I was wondering if someone could clarify how VPN relates to SSH tunneling. I mean, the final consequence is the same. A VPN is frequently advised at colleges for accessing journal papers (Elsevier,…). However, by using port forwarding, I am able to overcome the publisher sites’ limitations. I could also put up my own server in another country and use port forwarding to simulate a different geolocation.
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You’re totally right! The end result of using SSH tunneling and a VPN can be very similar, but the way they work is pretty different. VPNs create a secure tunnel for all of your traffic, encrypting everything as it passes through a server. SSH tunneling, on the other hand, is more of a port-forwarding trick, where only specific types of traffic (like web browsing or specific apps) get forwarded through an SSH connection.
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Yeah, it’s a thing. ProtonVPN’s IPs are probably flagged by OpenAI (which runs ChatGPT) as suspicious, especially when you’re switching between servers frequently. I’ve had better luck sticking to one specific US-based server for a while. Constant server switching can trigger more issues. 
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I’ve noticed the same thing, and I mostly use Firefox. It’s like some servers just don’t play nice with ChatGPT. But oddly enough, when I switch to Chrome, it’s smoother. Might be something about how each browser handles VPN connections. 
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It’s not just you, I had similar problems too. It’s probably the way ProtonVPN’s IPs are handled by the websites ChatGPT relies on. Could also be that Firefox and Brave are more privacy-focused browsers, so they might be blocking certain requests more aggressively. Chrome is a bit more forgiving. 
Yeah, Chrome has less trouble with stuff like this because it’s more widely supported by most platforms. I wonder if Brave and Firefox’s privacy settings are getting in the way. Maybe try disabling some of the privacy shields in Brave and see if it helps? Might fix the issue without switching browsers all the time. 