It adds a layer of protection, though that protection depends greatly on the VPNs leadership willingness to be imprisoned for refusing to give up user data.
Using an onion browser gives additional layers of security IIRC, though I need to research that better.
Ultimately if you are using the VPN on you phone & have GPS that can be traced, it doesn't matter where your VPN says you are. Your device is physically tied to your geolocation & I would assume any data requested for that device can be tied to where you specifically are if a VPN is compromised somehow.
It adds a layer of protection, though that protection depends greatly on the VPNs leadership willingness to be imprisoned for refusing to give up user data.
Using an onion browser gives additional layers of security IIRC, though I need to research that better.
Ultimately if you are using the VPN on you phone & have GPS that can be traced, it doesn't matter where your VPN says you are. Your device is physically tied to your geolocation & I would assume any data requested for that device can be tied to where you specifically are if a VPN is compromised somehow.
You can just host your own VPN on a VM hosted in a CoLo. This can be done very cheaply now a days: https://youtu.be/gxpX_mubz2A?si=ZNgnuYCgmJXGXJAw
Or even for free!!...
https://youtu.be/1dIy0rZ_GKs?si=qETTAZubBXirXosV