Can the government track you even with a VPN?

It turns out it can.

For example, after several reports in the New York Times that said the government was tracking people online, Facebook announced a new feature: Facebook Connect that would automatically log information about your activity on other sites you use to Facebook, even if you are not logged into Facebook and have used a VPN. I asked one of the NYT journalists, Ian Burfoot, if the government could still use it. His answer was this:

If you are using a virtual private network (VPN) the way it's supposed to be used, you cannot be tracked. But, if your VPN provider is logging information you are transmitting, or a state-level provider like the intelligence agencies for example, they might be using this technology to track you.

What kind of information can they see? You can read about this in his report and he goes through several examples of things they do see (note, none of this says the feds are doing it, just explaining what they could do): Facebook is an obvious case, since they know you use Facebook. They want to build a profile of you based on what you're doing across other websites you use to be part of the social network. For example, if you click a story that takes you to CNN.com, or some other site, they also see that you did this even though your VPN was turned on, protecting you. This is actually the type of data they see in many cases where someone is browsing a news site.

If the NSA is watching your internet traffic, maybe then you should use more than a VPN that doesn't log your activity. This could easily be abused. As the NYT reports, when Facebook tells you it sees you, it includes who you were on the site as well. He mentions the NSA and other state level intelligence agencies, but it doesn't say anything about them (except he states they may be among those collecting these records). It's easy to imagine how this information about your browsing is abused by anyone that finds out about it (assuming you don't turn it off of course).

For example, if there was some sort of hack at Facebook or Amazon (like the OPM hacking scandal), or your ISP has an unauthorized access that they don't properly secure or keep, they could easily grab details of everyone who visited Facebook and Amazon.

Can the government spy on me if I use a VPN?

I am an artist in the digital world and the artist community of NYC is fairly large.

I am looking to meet people to collaborate on projects. As far as I can tell, being in NYC means that I should be able to connect securely to people who are physically in NYC.

Do any of you use VPNs? Do you have any suggestions on where to use VPNs? Should I go with OpenVPN? I would like to create my own VPN server (as opposed to setting up my home server, which I do), because I want a server that I have full control of. How does the FBI spy on me through a VPN? If I use a VPN, will the government be able to spy on me? Can they spy on me if I set up a VPN at work? If I use a VPN in NYC, will they be able to see me and my activity? Is there anything I should know before I start? I don't think you can really get around the fact that using VPNs is a breach of privacy and security. Anyone who uses them can and very well can be spied on by anyone. The only way around this is if you are at home or work and only connect to your VPN when at home or work and at specific times.

Omer DJun 10 '12 at 21:13. @OmerD, Thanks for your answer. I understand that it can be an issue. I am asking more about the NYC question. There are very few locations that I know of that could track me down if I am physically at my hotel or home. When I am in the city, I would like to be able to VPN securely from the road and not necessarily at work. What about a bar or coffee shop? I can use a WiFi or mobile connection, but I would prefer to be able to VPN securely if possible. Would a bar or coffee shop where people might be working on their laptops be a possible location? Do you have any suggestions for locations?

Andrew NJun 10 '12 at 21:36. A VPN service provider will most likely need to have access to your account data. They'll also need access to any remote access software that you might use to set up the VPN tunnel.