Tom missed the biggest factor in VPN companies' exaggerations - that they call themselves "VPNs" because of the positive connotations of "Private", even though they're just proxies and have nothing to do with VPNs.

...and even the ones that use actual VPN software don't actually have anything for the "N" part of "VPN", so they are still just proxies.

But I guess it makes it easier to refer to than "proxy for all protocols."

I've only used my work VPN, so I just assumed commercial VPNs had similar mechanics. They don't lease IP addresses?

There's a tunnel from your computer to the VPN entrypoint, but the point of a VPN is to become part of another Network of computers that is Private and could thus not be reached otherwise. There's no private network of computers for these "VPN" services. They're just a proxy to the internet.

VPN ads that are truthful and delivered with integrity are still disrespectful and disgusting, because advertising is a cancer.

Advertising isn’t black/white. I want to see ads telling me there’s a local farm selling produce a few minutes from my house. Or that the new Marvel movie is coming out in a couple months.

These things bring value to my life. How else would I know about them?

I think that's pushing the boundary on what can be considered advertising these days. It's a question of choice. Advertisements are foisted upon (mostly) unwilling viewers to convince them to buy things they don't want or need, or at least to cause them to make a choice based on brand identity rather than a rational evaluation of the value provided. This is bad.

What you're talking abut is something else entirely. If I'm watching something on Hulu, and the show stops to show me an ad for a Marvel movie coming out in a couple months, that's intrusive. If I deliberately go to YouTube to watch the trailer, that's a free choice. They're such completely different experiences from the user's point of view that it's a misnomer to refer to both as "advertising".

Likewise, my parents have solicited mailers from local groceries because they want to know what vegetables are in this week. There are all sorts of websites and other mechanisms for letting people know about events and opportunities going on in their area. Me sitting down to watch some sports or something and getting bombarded by ads (by Arby's, not a "local farm") is not the same situation.

If you want a bright line, imagine a world with no profit motive. Would we still have movie trailers and fliers to let you know about local farm produce? I think so. Would there still be television advertisements and lies about VPN services on YouTube videos? Obviously not.

Yeah, even Cancer isn’t black / white. That concentrated mass showing up on your CT scan might have a chance to be co-living peacefully for the rest of your life. And removing them is actually causing your body more harms.