When filling in forms that require personal information (full name, full address, etc.), is it okay to use a VPN? Or would it compromise your privacy?
The way I’m thinking that it would compromise your privacy is that they would be able to think like this (using Proton VPN as an example):
“This person submitted this form through an IP that is a VPN IP, and it says that it is coming from Proton VPN servers, so this person must be a Proton VPN user.”
Making it so that all the activities you do through that Proton VPN IP address could potentially be linked back to you as you have done activities involving your personal information through that VPN IP.
Such forms would have your full address and personal information anyway so my question of course isn’t about being private or anonymous from where the forms are being submitted, but rather if using a VPN when submitting these forms could compromise your privacy.
I agree with what dngray said. There’s no reason to use a VPN for anything tied to your real name. By using a VPN for that and anonymous activities (and VPNs do not make you anonymous) or anything tied to a pseudonym, your provider will easily be able to link all of your activities together thus compromising your anonymity or pseudonymity.