PrivacyTechPro tip: Using an always-on VPN is recommended good privacy practice. However, there are other ways of tracking your specific device on the internet.

For example, if you forget you logged into Google Chrome with your real account and real name or you forgot to log out of Gmail and you visit a website with Google tracking, the site (and Google) may still be able to identify it is you browsing their site based on your device and browser fingerprints (screen resolution, installed fonts etc) and your Google login, even though you are using a VPN to obscure your IP address.

Here are a few ways this could happen:

Websites using Google sign-in - Some sites offer "Sign in with Google" as an option. If you use this to log into a site in Chrome, the site will know your Google account and can associate your activity with that account.

Cookies from Google services - As you browse the web logged into your Google account, Google may place cookies on sites you visit that could identify you to those sites. For example, if a site has integration with Google AdSense or Analytics.

Browser fingerprinting - Through techniques like collecting information about your browser, plugins, system fonts and other details, sites may be able to uniquely "fingerprint" you and track you across browsing sessions. Being logged into Google could be one detail contributing to a fingerprint.

Using a paid always-on VPN (#IVPN, #Mullvad VPN, #Proton VPN) while using Tor helps mitigate this risk when you need extra privacy by going beyond just obscuring your IP. It has anti-fingerprinting technology that makes you look the same as other users on the network.

Do a side by side test with VPN + privacy browser (#Mullvad, #Librewolf) only, VPN + regular bowser, and VPN while using Tor to see the difference with what can be known about your device here:

thinking about #grapheneos? good.

#cybersecgirl #privacytechpro #android

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