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Mainstream VPNs are honeypots to the Hidster. They argue that any service with a public-facing app, a marketing budget, and a "no-logs policy" audited by a third party is inherently suspicious. Hidsters point to events like the 2023 data leaks from several budget VPNs and the constant pressure on providers to hand over metadata.

In the ever-escalating arms race between internet users and surveillance systems, a new breed of digital denizen has emerged. They are not the hardcore cryptographers running TOR nodes, nor are they the casual VPN user trying to watch geo-blocked sports. They are the Hidsters .