Or shielding content from intrusive ISPs. Comcast and AT&T will both shake down people over torrenting media, especially if that media is copyrighted by one particular mouse-related company.
It's also a good way to obstruct mass data gathering by governments, provided your chosen VPN lives outside the 5/9/14 eyes.
> Comcast and AT&T will both shake down people over torrenting media
Same with every single ISP in Germany. Law firms representing rights holders basically scrape peer swarms on content they "protect", and use the ISP to arrange to send letters demanding a fee be paid or else they take you to court.
If you torrent in Germany, a seedbox or VPN is essential.
It's also a good way to obstruct mass data gathering by governments, provided your chosen VPN lives outside the 5/9/14 eyes.