Quote:
Originally Posted by geertm
I am no networking guru, but as far as I know it works as follows:
- The VPN builds an encrypted tunnel from your PC to the VPN server in the US (the end of that tunnel in the US is what the B&N website sees).
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Not all VPN tunnels are encrypted. If it's an IPSEC tunnel, it can include AH (packets are authentic, but not encrypted), ESP (packets are encrypted but not authentic), or both. A lot of VPNs these days just use SSL - same as your browser, which will always encrypt, and may or may not authenticate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by geertm
- If you login to your account an HTTPS connection is made between your PC and the B&N website. That HTTPS connection is a secure (encrypted) connection that goes through the VPN tunnel.
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Maybe... Watch for the padlock icon and a certificate warning. If you get a warning, then the VPN provider is intercepting the SSL traffic and repackaging it, which means they can see the content. If you have a padlock icon, and no certificate warning, and the URL in your browser address bar is Barnes & Noble, then it's likely that you have an end-to-end tunnel from your browser to B&N.