XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10, alt.privacy   
   From: marionf@fact.com   
      
   UPDATE   
      
   I've been testing the free proxy browsers, mostly Aloha VPN browser, where   
   I found a quirk that isn't intuitive - but which is easy to understand.   
      
   When you turn on Aloha's blue VPN shield, the browser creates a virtual   
   network interface and routes all traffic through that VPN shield.   
      
   This means even if Psiphon is running, Psiphon's proxy is ignored unless   
   Aloha is configured to respect system proxy settings (which it isn't).   
      
   VPNs, even Aloha's browser-based blue shield VPN, operate at a lower level   
   (network layer) while Psiphon's SOCKS proxy works at the application layer.   
      
   I found this out by running three simple tests anyone can easily run now:   
      
   Scenario 1: Aloha without turning on the Aloha VPN nor turning on Psiphon   
    IP shown: My ISP-assigned IP.   
    Why? No VPN or proxy is active, so traffic flows directly through.   
      
   Scenario 2: 1st Psiphon, then Aloha (without turning on Aloha's VPN shield)   
    IP shown: Psiphon's SOCKS proxy IP (172.236.227.192).   
    Why? Psiphon routes traffic through its encrypted tunnel & Aloha   
    (even without its VPN turned on) uses the system's proxy settings.   
      
   Scenario 3: 1st Psiphon, then Aloha with VPN shield ON   
    IP shown: Aloha VPN IP (176.123.4.107).   
    Why? Aloha's VPN is a full tunnel VPN, which overrides system proxy   
    settings. Once I activate Aloha's VPN shield, it takes control of   
    the network stack and routes all traffic through its own VPN   
    server (which effectively bypasses Psiphon's socks proxy entirely).   
      
   Once the Aloha blue VPN shield is active, it takes control of the network   
   stack with the result being the Psiphon SOCKS proxy becomes irrelevant   
   unless the Aloha browser is explicitly configured to tunnel through it.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)