Where can I find details about the Always-on VPN, part of the Advanced Privacy? (VPN type, settings/configuration, VPN server(s) address(es), etc…)
I tried searching through the /e/ Documentation, but I can’t find anything.
Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online services
Setting → Internet and netword → Advanced setting → VPN → advanced privacy wheel → always on VPN (on/off)
What’s the use of having the VPN set as Always-on?
I know how to turn it off/on. My question was around what technology is it, underneath. Is it the TOR VPN, or it’s something else? If it’s something else, what technology does it use (SSL?) and who/where are the VPN servers?
You can search on the forum : “Advanced Privacy: know all about it”:
[advanced privacy mockup]
Illustration: Advanced Privacy on the Murena One smartphone
Advanced Privacy is a specific tool we have developed to limit your data exposure once you have installed third party apps.
When an application snoops in the background, it will use trackers to log your activity even if you are not using the app. It will also collect the IP address, so it can potentially link internet activity to a specific device and to a persona, and finally it will try to pinpoint your ex…
Thanks Nicolas. Unfortunately that page does not contain any info about the VPN.
In fact, for what I understand, it’s only use the VPN slot provided by android on your phone. And it’s use TOR/Orbot.
@anon88181694 had right, the feature to hide the IP is not a vpn but uses TOR.
Plaese tell me if i’m wrong but maybe the confusion of @loki came from the fact that advanced privacy (at least some feature of it) need to use the VPN slot generate by android like netguard, invizible pro or the “app tracking protection” from duckduckgo or other app like those
[Screenshot_20220608-081929_Paramètres]
@Nicolas_Sas
Indeed, it is a local VPN to perform the routing to the Tor daemon.
I can’t help you more
Hope it’s help anyway
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Thanks Nicolas. That is really enlightening and raising quite a few new questions, at the same time.
The info you shared, seems to point to the fact that VPN-always-on is needed in order for the Advanced privacy features to function (mask the real IP address & location and potentially also block trackers as well).
However, I can run with the Always-on-VPN disabled and the system tells me trackers are still being blocked, and the fake IP and location functions are still working.
Either the system is incorrectly reporting my protection status, or the always-on-VPN is not being used for all these functions, but as an extra protection, on top of them…
centaurus:
Thanks Nicolas.
You’re welcome
centaurus:
VPN-always-on is needed
This option is not really mandatory, it’s just prevent from leaks (for what I understand)
centaurus:
mask the real IP address
The VPN slot is only use for this feature not for tracker or GPS location spoofing.
A little help is welcom @aibd @AnotherElk @smu44 ?
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aibd
August 18, 2022, 7:52am
10
Did anyone mention Advanced Privacy ?
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smu44
August 18, 2022, 8:12am
11
Sorry, not much knowledge about Advanced Privacy internals here…
GitLab project here: e / os / Advanced Privacy · GitLab
Maybe opening a gitLab issue, asking for clarification?
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centaurus:
Either the system is incorrectly reporting my protection status, or the always-on-VPN is not being used for all these functions, but as an extra protection, on top of them…
After doing some practical tests, I can confirm the system incorrectly reports protection status - with the VPN disconnected, and IP set to hidden (I configured a specific country for the fake IP), when connecting to gmail webmail (via web browser), it clearly detects my correct country of origin.
Yesterday I had the VPN on and gmail saw me coming from the country selected in the fake IP menu, in Advanced privacy.
I would say this is a bug - Advanced privacy GUI cannot tell if the VPN is up or down, so reports protection status solely based on the configuration in its menus.
I don’t think I have enough permissions to create a new issue - no “new issue” button/link on the webpage for me.
Looks like this gitlab issue:
https://gitlab.e.foundation/e/backlog/-/issues/5924
And I invite you to read the full topic (notably the end of discussion) here :
[advanced privacy mockup]
Illustration: Advanced Privacy on the Murena One smartphone
Advanced Privacy is a specific tool we have developed to limit your data exposure once you have installed third party apps.
