I busted Windscribe (A VPN)

[Ladyanne3]

I've been downloading using my phone with a VPN (windscribe) at a public wifi hotspot.

I was just talking to the manger of the business and he told me that they got a copyright strike for what I downloaded.

So unless someone else was also downloading the same programs... I think it's safe to assume that Windscribe is keeping logs and sharing information

[rezwaki]

Woops, consider using ShadowSocks proxy, maybe even your private one set up in some safe zone (via VPS)

[Slow Mo]

A bold claim. Have you enabled the "block connections without VPN" option on Android or alike on iOS? The most likely source of what happen and why: When Android has a connection interrupted or off, by default it won't do anything to prevent leaks. If not enabled, any VPN service could be easily affected unless it does its own kind of blocking tricks. I do understand the temptation to go into wild guesses on accusing any service as if it's bad and compromised, but sometimes the problem was very close all along.

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Additionally I am interested in details on hardware, operating system, software, the business' interception/surveillance technology implementation and its location, on how the connection to the Wi-Fi made and other things. Like, does the business demand installing its own app, is the phone software up-to-date and less prone to hacks, etc? So many questions, so little answers. The wider context is not known. The main thing is: It must be reproducible, objective, not subjective experience of an individual. If this is indeed reproducible, verifiable and trustworthy, it can be made into a larger case that might go into the int'l media and give public awareness with results.

[AncientRome]

IP-Leak has a great way to test if your ip is actually being hidden, even through torrents.
https://ipleak.net/

Check the windscribe app for settings like kill switch or block outside dns.

[Slow Mo]

Setting specific "DNS over HTTPS" is another option to securely avoid default Wi-Fi's DNS. Available on modern Android

[Ladyanne3]

A bold claim. Have you enabled the "block connections without VPN" option on Android or alike on iOS?  The most likely source of what happen and why: When Android has a connection interrupted or off, by default it won't do anything to prevent leaks. If not enabled, any VPN service could be easily affected unless it does its own kind of blocking tricks. I do understand the temptation to go into wild guesses on accusing any service as if it's bad and compromised, but sometimes the problem was very close all along.

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Additionally I am interested in details on hardware, operating system, software, the business' interception/surveillance technology implementation and its location, on how the connection to the Wi-Fi made and other things. Like, does the business demand installing its own app, is the phone software up-to-date and less prone to hacks, etc? So many questions, so little answers. The wider context is not known. The main thing is: It must be reproducible, objective, not subjective experience of an individual. If this is indeed reproducible, verifiable and trustworthy, it can be made into a larger case that might go into the int'l media and give public awareness with results.

Really sounds to me like you're desperately trying to dump the blame on someone else; like seriously "how the wi-fi connection is made"? Are you trying to suggest someone is packet sniffing my network and reporting me if they see torrenting? As for hardware ID's and operating those are both things that should be obfuscated by the VPN, assuming it's not utter garbage.

[Slow Mo]

If do hold the truth, roll with it worldwide by the media. Action. If not, not. Simple.

Hardware's ID, as in "/etc/machine-id," that is unique, is never "obfuscated" by the VPN per se, and this is never sent on the Internet irregardless. And replacing the IP/MAC addresses is the usual feature of any router or Internet hardware and it cannot be efficiently used for identification (see: NAT) in most cases without MiTM hardware on many levels plus access to the target's ISP, like it's in my country. Neither a VPN touches a browser's user agent or what a 3rd party JavaScript may use for your unique hardware identification. Why was it ever assumed, on what basis? Like, every connection to Suprbay is encrypted, a VPN does not change anything in this regard, this is the domain of a browser: The site can easily identify you. By the very criteria every VPN is "utter garbage." So, well, how can anybody be confident that the "busting" claim itself if not a mistake then? The point.

If you want to try to address the core point, don't play the "I think you are desperately" tune, it's inefficient. Do tackle the point itself. Check, verify, observe. Since you reject to provide a better context or the way to replicate with 100% result, nothing can be done in the forum's framework to assure the wider public in the truthfulness of the claim. So far it doesn't seem to have a strong foundation to be trustworthy or verifiable from a 3rd party standpoint. My own expectation on that is the topic will not evolve, no data will be provided to confirm for sure, then it'll be forgotten like billions of other topics on the wider Internet. Life, life will go on as usual.

[Aera23]

I've been downloading using my phone with a VPN (windscribe) at a public wifi hotspot.

I was just talking to the manger of the business and he told me that they got a copyright strike for what I downloaded.

So unless someone else was also downloading the same programs... I think it's safe to assume that Windscribe is keeping logs and sharing information

Did you forget to turn on "Firewall" mode (blocks traffic if/when the VPN may drop)... if not, then the brief moment the traffic switched, could be enough to set off the copyright trolls