Nothing on the internet is not recorded in someplace along it's journey from point a "you" to point b "what server you visit" so why would a vpn since it's easy to ID most browser users in some way, a vpn is virtual not total. You data leaves home than the data you want's is sent "TO YOUR HOME OR WHEREEVER". So unless you pay cash for a laptop then use that laptop through a library or some public unrestricted internet with for example a linux ISO that is live or doesn't have any personal information about you at all then you're going to be ID'd or your IP "address" will likely eventually be found by someone that is looking for you. VPN it's just a fake security blanket that doesn't really work if someone is on the warpath. The powers that be control the data distribution points especially the ones that allow you to communicate with servers out of your own country so they can drop packets or a tiny app into streams of data if the persons location is unknown and then use that as a tracker to eventually get you when you fuck up and sign in on facebook or some email sight you system will give you up when you get lazy or cocky and just do something stupid. There are to many paranoid people working for governments and industry that create shit that is basically malware for getting people fucking with their system or profits. If we use shit to hide our ID then I'm sure they automatically through the data infrastructure mark you as a person of interest since no one with nothing to hide in their coms would ever try to hide their identity so that would be the ones that are the ones they watch closest.