When an application snoops in the background, it will use trackers to log your activity even if you are not using the app. It will also collect the IP address, so it can potentially link internet activity to a specific device and to a persona, and finally it will try to pinpoint your ex…
I decided to take this topic to the InviZible Pro Telegram channel to get some insight. The excerpt below clearly shows no definite answers but it was cool. Still unsure of things.
Marc Williams:
I personally only use InviZible on all of my ROMs, including on /e/. Was only testing out Advanced Privacy.
After disabling my VPN & InviZible, I tested AP with the Hide IP feature. Specifying “My internet activity must appear from: United States” (picked only for speed reasons I guess).
I live in Los Angeles County, California. The IP address was in Kansas City, Kansas. Shown at browserleaks and the sites you mention.
I brought up Browser (based on Bromite and/or UnGoogled Chromium). Went to Google Maps and hit the location button.
Initially the map went to Kansas City but a few seconds later it changed to my real location/street. Went to OpenStreetMap and was taken to my real location.
In Iceraven (WebRTC disabled as I do with any Firefox-based browser) it was the same as far as the map sites were concerned.
Back on the /e/ device right now I test InviZible to hide my IP. Current IP is in Amsterdam.
Went to Google Maps. Everything is in German and I get a map of Europe. Hit the location button and it ask to use my location. After quite awhile it showed a map of my actual location in California. Tried a couple more times but the site just takes forever to bring up a map.
Ah, I see the IP has changed to Berlin. Explains why it wasn’t in Dutch.
Go to OpenStreetMap. Get a map of Germany. Hit the Show My Location button and I get Albuquerque, New Mexico. Odd.
Iceraven: IP is changing rapidly. IP is now in France.
Google Maps pops up cookie info in French but then takes me to OpenStreetMap with a map of France. Location button takes me back to Albuquerque.
That was in a private tab. In a regular tab I’m immediately taken to my real location.
Kiwi browser: IP has changed to Dresden. Language is German.
Google Maps takes me to my real location.
OpenStreetMap. Get a map of Germany. Show My Location is Albuquerque again.
Lot of rambling there but it tells me that location services and IP location do different things. That one cannot assume their location will be reported to be in the same place as the IP address location.
Brahman:
Orbot can use different routes per every connection, there is a setting for that. That explains variety. ipinfo.io shows tor:true which is a good reference.
Regarding location it may be not only IP based. If apps have access permission to read wifi data, they can lookup surrounding SIDs, and locate you based on that
Marc Williams:
Yep, exactly. The microG backends, depending on which installed, may use various methods to get location.
That last round of testing, btw, was using InviZible Pro.
Brahman:
Invizible will only change your IP. It won’t prevent apps reading your wifi data or location data.
Marc Williams:
Yeah. I figure that’s the same with the Orbot used in Advanced Privacy. ??
Brahman:
Never used it, can’t say for sure.
Marc Williams:
Oh, ha ha. I just realized why I kept getting OpenStreetMap instead of Google Maps in Iceraven and Kiwi. I’m using Privacy Redirect and LibRedirect extensions, respectively.
Brahman:
Too many options, too many options
Got around to testing the Twitter PWA this time. Three tests, reboots between each just to make sure network stuff is clean.
Round One:
InviZible Pro, Hide IP with Tor (forgot to turn off DNSCrypt just in case).
IP location is Berlin.
Twitter email says location is unknown.
Round Two:
Advanced Privacy Hide IP.
IP location is somewhere in Bavaria (forgot the city name).
Email location says Nuremberg.
Ugh, a lot of captchas on that round.
Round Three A:
InviZible Pro again.
IP location is Amsterdam.
No email received but it did show up after round three B.
Round Three B:
Different phone, accessing Twitter via WebApps.
InviZible Pro again.
IP location is Amsterdam.
Email location says Amsterdam.
So in those tests I got the results that you were expecting on your end I think. So now I’m even more confused on all of this.
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