You’re right about one thing. You still have to trust someone. A VPN doesn’t eliminate trust, it shifts it from your ISP to the provider.
The difference is that reputable VPNs are audited, operate under stricter legal frameworks, and have a business model built on not logging user activity. That’s a very different risk profile than “you can’t trust any of them.”
Think of it like this:
Your ISP is a glass car.
A bad VPN is tinted windows.
A good audited VPN is an armored vehicle.
A tank could still destroy it, but you’re no longer an easy target.
A lot of people exaggerate what VPNs actually do. They’re not magic, but they’re also not useless. They reduce risk, which is the entire point.
That’s basically a conspiracy claim with no evidence. Audit firms have reputations to maintain. Their entire business depends on credability. Plus many audits are public. If all audits were controlled by shadow buyers, every industry audit would be meaningless.
Your condom analogy only works if failure is guaranteed. With a reputable VPN, it isn’t.
You’re not eliminating trust, you’re choosing a provider with audits, legal accountability, and a track record instead of defaulting to your ISP.
That’s not perfect security, but it’s clearly not the same as “a poked hole.”
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You’re right about one thing. You still have to trust someone. A VPN doesn’t eliminate trust, it shifts it from your ISP to the provider.
The difference is that reputable VPNs are audited, operate under stricter legal frameworks, and have a business model built on not logging user activity. That’s a very different risk profile than “you can’t trust any of them.”
Think of it like this:
Your ISP is a glass car. A bad VPN is tinted windows. A good audited VPN is an armored vehicle.
A tank could still destroy it, but you’re no longer an easy target.
A lot of people exaggerate what VPNs actually do. They’re not magic, but they’re also not useless. They reduce risk, which is the entire point.
More like no condom vs a condom with a poked hole. Chances are lower, but information is always visible.
Plus whoever is buying that data, owns the agencies that do audits in the first place.
That’s basically a conspiracy claim with no evidence. Audit firms have reputations to maintain. Their entire business depends on credability. Plus many audits are public. If all audits were controlled by shadow buyers, every industry audit would be meaningless.
Your condom analogy only works if failure is guaranteed. With a reputable VPN, it isn’t. You’re not eliminating trust, you’re choosing a provider with audits, legal accountability, and a track record instead of defaulting to your ISP. That’s not perfect security, but it’s clearly not the same as “a poked hole.”