Culvert VPNWhat your ISP can see when you use a VPN
With a VPN on, your ISP sees one encrypted stream to one server and how much data flows, but not the sites you visit, your DNS lookups or page contents.
Privacy: who sees what
A VPN moves the ability to see your traffic from the network you are on to the provider you chose. These guides go party by party: what your ISP, the Wi-Fi owner, your employer and the VPN itself can and cannot see, what logs mean, and how to read a privacy policy in ten minutes.
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What the Wi-Fi owner can see, with and without a VPN
Without a VPN the Wi-Fi owner sees every site name you visit; with one they see one encrypted stream to one server, plus your device's name and data use.
Can your employer or school see your traffic through a VPN?
A VPN hides site names and contents from the work or campus network, but a managed device or one with a corporate certificate can be inspected regardless.
VPN logs explained: what "logs" can mean and what to ask
Connection logs, usage logs and aggregate counters are three different things with different risks. How to tell them apart and what to ask a provider.
What a seized VPN server can reveal about you
A seized VPN server reveals only what the provider stored on it. Done well, that is live connection state and opaque ids, not names or browsing history.
If HTTPS already encrypts, why use a VPN?
HTTPS encrypts the page but shows the network the site's name, your IP and your DNS lookups. A VPN covers those, and every app that is not a browser.
Where your DNS queries go, with and without a VPN
Without a VPN, DNS queries go to the network's resolver in plain text. With one, they should travel inside the tunnel to the VPN provider's own resolver.
Does a VPN hide you from Google and Facebook?
No. A VPN changes the IP address they see, but your account, cookies, advertising ID and the SDKs inside apps identify you wherever you connect from.
VPN vs incognito mode: two different problems
Incognito stops the browser keeping history and cookies on your phone; a VPN hides traffic from the network and your IP from sites. Different problems.
Does a VPN stop ads and trackers?
Mostly no. A VPN changes the IP address advertisers see, which blurs location targeting, but cookies, the advertising ID and in-app SDKs still track you.
Should you use a VPN at home?
At home the Wi-Fi is yours, so a VPN mainly hides site names and DNS from your ISP and keeps your home IP out of websites' logs. Useful, not essential.
How to delete your VPN account and data
Delete the account in the app or by email, then uninstall. What is erased at once, what is kept for a fixed period, and what Google Play keeps regardless.
How to read a VPN privacy policy in ten minutes
Skip the preamble and look for five things: what is collected when you connect, how long it is kept, who sees it, where the company is, and how to delete.