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Is there even a point of using a VPN on Google's Android? (Example: Watching Youtube on Firefox browser while logged-out) (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
24 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Couldn't they somejow just correlate that info and know that its you watching the video. I feel like its futile...

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[–] sem@lemmy.ml 19 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yes. For me reasons of VPN on Android (even with Google) are following:

  1. Most of greedy apps are trying to collect info about your location. Because in most of the cases you will restrict direct access to the location data, apps will try to do it through IP. VPN resolve this problem at all.
  2. A lot of greedy apps or websites are trying to do fingerprinting to identity your logs. While it is possible in theory to do fingerprinting by fuzzy matching all-logs against all-logs, the task is so computationally heavy that the only way is to try to do fuzzy-matching (aka fingerprinting) within the locations. VPN allows you to hide your location.

Of course one may say that VPN does not provide a 100% protections from fingerprinting, I think there should be applied the same approach like in cyber security: the goal is not to protect yourself by 100% but to make attack so expensive that it does not make sense. VPN makes fingerprinting so hard that noone will really do it until you are a journalist, intelligence officer or something like this.

[–] mac@lemm.ee 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Logs? Android apps can't access other android apps logs

[–] sem@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 days ago

*logs on the server of app creator.

[–] EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 14 points 5 days ago (1 children)

For me it's pretty much mandatory because Youtube is normally blocked :/

[–] Nighed@feddit.uk 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It depends who you are trying to hide from. A VPN will hide your internet traffic from your ISP/phone company, but obviously not from the site you are visiting.

At best you might be one of may people connecting from the same (VPN) IP address, but they can still collect info from your browser/app etc to generate points to ID you if they want.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I want to watch Youtube videos without Google knowing that it was me

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 4 points 5 days ago

Grayjay will also do the trick

[–] Termight@lemmy.ml 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

A VPN does not provide inherent security. It is only as trustworthy as the entity providing it. As I understand it, A VPN to a safe LAN with firewall or such, yes. A VPN to a sketchy third party that will basically log everything you do, no.

[–] pipariturbiini@sopuli.xyz 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

VPN provides security in-transit between you and the VPN server. That's it. Either end can nullify that security by leaking data before or after it is encrypted.

[–] anon@lemmus.org 1 points 1 day ago

The traffic between the VPN and the target site is anonymous because most VPN's use a rotating IP system. If the VPN truly doesn't collect any data, the target site has no clue who is actually visiting other than that randomized IP address.

The point is, VPN's do work and the biggest caveat is finding a VPN provider that you can trust.

I use Mullvad. You don't have to give them any personal information at all.

[–] Goretantath@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

I use another app to watch youtube, not their official app or official website.

[–] TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Is this even possible? My impression is that nowadays Google, whenever they have the impression that a connection to YouTube may been proxied, require a sign-in to prove that ""you are no bot" (I wonder which bots are watching YT videos), but in fact to avoid access via VPN or proxying via Invidious or Piped.

That's the reason why YouTube is essentially dead for me now.

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 5 days ago

Is this even possible? My impression is that nowadays Google, whenever they have the impression that a connection to YouTube may been proxied, require a sign-in to prove that "“you are no bot”

On Mullvad/IVPN, if you keep change the server, you'll eventually find one that works. Might have to switch like 7-10 times.

On ProtonVPN, they have way more servers, so you only need to change the server 2-3 times. I actually didn't need to change the server the last time I used ProtonVPN.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I use PipePipe and Mullvad to watch YouTube everyday. Occasionally it complains, and I just have to change the VPN server.

[–] TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I have no Android, so sadly I cannot test / use this setup.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Ah, I see. At the least though, it demonstrates that it is still possible to watch YouTube via proxy.

[–] TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

I am not even so much concerned about Google / YT getting my IP (by using a VPN), but I would only watch it though an alternative ad-blocking frontend (like Invidious, Piped, FreeTube) and not the standard YT website or app.

None of my previously used alternative apps / frontends seems to be working anymore (at least that's my recent experience). Not sure what the difference to (Android) apps, that apparently still work (NewPipe, PipePipe) actually is, but it seems that these apps are the only remaining alternative frontends.

[–] uncle_moustache@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Online privacy typically requires that you think of what you are trying to protect yourself from.

So, what are you trying to prevent?

A VPN will make your public IP address private. This can hide some activity from your ISP, hackers, marketing companies. However, it's only one layer of protection.

(You could also use NewPipe as a replacement to the YouTube app.)

However, some VPN companies will track you and sell your information. Because of this, I recommend ProtonVPN (free tier, Swiss-based, encrypted traffic that they can't even de-anonymize).

If you want more complete privacy, you'd want to use something like a Tor Box, but these aren't typically good for streaming because the layered routing makes for a slow Internet connection.

[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

InviZible Pro is a good option. Download from F-Droid

[–] zzffyfajzkzhnsweqm@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You can use firefox. Or degoogled andoid rom. Google spies on your phone mostly through their apps: chrome, maps...

Andoid by itself is very privacy focused operating system.

Check c/degoogle on how to remove google stuff from your phone. Also check privacy guides about vpns: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/

They are mostly not what they are advertised as. You should check tor. And maybe /e/os

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 3 points 5 days ago

Google spies on your phone mostly through their apps: chrome, maps...

The back bone of Google spying is Google play services and store