@Tamtam @mullvadnet @JoachimSelliken @magician11 @briankrebs @rysiek the problem is, abusability.
Let's assume you rent a cheap VPS, configure or provide a wireguard node that you can offer to swap access to for access to another node.
Let's say you're in the UK, and your node is in the UK.
It has 1GE full-duplex bandwidth.
Maybe with flat traffic, maybe with 10GB per month or more depending on the price.
Now image a semi anonymous, automated VPN trading network.
Someone uses your node to download whatever pirated material and your node's IP is logged at one of those torrent catcher clients. Lawful route is taken and your name and address is found out.
Now you're liable for whatever random person did and have to potentially pay a fine.
The next problem is, you have only 1 node and it's not cheap currently. With the increasing RAM and storage prices because of OpenAI you'll pay a not small sum. And you'll always connect via this node.
Now you have a static IP and can always be identified via that IP. You could give other people access, which would diversify the traceability of that IP and profiling.
The same problem remains, you give up part of your bandwidth and open the door to abuse.
And you only have access to this node in your country, or if you picked another country, e.g. Netherlands, to this.
With those VPN providers you delegate responsibility to them and you gain the ability to circumvent regional restrictions, like watching e.g. HBO Max in an unsupported country. Or reading censored in the EU media, like RT.
If you wanted a node in each country the costs would increase for every node.
The cheapest I found was 1€ per month per node.
Currently you can subscribe to those VPN providers for ~2€ per month.
I personally only use it for the described reasons.
For them it's good income, once you have the mass and break even you can grow and expand effortlessly, thus providing more nodes, looking more attractive. Each new customer post break even is pure profit, ok minus the expansion costs, if needed.
The alternative? Share only with people you know and trust? idk, responsibility or rather liability is still on your end if it's used for anything illegal and caught
