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Can you be tracked while using a VPN? The honest answer

Yes, in several ways. What a VPN hides, what it doesn't, and who can still see what when you're connected.

NSNadia S.Reviews & comparisons, Berry VPN team··2 min read

Short answer: yes, you can still be tracked while using a VPN, just not in the same ways. A VPN changes who can see what. Here’s an honest breakdown.

What a VPN hides

  • From the websites and apps you use: your real IP address. They see the VPN server’s address instead.
  • From your Wi-Fi network and internet provider: which sites you visit and what you send. They see encrypted traffic to one server.

What a VPN doesn’t hide

1. Your accounts

Log into Google, Facebook, TikTok or your email and those services know exactly who you are. A VPN changes your route, not your identity.

2. Cookies and fingerprints

Websites recognise returning visitors with cookies and with “fingerprints”: combinations of your device model, screen size, language, fonts and more. These work the same with or without a VPN. Clearing cookies and using a privacy-focused browser helps more here than a VPN.

3. The VPN server

Your traffic has to go through the VPN server, so whoever runs that server can see the IP address you connect from, when you’re connected, how much data you use and, for sites without HTTPS, the content. Some providers run their own servers; others, including Berry, connect you to servers run by independent network operators. Either way, read the privacy policy to understand what’s kept.

4. Your device

Apps on your phone can collect information whatever network you use, such as location from GPS, contacts or advertising IDs. Review app permissions and reset your advertising ID from time to time.

5. Payments

If you pay for a VPN with a card, your bank knows you bought it. Stablecoin payments avoid giving a name, but blockchains are public.

So what is a VPN good for?

A VPN is good at network privacy: keeping your provider and the local network out of your business, and keeping your home IP address away from the sites you visit. It’s not an invisibility cloak. For strong anonymity, tools like Tor Browser, combined with careful habits, are designed for that job.

A realistic privacy setup

  1. A VPN for public Wi-Fi and to keep your IP private.
  2. A browser with tracker blocking.
  3. Separate accounts, or no account, for things you want to keep apart.
  4. Minimal app permissions.
  5. Common sense about what you share.

Anyone promising “100% anonymity” with a single app is overselling. We’d rather tell you what Berry actually does.

Berry VPN is our own app.

Frequently asked questions

Can websites tell I'm using a VPN?

Often, yes. Many VPN server addresses are known, so a site may detect that you're using one, even though it can't see your real IP address.

Can the police track a VPN user?

Authorities can request records from providers and server operators under local laws. A VPN is a privacy tool, not a way to avoid the law.

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