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The original was posted on /r/vpn by /u/retropopsx on 2023-08-04 21:48:30+00:00.

I am starting to realise that using any VPN service marks you as a “second class citizen”. By this I mean, blocked from using a variety of websites. This could be something simple like stopping you posting, talking, joining or “shadow banning” you. I noticed this when I made a Microsoft account to play with my family on Minecraft and would throw up connection errors until the VPN was shut down.

It is not the few services either, it seems like the majority. Facebook, Snapchat, Omegle, Kik, Google, Microsoft, Steam, Discord, 4chan and yes even Reddit. Basically, anyway to can communicate socially online, play games or just access services you are excluded partially or entirely. Some services will let you use a VPN on the condition you give them your mobile number, in which case they can tie your identity to the account and hence your location which defeats the purpose of the vpn all together. If you refuse to give them your mobile, you could enter the email and it will just make you go through “additional authentication methods” which always somehow tie your real life identity to the account.

So is there really any point in using VPNS? My VPN is a good app and I feel happy not having every little thing I read and watch isn’t catalogued and fed back to me in ads and sold to third parties. I find it really intrusive and as a law abiding citizen I should have the right to use any service I want without giving away any identifying information as I am a law abiding citizen. What gives?