Allow trusted members to use VPNs

[Plexcoo]

A little after the breach I was able to update my IP to my VPN without any problem upon request to Manthe. Now it seems VPN blocking has been re-added which is a huge issue for users who want to maintain their privacy.

Vape should allow older/trusted users to be able to use VPN services. It'll benefit their privacy in case something else like this were to happen again and makes it convenient to bypass server bans as well as various other blockages while being able to use the client. Exposing your IP to the public may lead to your ultimate downfall as people can discover your true location and identity. And I'm not talking about geoIP lookups either. ISP doxing is still a thing and is very much still possible. With your IP alone it's possible for people to pull your full account information which includes addresses, SSNs, CCs, and more.

I do realize VPNs can be potentially used for users to share their account, however steps can be taken to eliminate/minimize that by
- Setting device usage limits
- Only allowing older/trusted members the option to use a VPN
- Only blocking free saturated VPN services such as Hotspot Shield, Cyberghost, etc. and allowing premium ones to be used.
- Charging customers an extra fee to enable the use of VPNs

I also do realize that you are able to use Vape with a VPN by routing the connection in elevated command prompt. But that isn't exactly the real issue here. I'm talking about being able to set your VPN IP up in the Vape database. Also not to mention this could potentially be used against you during a screenshare if a staff member checks what routes you have enabled.

Hope you can understand where I'm coming from. Looking forward to seeing this being implemented.

 

[Plexcoo]

Why do you need your vpn's ip in the database.

The whole point of this being added is to protect user privacy just in case another database breach were to happen again. That way if an unauthorized user were to break in they wouldn't be able to see your real IP if you choose to use a VPN. This also makes screensharing safer just in case a staff member wants to check what routes you have listed on command prompt.

 

[JesusIsHigh]

I think Vpns should be allowed but I understand that allowing vpns allow people to sell their accounts as it will never know if the new ip is a vpn or the IP of the person you sold the account to

 

[Plexcoo]

I think Vpns should be allowed but I understand that allowing vpns allow people to sell their accounts as it will never know if the new ip is a vpn or the IP of the person you sold the account to

I do realize the potential of users being able to share their account, however I have already addressed steps to eliminate/minimize that in the OP.

No staff member checks for routes listed in your command prompt. And you could easily just change your ip if a breach happens.

How do you know that? Maybe you haven't been on a server that doesn't do this as of yet, but it could still be used as a potential screensharing method as I've stated before.

Changing your IP still doesn't make you invulnerable to ISP doxing either. Many people think it's as simple as that, but quite frankly it's not. There are quite a few ISPs that withhold your data up to a year long, sometimes even more than that. This allows anyone who wants to breach your personal information to pull up your ISP account information at any given time, even using your old IP. Here's a list of how long all well known U.S.A. ISPs are storing your information.

Verizon - 18 month IP retention policy (Longest of all)
Charter - 1 year IP retention policy
AT&T - 1 year IP retention policy
Qwest/CenturyLink - 1 year IP retention policy
Time Warner - 6 month IP retention policy
Comcast - 180 days IP retention policy

You can read more about that here:
https://torrentfreak.com/how-long-does-your-isp-store-ip-address-logs-120629/

This basically means that anyone who was affected by this data breach using their bare IP are still vulnerable to breaching of their personal information via ISP doxing, as this happened just a few days ago.

Another thing I'd like to mention is that some servers, Zonix for example, took advantage of the data breach by banning all the IPs that were included in the leaked database. Another perfect example of why we should be able to use VPNs.

 

[Plexcoo]

And you want a vpn, you don't need one to bypass a simple Zonix ban either(pretty sure that they have decent vpn protection also). You're literally going against what you want lmao. Using a vpn won't do anything if a doxer could just pull up the vape database and then use the old ip that would still be tied by your isp to your home(ACCORDING to what you're telling me).

A few months ago I did ask Manthe if I could just have my hwid locked, and not my ip but he said no

I'm very well aware that Zonix bans are easy to bypass. I use a VPN on their server all the time, none of my datacenters are blocked whatsoever. How the hell does this go against what I want? If anything it's another reason to remove the VPN blockage. If you were to use a VPN and were affected by the breach, your VPN server would be banned, not your actual IP.

Also very well aware that anyone could take advantage of the database breach by ISP doxing you on your old IP. However there's no reason to not try to eliminate this from happening in the future. Your ISP does hoard logs on you, however this is not permanent. It still might be possible to remove your account logs associated with that old IP address by calling them, cancelling/removing your account, and renewing your subscription as well. Probably nobody aside from me has even considered doing this yet.

I also spoke to Manthe about this personally and he said he would consider removing the blockage. I'm simply following up on that.

 

[Plexcoo]

Bumping this back up to the top. Lots of other users looking forward to this being added @Manthe

 

[Shitterdown]

IF ANDROS GOES OUT IM GOING OUT TOO
IM SORRY BUT ITS FOR THE GREATER GOOD ILY BB @Andros