History of animation - well told and edited >

(the same channel has a good vid on Matrix influences)

This is bloody great - Obvs there's a podcast too (2-parter) ...

Recommended VPNs: Mulvad, IVPN, ProtonVPN

TLDR from Gemini >

The video "EXPOSING The Billion Dollar SECRET VPN Companies Are Hiding" by Addie LaMarr discusses the deceptive practices within the VPN industry. It highlights how Facebook acquired Onavo, an Israeli app, in 2013, which was marketed as a data-saving tool but functioned as a powerful surveillance instrument [01:00]. Onavo routed all phone data through Facebook's servers, providing visibility into app usage and user habits [01:14]. This surveillance was reportedly used to spy on competitors like Snapchat [01:39]. When Snapchat encrypted its traffic, Facebook allegedly launched "Project Ghostbusters" to bypass HTTPS encryption by creating fake root certificates and performing man-in-the-middle attacks, particularly targeting teenagers aged 13-17 with incentives [02:02]. Apple eventually banned Onavo in 2018, but Facebook rebranded it as "Facebook Research" (Project Atlas) and continued targeting teenagers by bypassing the App Store, paying them to install the app and grant root access [02:57]. This practice only ceased when TechCrunch exposed the story in 2019 [03:20].

The video further reveals that many popular VPN companies operate under deceptive ownership structures. For instance, Cape Technologies, formerly Crossrider (a company known for browser hijackers and adware), acquired several major VPN services including CyberGhost, Zenmate, Private Internet Access (PIA), and ExpressVPN [05:02]. Cape Technologies also owns "independent" review sites like VPN Mentor and Safety Detectives, which consistently rank their own products at the top [05:33]. Additionally, investigations in 2025 reportedly uncovered that over 20 of the top 100 VPNs in the app store were owned by Chinese companies, with ties to Jiu 360, a firm blacklisted by the US government for national security risks [06:23]. These companies masked their ownership through offshore shells, routing traffic through questionable infrastructure without users' knowledge [06:47]. The video emphasizes that "no logs" claims by VPN providers are often unsubstantiated, with evidence of leaked user logs from several VPNs, including UFOVPN and SuperVPN, in 2020 [07:27]. It concludes by advising users to demand full scope third-party audits, transparent ownership, open-source clients, anonymous payment options, and privacy-first features from VPNs, recommending Mulvad, iVPN, and ProtonVPN as trustworthy options [12:05].

Interesting explanation of the current tech bubble ... careful with your investments, everyone !