For people who care about real privacy, VPNs are useful to hide Tor use from ISPs. You use a nested chain of maybe three or four VPN services, and then hit Tor. Let's say that you were using targeted onion services while the CMU jerks were pwning Tor users. Instead of your ISP-assigned IP, the FBI would just know a VPN exit IP. And they'd need to successively subpoena three or four providers in order to get your ISP-assigned IP.

So you're the guy they are talking about on TV who has "bounced through 7 proxies" ;)

That's a Snowden reference, no?

But yes, seven hops is about the minimum for any prudently private person, as I see it.

But for true overkill, see https://www.ivpn.net/privacy-guides/onion-ssh-hosts-for-logi...

It's not that hard to hit 30 hops, alternating VPNs and Tor onion services.

Nah not Snowden, it was just a joke because in TV shows whenever there is some kind of computer crime the technical specialists in the show (black hats turned white, etc.) talk about how the criminal is untraceable because they were hidden behind 7 proxies or such. Not saying you are a criminal it just made me smile/chuckle when you mentioned routing Tor over VPN which is also going through another VPN which in turn is on Tor, etc.

Thanks. I found this: http://kxan.com/2014/03/10/congressman-upset-with-edward-sno... And wondered why that was needed, given his situation. But now I see this: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/snowden-sxsw-seven-proxie...

Wow, that's a comprehensive guide indeed. Thanks for sharing