This all depends on who you consider your adversaries to be.
I've been using a VPS as a gateway to the internet for the last 2-3 years (switching providers a few times during this period).
What I gain:
1) I pay bitcoin, and don't use my real name. So the IP (albeit static) isn't liked to me _directly_.
2) This both protects me from low tier adversaries * , and "annoying" stuff that's considered normal-practice (like geolocation).
3) My connection upstream is always encrypted. I don't care what network I use, what country I'm in, etc.
4) I use torrents a lot, and overall this setup is _much_ faster than doing it from your home connection (or shared VPN). I download an HD movie in under 2 minutes, and then stream it directly from the VPS.
* - The low tear adversaries I consider defeated by this approach:
1) Bots (sometimes people) who file "semi-automatic" DMCA complaints against me (usually for the torrents). I get these every once in a while through the VPS provider - and ignore them. If I get banned, I either create a new fake account or move to a new provider.
2) "Non-privileged people" who know my external IP and want to tie it to a real world identity. For example, a "malicious" site admin that is interested in me for some reason.
3) Any (realistic) _dragnet_ surveillance implemented by any local authorities. These can't affect me. Of course I'm obviously getting flagged for doing this. However, this brings me to my main point:
What this can't stand against:
1) Any "real" investigation into my identity. By a powerful corporation / low tier intelligence outfit / law enforcement. And that's fine! Since I'm not really doing anything illegal (or illegal enough for actual people to care about).
2) And in general, this doesn't stand a chance against any active adversary that targets me directly. But neither can you, or anyone else.
And this is a good thing! By doing what I'm doing, I now have a "reasonable expectation of privacy". If anyone wants to investigate me, it is perfectly fine. They'll have to spend some man-hours on it though. Just like old times!
I have a similar setup, combining a dedicated server and a shared VPN. On the DS I have two outward routes: one for BitTorrent, and the other for everything else. BitTorrent traffic is the one that goes through the VPN. In addition to this, I set up a private VPN between the DS and my home devices, and the DS is configured to route the traffic from this private VPN through the shared one if I choose to.
So far (about nine months in) I haven’t gotten any DMCA complaint, and can seed torrents without having to care for upstream bandwidth at home.
I've been using a VPS as a gateway to the internet for the last 2-3 years (switching providers a few times during this period).
What I gain:
1) I pay bitcoin, and don't use my real name. So the IP (albeit static) isn't liked to me _directly_.
2) This both protects me from low tier adversaries * , and "annoying" stuff that's considered normal-practice (like geolocation).
3) My connection upstream is always encrypted. I don't care what network I use, what country I'm in, etc.
4) I use torrents a lot, and overall this setup is _much_ faster than doing it from your home connection (or shared VPN). I download an HD movie in under 2 minutes, and then stream it directly from the VPS.
* - The low tear adversaries I consider defeated by this approach:
1) Bots (sometimes people) who file "semi-automatic" DMCA complaints against me (usually for the torrents). I get these every once in a while through the VPS provider - and ignore them. If I get banned, I either create a new fake account or move to a new provider.
2) "Non-privileged people" who know my external IP and want to tie it to a real world identity. For example, a "malicious" site admin that is interested in me for some reason.
3) Any (realistic) _dragnet_ surveillance implemented by any local authorities. These can't affect me. Of course I'm obviously getting flagged for doing this. However, this brings me to my main point:
What this can't stand against:
1) Any "real" investigation into my identity. By a powerful corporation / low tier intelligence outfit / law enforcement. And that's fine! Since I'm not really doing anything illegal (or illegal enough for actual people to care about).
2) And in general, this doesn't stand a chance against any active adversary that targets me directly. But neither can you, or anyone else.
And this is a good thing! By doing what I'm doing, I now have a "reasonable expectation of privacy". If anyone wants to investigate me, it is perfectly fine. They'll have to spend some man-hours on it though. Just like old times!