Blocked VPN's?
 

So, it appears the board has a feature turned on that denies VPN addresses. I pretty much exclusively use a vpn, mainly to foil tracking and other malicious intrusions.

Can someone turn the feature off that blocks vpn's?

Evey time I have to turn my vpn off to access the site I feel vulnerable to all kinds of nastiness on the web and if turning it off is not possible, I'll just have to stop posting on the site.

Thank you.

Change your location on your VPN. I use a VPN and sometimes that happens to me too. I just need to change the location from say New York to Phoenix etc. .

In addition to what Tallchick recommended, you can also use a browser that does not allow all that "nastiness", such as Brave. ;)

Doesn’t matter what I use for location, doesn’t work.

Between settings, antivirus and a few other “not to be named” programs: already done.

VPNs are a waste of good money. Hosts actively block them and it just becomes a game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile all your activity is concentrated in one single failure point at the VPN provider.

VPNs are great for different reasons, too. If you lived in China, you would love your VPN because the government would not be able to stop you from surfing the net. There are reasons to avoid leaving trails here in the USA, too. We are in the age of Big Brother, after all.

Not sure why you are reluctant to name the programs you're using....? 🤷

I asked my husband, who has worked in the IT industry for over 30 years, and my son, who has been in the IT industry for 10 years, about using a VPN vs using a non-tracking browser such as Brave. They both say a VPN does NOT block trackers, cookies, malicious traffic, etc. They both agree you are much safer using Brave as your browser - and they both specifically named that particular browser.

Websites such as this forum block VPNs because hackers, spoofers, and scammers from India, China, etc use them to gain access. It is not very likely that you will succeed in convincing anyone from tech support to disable this feature.

Peckish -- great info! Thank you for sharing! I use Google Chrome so I suspect everything I do is visible to anyone who wants to be bored by watching me.

Same here. I only sign in when I'm at the community center using their computer. I won't turn my VPN off as to many nasty things happen.

I use Duck Duck Go as a browser. It works great at blocking and routing junk email, etc. Some things get through, but when I am online ( like now) it monitors everything and will block somethings, though it notifies me that it has done the blocking. I have used this browser for years and have found it to work well.

We block access of VPN's to prevent ddos attacks and reduce spam. Unfortunately, this is something I am unable to disable for you.

I do apologize for the inconvenience.

I've had trouble before with websites not letting me in because I was using a VPN for privacy. I found out that using a proxy is a good workaround when VPNs get blocked. Unlike VPNs, proxies don't always get caught by website blocks, so you can still keep your online activities private without getting stopped. The cool part about proxies is you can set them up just for the sites you're having trouble with, instead of routing everything you do online through them. This can make it less likely for sites to block you. So, if you need to keep your privacy without losing access to sites, it might help to get a proxy. This switch has really smoothed out my browsing issues without making me feel like I'm risking my online safety.

I'm not sure what tracking does to harm me on my computer. It's all quilting or benign websites. I use ad free youtube and Ad Block Premium .We have no ads added to all our streaming channels. I have my phone setting to silence unknown callers. I can see who called when I check the list. I'm not that concerned about ad tracking, just don't like the annoyance. Any ad posts on Facebook I block as soon as I see them. I rarely get any now. I use Windows Defense for malware and haven't had any problem in years with bad stuff. Only one virus on computer in the late 90's.

I think the safest way is not to use a computer, a cell phone, etc which precludes ordering on line or direct deposit or bill pay on line. . Also, no credit cards, or debit cards. Probably absolutely best way is to go completely off grid and wear a disguise. We use an ad blocker and know that some of our data is collected to target us for advertising so we do get some snail mail I throw away. We have protections and insurance coverage for identity theft. But we also live in the modern world. I guess I am wondering what is so private that we need to "avoid leaving trails"? Seriously, I am not being flippant. Anyone on Medicare etc or paying SS taxes is probably already "known" by the government and if they wanted they could bypass all other methods.

What is VPN?

A few years ago I was noticing more and more quilting-related ads popping up on my computer and in my email. I was in Walmart one day, and wandered over into the small appliance section and started looking at toaster ovens. I had never searched online for toaster ovens, or even mentioned to anyone that I was considering buying one. The next day ads started popping up on my computer for toaster ovens. Coincidence? I sincerely hope so, but somehow I'm not entirely sure.

You are being tracked all the time with your computer or your phone. I understand the wish to be anonymous on the net and think it is a good thing.
I know nothing about a VPN nor Brave browser but will be looking into it.
The government is tracking everyone these days. Big companies have been tracking us for a long time too. Facebook is just a place to get info on whoever uses it. Be careful what you put on there.

and by being on the web and on quilting board we "agree" to whatever tracking is going on because I would bet quilting board tracks too

UPS/Fedex knows every package delivered to your address and where it’s from. Library knows every book you have checked out. Everything you have paid for with check or card can be found in a minute down to the exact second you paid for it. Trying to not be tracked is over.

bearisgray.....A VPN is a "virtual private network" that masks your IP (web) address and encrypts your personal data so that website hosts can't collect your data when you visit their sites.

Watson