Would you use this to stay private?

[Flightlinek]

I know we work very hard to keep our privacy here, so I came across something and want to share / get input...

I've been working on a project that gives users a virtual desktop out in the cloud. When you log in to it, it's just like having a computer desktop... you can launch a web browser, do emails, use Telegram, whatever, just like your own computer. But it's not tied to your IP address, and when you close your browser, it removes all traces that you were ever there. Like a ghost computer... so if you surf SS or some other site you don't want people knowing about, you can do it from that virtual computer and there would be no records at all.

Is this something anyone would use? If I could get a few accounts (at a nominal cost) would it be beneficial to anyone at all?

 

[freedomcalls]

I like to think I'm safe enough just browsing here on private mode on my phone browser

 

[looseye]

Is it the same as a regular virtual machine?

 

[jodes2]

Nah I am quite happy just browsing normally, noone goes through my stuff and I'm not being monitored in any way so I'm quite content but thanks! It looks like a great way of hiding things if you need to

 

[onlyway63]

It sounds like it could be helpful for some people, but you can do the same kind of thing if you run Tails from a USB stick on a desktop or laptop.

 

[Cathy Ames]

I always worry about "cloud" services being hackable. [Assuming someone will reply and tell me everything is hackable and I should just not worry. Hahaha.]

 

[onlyway63]

I always worry about "cloud" services being hackable. [Assuming someone will reply and tell me everything is hackable and I should just not worry. Hahaha.]

Everything is hackable. Some things are just easier to hack than others.
It's always a good idea to do things like not use the same password for different sites, use a password manager, set up two-factor authentication on your accounts, etc, to protect yourself.

 

[Flightlinek]

Is it the same as a regular virtual machine?

It's a little different than using a normal virtual machine because it's in the cloud and all of your traffic comes from the server's IP address instead of your own. Plus, once you close your browser, it's like wiping out the entire virtual machine completely so there is absolutely zero record you did anything.

It sounds like it could be helpful for some people, but you can do the same kind of thing if you run Tails from a USB stick on a desktop or laptop.

I guess it's similar to using Tails, except you can also use it from your phone or any device anywhere since it's all in your browser. You don't have to boot from a USB.

 

[marcy2022]

The idea itself sounds good but then as some people have mentioned it's also true that everything is hackable one way or the other. There's no way to know whether the cloud service is keeping backups or not.
I think virtual machine, vpn, tunneling, tor or something or multiple vpns might be one way to go and its not that difficult, there are detailed step by step guides which can easily found by little online research and all thats needed is to flow the steps as suggested. But then I for one don't care much. I think just tor or incognito works fine for most people.

 

[sleeps]

if i'm doing something where i'm paranoid enough to want an ephemeral machine, i think i'm gonna lean more towards trusting Tails on my own hardware over some cloud service. it is an interesting idea tho.

 

[Kattt]

I know plenty of people (with intentions other than suicide) who would definitely use it.

 

[Flightlinek]

if i'm doing something where i'm paranoid enough to want an ephemeral machine, i think i'm gonna lean more towards trusting Tails on my own hardware over some cloud service. it is an interesting idea tho.

The difference is that when you go on the Internet from Tails, it's going to show your IP address that can be tracked back to you. When you go online from a browser in a virtual desktop, your IP address is hidden and the one that shows up is the server IP, so it's kind of like using Tails with an automatic VPN. Plus, you can use it from your phone or whatever.

 

[onlyway63]

The difference is that when you go on the Internet from Tails, it's going to show your IP address that can be tracked back to you. When you go online from a browser in a virtual desktop, your IP address is hidden and the one that shows up is the server IP, so it's kind of like using Tails with an automatic VPN. Plus, you can use it from your phone or whatever.

It's not, actually, since Tor browser is the default browser in Tails, which uses the Tor network. It will hide your IP address from the sites you visit, and has other protections to prevent sites from discovering your real IP adress.

 

[Life_and_Death]

considering the cloud itself isnt safe, no. i trust the cloud as much as i trust tesla