What's the difference between using a vpn, tor browser or TPB proxies?

[pinkthread]

Hi !
I have a "stupid" question what is the difference between using A VPN or TOR Browser or TPB proxies

[Kingfish]

None when browsing really but when downloading a vpn/tor can hide your ip but a proxy wont.

[Sid]

A VPN encrypts, and redirects, all traffic to and from your computer. So if you're using your web browser or your torrent client or any other internet apps nobody will be able to tell what you are looking at or where you live. It also bypasses any censorship blocks your ISP has implmented upon the orders of your government.

Tor Browser bypasses blocks and encrypts and redirects all the web browsing you do with it to and from your computer. i.e. the same as above, but only when you use it. If you use Chrome (which you can do at the same time as you are using Tor Browser, they co-exist without conflict) then any browsing you do with Chrome won't be protected. Nor will any torrenting you do.

A TPB Proxy* bypasses blocks (unless it is blocked itself, which some of the more well known ones) and (sometimes) encrypts and redirects all the web browsing of TPB you do with it to and from your computer. i.e. the same as above but only when you use it. It won't protect you when you're browsing KAT or ET or any other torrent site; or if you're using Chrome; or if you're using your torrent client.



* Note that there is NO OFFICIAL TPB PROXY. Anything claiming to be a TPB proxy is a third party providing access to TPB. They may or may not be honest brokers, but none of them are operated or endorsed by TPB in any way and we recommend NOT using them for logging in to your TPB account, and using them with caution for browsing. If you are ever asked for credit card details while using a proxy it's a scam.

[joew771]

I'm a good boy and have never used any of those.

But I do want to know what is the difference between a vpn and a proxy.

I know what tor is and it's no good for downloading, so don't use that and think it helps. It's ok for browsing if you use it correctly, but that's about it.

[Moe]

I guess it depends on how technical you want to get.

Both a VPN and a proxy will route connections through a 3rd party computer somewhere else.

A VPN works at a lower level than a proxy and can route all your network connections through the 3rd party server regardless of protocol used.  It also encrypts the connection between you and the VPN server.

A proxy is more limited in what protocols it can handle, it has to be explicitly used rather than automatically re-routing all network connections, and doesn't always encrypt the connection between you and the proxy server.

Most of the time VPNs and proxies are used to either hide your ISP assigned IP address to avoid getting infringement notices, or to route around blockages.  In both cases encryption doesn't really matter.

A VPN is generally easier to use but costs money.  A proxy is a good free solution if you are just trying to get to TPB to browse.  tor is not good for downloading with your torrent client, but it is even better than a proxy for accessing TPB as you can connect to the real TPB rather than going through an unknown 3rd party proxy.

[joew771]

I still don't understand yet. I guess I could google it and find out exactly what is going on, but I don't want to.

What do you mean that a VPN works at a 'lower level'. And then you said that it encrypts the connection and that a proxy doesn't always encrypt things.

But then later you said that encryption doesn't matter.

I do agree that tor is bad for downloading, because it isn't made for that at all, but what difference does it make for connecting to TPB? No one looks to see who downloads the torrents from TPB, only what they download through their client. Tor doesn't help with that at all. No agency is looking at TPB to see who downloads what torrent/magnet file. That's silly. They monitor the actual files downloaded through utorrent or whatever.

[Moe]

What do you mean that a VPN works at a 'lower level'. And then you said that it encrypts the connection and that a proxy doesn't always encrypt things.

But then later you said that encryption doesn't matter.

Encryption is built in to the VPN and can't be turned off. When I say it works at a lower level, it is because it functions like a network interface that your web browser or torrent client isn't even aware of whereas a proxy you have to explicitly tell your application to use, and the proxy may or may not support the protocols your application wants to use.

I say encryption doesn't matter because the purpose of using a proxy or VPN isn't to hide what you are doing, but to make it look like you are doing it from somewhere else either to bypass a blockage or to avoid getting infringement notices.

I do agree that tor is bad for downloading, because it isn't made for that at all, but what difference does it make for connecting to TPB? No one looks to see who downloads the torrents from TPB, only what they download through their client. Tor doesn't help with that at all. No agency is looking at TPB to see who downloads what torrent/magnet file. That's silly. They monitor the actual files downloaded through utorrent or whatever.

You are 100% correct. Using tor to access and browse TPB isn't because tor is necessary to protect the individual browsing, but because it is a free way to bypass censorship. If you are using tor to browse TPB's .onion address, it doesn't matter if your ISP blocks access to TPB. It doesn't matter if some court orders the TPB domain be shut down. However, if you can access TPB without using tor, VPN, or proxy there is no harm in doing so. No one is watching, no one cares, and there is absolutely nothing illegal about browsing the web site.

[joew771]

Ok, so a VPN is a separate thing that intercepts your connection and provides a false IP. But a proxy does the same thing, except that you have to activate it with your browser.

Is that right?

So what is the difference besides the activation point?

And as far as I know your local internet provider can still tell whether you are using a VPN or a proxy, since you have to connect to them before anything else happens anyway.

And they can both be traced with a little bit of effort or am I wrong? Or does the encryption have something to do with that?

[Moe]

It's not a false IP. It is a very real IP belonging to another computer connected to the internet. You are just routing your connections through it so that the rest of the internet thinks that's where you are connecting from.

So what is the difference besides the activation point?

Technically, a lot, but from the user's standpoint, very little.

And as far as I know your local internet provider can still tell whether you are using a VPN or a proxy, since you have to connect to them before anything else happens anyway.

And they can both be traced with a little bit of effort or am I wrong? Or does the encryption have something to do with that?

Yes, the ISP can see that you are using a VPN or a proxy, and can tell what VPN or proxy you are connected to. If the connection is not encrypted, they can see the data being transferred. But they aren't looking, and they don't care. They only thing they are worried about is you paying your bill on time.

Both can be traced back to you if the VPN or proxy service keeps logs and gives them up to whoever is asking. But taking the time to trace them back to you is generally not worth the effort, which is why they are a popular choice for avoiding infringement letters. tor is nearly impossible to trace back to you so long as you don't leave any personally identifying information along the way.

[AtotehZ]

Free VPN's usually have either a speed cap or quantity cap. I can spoof my IP, MAC, use a VPN and browse through TOR, but when it comes to the downloading stage I don't know of a good way.
Is there a more secure way to download limitless amounts at up to 100mbit?

Regardless whether they can see your IP or not, you're not breaking any laws by using a torrent that contains pirated content, only if they can prove you downloaded all of it.