Hacker News Reader

So it's possible that by using a VPN, you're seeing ads recommended for other people using the same VPN?

Yes, that is exactly what happens when you use a VPN. Only services like primevideo and Netflix bother to detect VPNs and force you to get off, 99% of the web treats you like a regular user, but with an insane diversity of interests.

That's becoming less and less true.

For example, the wiki.debian.org blocks users of (at least) privateinternetaccess VPN. (You get a 403 forbidden. This doesn't happen when I use my personal VPN routed out through a VPS provider, only through PIA.)

I have encountered this with various other sites as well, both outright blocks and degraded experience.

Frustrating. Although I don't really trust VPN providers, I trust my ISP even less, and a VPN helps me get by some of their more heavy handed shaping.

It's more likely those IPs were blocked manually due to vandalism. If you set up a VPN server on a VPS with a static IP, you shouldn't run into that problem.

Slightly off-topic but I visited Arch Linux's forum with Tor and it says I have been banned with the reason: "Never come back". I wonder if they were referring to Tor users in general.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com