What VPNs Do Not Provide VPNs are not anonymity tools. The VPN provider knows your real IP address and sees all your traffic destinations; you have not eliminated surveillance but shifted it from your ISP to your VPN provider. If the provider logs traffic or cooperates with authorities, you have no protection. Websites still see browsing patterns, cookies, and behavioral fingerprints that identify users regardless of which IP address connects. Unlike multi-hop systems, VPNs offer no defense in depth; compromise of the VPN provider compromises everything.