Using VPN. Is also being logged into a browser account at the same time defeating the purpose of the VPN?

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JohnM32

Commendable
Aug 15, 2016
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I'm using a decent paid VPN like PIA which has Leak Protection, IPv6 Protection, and VPN Kill Switch all activated. DNS leak tests and Web RTC leak tests all confirm that there is no leak. I am also using add-ons like Ghostery, Ublock Origin, and destroying cookies as I surf with Cookie Destroyer.

My question is this: If I'm also logged into my browser (Firefox or Chrome) for syncing bookmarks and settings purposes, does this expose my real IP address or my identity to any website (or anyone watching a website) I visit and download from even though I'm connected to a VPN? Specifically, does my being logged in to my browser defeat the whole purpose of using the VPN in the first place?

Thanks in advance. I appreciate any responses.
 
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Obviously if you have watched ghostery or script blockers run it will make you paranoid about what facebook or google is up to. You find google analytics on many sites and many times you have to allow some of the google scripts to run to even open some pages.

Since they can get lots of info about your machine I could see they might find a way to fingerprint the machine.....microsoft does this for validation of licenses. They then could track you no matter what ip you used. Since it is sent to the remote location you would have no way to delete or control this. There is also discussion that because HTTPS uses keying information from your machine to create the encrptions keys https itself maybe a way to track machines.

Who knows what microsoft is up to with windows 10. You can launch simple programs like notepad and you will see packets being sent to microsoft in wireshark captures. Then again it is sending small amounts of data almost constantly.
 
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J

JohnM32

Commendable
Aug 15, 2016
3
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1,510
Thanks, Bill. Truly a time to be paranoid in. I appreciate the response. What about my real ISP, or even identity exposed due only to the browser log in itself while on a VPN? Would being logged into a browser while using a VPN be any different from not being logged into the browser while using the VPN?
 
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J

JohnM32

Commendable
Aug 15, 2016
3
0
1,510


Thanks, Bill. Truly a time to be paranoid in. I appreciate the response. What about my real ISP, or even identity exposed due only to the browser log in itself while on a VPN? Would being logged into a browser while using a VPN be any different from not being logged into the browser while using the VPN?
 
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