Can VPN Be Tracked or Monitored? Everything You Need to Know

As we see a rising number of cases of online surveillance and cyber threats, the use of VPN services is becoming more prominent. Using a VPN for safety is no longer an option but a need. However, the doubts and insecurity, like if I use VPN, can I be tracked, still remain. 

To bust myths and clear doubts related to VPN, its functionality, and its role in online privacy, we have written this blog to help you understand how to use a VPN to avoid being tracked. It also explains the practical ways to combine with a VPN for better protection. 

Understanding VPN’s Role in Online Privacy 

A virtual private network is constructed to establish a confidential and safe private network between your computer and the network. A VPN does not send your data across the servers of your internet service provider; it encrypts your traffic and sends it via the remote servers owned by the VPN company. 

This encryption will make sure that any person who intercepts the data, like hackers in public Wi-Fi networks, will not be able to read it. Meanwhile, the VPN also conceals your actual IP address and makes it seem like you are surfing through the server of the VPN and not your actual location. 

How Does the VPN Work?

To understand can vpn be tracked, it is first important to know how it really works. Well, there are several technical processes occurring nearly immediately when you connect to a VPN. The first thing to do is connect your gadget to the VPN server securely under the encryption of AES-256 and TLS. Upon connection, all the ongoing internet traffic is encrypted, and only then does it leave your device.

This is a protocol of encrypted traffic, and it goes through the VPN tunnel to the server, where it is decrypted and sent to the destination site. The answer is sent back in the same direction, but it is coded during the transmission. 

Advanced functions, including full tunneling, act to filter the internet traffic, and split tunneling is where the users can select which apps are passed through the VPN and which are not. 

As you now know how VPNs work and their importance, explore the best services in the market, learn how to set up a VPN, and you’re good to go!

Can VPNs Be Tracked?

So, if I use VPN, can I be tracked? Yes, but in certain and restricted ways. 

VPNs cannot be tracked using direct tracking, which employs IP addresses, and it becomes incredibly hard to detect your actual location by a webpage or an advertiser. But even in an indirect manner, tracking is possible via metadata, device identifiers, or user behavior. 

The amount of tracking is based on: 

• Presence of VPN logs by the provider
• The level of configuration safety of the VPN 

That is, a VPN will significantly decrease your exposure, but cannot do away with it.  

Can VPN Be Tracked By WiFi?

Among the most frequently asked questions is: if I use VPN, can I be tracked by my ISP? Well, with VPN, your ISP cannot know which sites you visit or what you read. It can, however, only see encrypted traffic between your device and the VPN server. This prevents ISP-level surveillance and data logging. 

But here’s the thing: ISPs can still tell that a VPN is in operation. They can see:

• The time of connection to the VPN.
• The duration of the connection.
• The quantity of information exchanged. 

They do not know what you put in that encrypted tunnel before they see the encrypted tunnel, except that your IP gets revealed in a DNS leak or a connection failure. 

Are VPNs Monitorable by Websites and Web-Based Services?

The majority of websites cannot easily recognize you when you are using a VPN. They do not show your IP address but that of the VPN server, which is commonly used by thousands of other users. 

With that said, other tracking techniques on websites that do not use IP addresses have been developed. The platforms can identify returning users with cookies, browser fingerprinting, and account logins in case they change their IP addresses. 

As an instance, when you log into Google or Facebook with a VPN on, your online behavior is directly associated with your actual self immediately, and the VPN will only conceal your position but not your identity. 

Other Ways You Can Be Tracked While Using a VPN 

Although a VPN would be a great step in securing your privacy over the internet, it does not eradicate all the ways of tracking you. Even the safest VON is not immune to technical leakage, web-based methods of tracking, and legal authority. 

To have a full understanding of whether a VPN can VPN be tracked or not, here are a few indirect forms of tracking that you must look into. 

IP Leaks, DNS Leaks, and Why They Matter 

The most effective VPN may also not work in case of improper configuration. IP leakage or exposure of your actual IP to a webpage or network scanner, is experienced when the VPN connection fails without prior notice. 

Equally, DNS leaks occur when DNS queries are transmitted beyond the VPN tunnel, and this enables the ISPs to know the kind of websites you are accessing, even though the contents themselves are encrypted. 

The best-quality VPN services, like VPNeer can combat these threats with: 

• Automatic kill switches 
• Private DNS servers 
• Leak protection features 

In the absence of such safeguards, it becomes easy to track. 

Cookies, Supercookies, and Persistent Tracking

Cookies are tiny internet files that are saved on your internet browser to remember your preferences and login information. Although it has its uses, it is also an effective tracking tool. Cookies, even with a VPN, can be used by advertisers to track your activity across websites and sessions. 

The tracking can be greatly lowered by using private browsing features, frequent cookie clearing, and a combination of VPN and a tracker blocker. 

Malware and Device-Level Surveillance

Malware on your device cannot be prevented using a VPN. Spyware, key loggers, and screen capture tools can be running at the hardware or software level and will record activity before encryption. 

In case of a device compromise, no VPN can be used to avoid tracking. Scheduling antivirus updates, updating programs, and browsing judiciously are essential in ensuring privacy. 

Law Enforcement, Governments, and VPN Tracking

It is legal to use VPN services, and the VPN provider keeps logs or metadata of VPN users to ensure that law enforcement agencies can monitor. Activity may sometimes be correlated by the connection timestamps, bandwidth consumption, and the server IPs. 

Depending on local legislation, governments can also force VPN providers to divulge information. That is why the jurisdiction of VPNs and their transparency are important considerations when selecting a provider. 

What is Digital Fingerprinting?

One of the most developed tracking systems nowadays is digital fingerprinting. It recognizes users who have unusual combinations of browsers, operating systems, fonts installed, screen resolutions, and extensions. 

As fingerprinting is not based on IP addresses, VPNs are not very effective in protecting it. A VPN does not necessarily mean that your device will be distinct enough. 

The anti-fingerprinting tools, when combined with VPNs, harden the browser’s script blockers to prevent tracking.

Wrapping Up! 

So, can VPN be tracked? Well, by now you know that, yes, but only in a small and indirect manner. VPN is a suitable solution, as it hides your actual IP address, encrypts your internet traffic, and does not allow ISPs, hackers, and most websites to easily track your online activities. But please note that VPNs cannot remove all the online tracking threats. 

The cyber trackers use cookies, browser fingerprinting, DNS leaks, and malware to follow your digital footprint. In order to really minimize tracking, a VPN should be used with a multi-layered privacy strategy that incorporates robust VPN settings, a no-logging policy, tracker blockers, and thoughtful web use. 

Thus, to say at last. VPN can be considered as one of the surest tools of privacy protection and online tracking reduction when utilized properly. 

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