Is it okay to use a VPN with eMule?

[Nasuada]

Thanks for the Info...
Well... then I still will not share stuff on eMule for my safety and still need to use the classic way to upload stuff on different ways.

[ghost]

then I still will not share stuff on eMule for my safety and still need to use the classic way to upload stuff on different ways.

Sorry to hear that. You just picked the wrong PVN service. I would recommand AirVPN. It's pretty cheap and works with eMule.

[Night457]

I have been using AirVPN for some months now on ghost's recommendation, and as long as my ISP is providing enough bandwidth (which is most of the time) it has been working well for me. Once I chose my ports to forward, I magically had HighID. It was very easy. It is also my first and only experience with VPNs.

I hope you did not purchase a 3-year plan for your VPN, because it is helpful to explore other options if what you have does not work out for you.

[Nasuada]

I'm not a big friend of monthly or yearly subscriptions... I got this VPN Service over a Deal with a lifetime subscription for less than 20€ including a password manager named "Sticky Password" (I will switch from 1Password).

I'm sure that my new selected VPN Service is not the absolutely safest... It never was before with my old one. I do not really trust all the VPN Services or better.. I didn't trust when they say, you are from now absolutely safe. But I think it can't be wrong to make it a bit harder to follow my steps on the Web.

So if I using AirVPN for example, I don't know what will now be much better... OK, I can share stuff under a different IP, but sharing stuff will be always a higher risk.. right?

[Night457]

I'm not a big friend of monthly or yearly subscriptions... I got this VPN Service over a Deal with a lifetime subscription for less than 20€

I do not care for short-term subscriptions either, unless I am just trying something out. I am satisfied with a one-year deal, as I hate long-term commitments. I am of the mind that NO option is perfect, and I do not want to waste money on a long-term subscription when there is a good possibility I will be disappointed with it and want something different within a few months.

HOWEVER, 20 euros seems like a great price to me. When I think of all the blind-buy DVDs and Blu-rays I have that cost WAY more than that, and were not very good, that price does not scare me. AirVPN does cost more. You can google them to find their site, read their security claims and check out their subscription options.

I do not really trust all the VPN Services or better.. I didn't trust when they say, you are from now absolutely safe.

Your lack of trust is a sign of great intelligence, as far as I am concerned! As I do not have the technical know-how to TEST the security of a VPN system, I can only take their claims at face value ... or not.

OK, I can share stuff under a different IP, but sharing stuff will be always a higher risk.. right?

It depends on what you share, right?

I will never pretend to be an internet security expert, nor even someone with a beginner's knowledge, so nothing I could say to provide reassurances is of any value whatsoever.

Speaking PERSONALLY, I do not do anything to try and evade detection by the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI. If they want me badly enough they WILL find me. I simply consider myself a low-value target. My ONLY purposes in having a VPN are:
(1) To have High-ID on eMule via port-forwarding.
(2) To port-forward my torrent client, supposedly useful.
(3) To select another country's server to avoid geoblocking and get streamed videos.

The last one is not perfect for all sites, some of which block all VPNs. Apparently I need a Proxy service to get around THOSE. Sheesh. If I did not use eMule, I would not bother with a VPN.

My only real concern about internet security is NOT having my banking and credit card information stolen. Naturally, I have the option to disconnect from and log out of my VPN, so that I mostly only need worry that my ISP is stealing that information. Since they have billions more dollars than I do, they are unlikely to see my bank account as having any value.

I would be interested to hear those with knowledge of internet security offer their opinions on the relative safety of VPNs.

[mimzy]

I'm not a big friend of monthly or yearly subscriptions... I got this VPN Service over a Deal with a lifetime subscription for less than 20€

I'm not a VPN expert, but this sounds suspiciously cheap to me (unless the "lifetime" is very short).

As I do not have the technical know-how to TEST the security of a VPN system, I can only take their claims at face value ... or not.

They have the power to watch your data and where you connect. You can never be sure that the server is not run by the bad guys. Companies that have been longer on the market and have more clients are *probably* safer.

Speaking PERSONALLY, I do not do anything to try and evade detection by the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI.

If we are speaking about commercial movies, then it is usually not Homeland Security or the FBI, but big companies like Warner Bros. (and companies hired by them) who hunt pirates. In some countries like Germany they can easily get a court order to demand your details from your ISP and start blackmailing you. Getting your details from a foreign VPN service will be legally much more difficult. If you avoid mainstream movies that have been released in your country in the last couple years, then nobody will be interested in you, whether you use VPN or not.

[Night457]

big companies like Warner Bros. (and companies hired by them) who hunt pirates. In some countries like Germany they can easily get a court order to demand your details from your ISP and start blackmailing you.

I have certainly heard of cases where lawyers were extorting settlements from file sharers, dating back to the low-bandwidth mp3-sharing days. Gradually that sort of thing has (supposedly) tapered off for multiple reasons. The companies were not getting much of the payments, but the lawyers were certainly getting enriched. And the huge corporations realized they could get more money by making paid streaming services readily available: iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ ... why spend so much time and money on lawyers when you can get most people to buy your product anyway?

Worst of all were the mafia-owned Los Angeles pr0n companies that would secretly fileshare their own product, then sic their lawyers on anyone who spread it further. Sometimes the blackmail would include "Pay up or we will tell your mom ... and your employer!"

If you avoid mainstream movies that have been released in your country in the last couple years, then nobody will be interested in you, whether you use VPN or not.

I know! So many people shun me because I have no interest in discussing the latest Marvel or Star Wars movie. I definitely have unpopular movie tastes.

Oh wait, you meant something else ...

[mimzy]

big companies like Warner Bros. (and companies hired by them) who hunt pirates. In some countries like Germany they can easily get a court order to demand your details from your ISP and start blackmailing you.

I have certainly heard of cases where lawyers were extorting settlements from file sharers, dating back to the low-bandwidth mp3-sharing days. Gradually that sort of thing has (supposedly) tapered off for multiple reasons.

I don't know the current state of art, but some 10 years ago there were some real cases even in the FLM community.

So many people shun me because I have no interest in discussing the latest Marvel or Star Wars movie. I definitely have unpopular movie tastes.

[Night457]

It is always fun to read old posts, such fascinating things to discover!

But ... 10 years, and nothing since? I guarantee there are many FLM users just as lazy and careless about DLing as I am. Certainly a number of FLM oldtimers are cautious and technically adept, but surely they are the minority. Will the rest of us just suddenly be 'disappeared' without a chance to post a warning on the site? Is that the reason why some members suddenly stop posting and never come back? Maybe the corporate machine has realized it can not effectively blackmail people for money they do not have, so their best bet is simply to eliminate the competition. Something to think about.

I had never heard of "Kokowääh" and it looks interesting, but now I am afraid to download it.

[mimzy]

I can tell you a secret. I've used eMule actively for the last 12 years and I've never used a VPN. My rule is not to download or share movies that have been released in my country in the last 2 years. The corporate machinery really does not care if someone shares Swedish or Czech movies from the 1980s.

Regarding "Kokowääh", it is very unlikely that they are still watching it after 10 years and you can probably find an alternative file with different hash (and use a VPN server that is not in Germany ).