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Comment by steveeq1 | Hacker News Reader

Because for certain types of things, like pirating movies, it's good enough.

It seems a bit strange to me that you'd want to hide your movie pirating from your ISP but are happy for your VPN provider to know about it.

I think it is more of a matter of hiding your local ip address from other torrent users.

What's the purpose of that? Genuine question, I'm trying to understand the threat model of another torrent user seeing the IP address that is currently allocated to your router. Is this related to those letters that people sometimes get sent threatening legal action for torrenting?

quite simply evading copyright strikes or legal filings. I don't know which providers still disconnect your internet after 3 strikes. But I am guessing that's the "threat" here.

Any (large?) ISP will report your torrenting and/or terminate your internet usage if you torrent anything they deem copyrightable. Both Comcast and Spectrum do this, at least.

Edit, to add: No VPNs do this.

OK, I was not aware of this. I have been known to occasionally torrent things (not just Linux distros!) and having done this semi-regularly while living in four different countries I'm yet to hear anything from any ISP about it, but I am sure there are places where it's taken more seriously.

> No VPNs do this.

Yet.

> No VPNs do this

I got a nastygram from the hosting provider I used.

>Edit, to add: No VPNs do this.

counter-example: https://forum.goldenfrog.com/t/no-longer-feeling-private-aft...

If you read the last message in the thread, they no longer log IP. At the time the user originally posted his complaint, they did.

They don't. What you're describing would take them out of common carrier status and make their business unworkable. What they do is respond to notices from copyright holders.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2011/07/major-isps-agree...

My friend's VPN emailed him saying Comcast asked them for his info because he torrented something and the copyright holder contacted Comcast. The VPN provider didn't give Comcast any info.

Your friend may need a new VPN company. If they were able to identify him then they are probably logging too much information.

Agreed - I was oversimplifying. A better way to put it would be to say that ISPs automatically participate in the reporting of alleged copyright infringement, as well as mete out punishment for alleged infringement when they decide it is appropriate, whereas (most?) VPNs do not.

Edit: spelling

Who said anything about being happy about a VPN provider knowing anything?

It's about choosing between the lesser of two evils.

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