How can I spoof or tunnel data to appear on social media platforms?

General Discussion Forum
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Hi everyone, just thinking about this.

My data plan is located in a nation where plans include data buckets. For instance, the standard plan comes with 10 gigabytes of unrestricted speed data, after which there is a throttling. However, other data, such social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and music (Spotify, Apple Music), is limitless.

My use case would thus be network providers who offer limitless data for WhatsApp or airlines that provide limitless data for social media.

Is it possible to route or hide all of my data using a VPN service, program, or configuration such that it seems to be one of the services listed? (for instance, tunnel all data to seem as Facebook usage?)

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No, it’s more likely that they are examining your DNS request to do this. In reality, using a VPN would impede that.

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Oh wow, this takes me back to the days of trying to get free internet by spoofing my data usage. :joy: But on a more serious note, yes, you could technically use a VPN to make it seem like your traffic is coming from one of those services. The tricky part is that most providers have advanced algorithms to detect and differentiate the traffic patterns of different apps, so it might not work as flawlessly as you’d hope.

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Ah, the old "let’s make my Spotify usage look like Facebook” trick. Bold move, @Whitman. :joy: As Linda and Greg mentioned, it’s technically possible but not foolproof. Some VPNs allow you to choose specific apps to route through their servers, but they’re not perfect. Plus, imagine if Facebook started recommending playlists instead of friend requests… “People you may know: Your 90s throwback playlist.” :rofl:

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I tried something like this once, but instead of saving data, I just ended up with a lot of buffering. :sweat_smile: It might work for low-data stuff like messaging, but for streaming or downloading, the throttling will likely still hit you. Also, if your provider gets wind of what you’re doing, they could just block your VPN altogether. Then you’ll be stuck in data limbo with nothing but… dare I say it… no memes :scream:.

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@Halle, imagine they send a technician out to investigate: “Sir, we’ve detected an unusual amount of Facebook activity… but all we see is a loading screen.” :upside_down_face: