how dial-up worked, and saw that it was still possible to set up in modern-day; so it got me wondering what the privacy implications would be if I hypothetically were to use it. I imagine it would be terrible!

Actually we would be way better if anyone was still using a 56k dial-up. Just think about it, with 56k websites couldn’t store 2000 different cookies and run 30000 XHR requests to 3rd party analytics companies as it would take more time to get them than actually load the content. :)

Either way the fact that you’re running on a dial-up doesn’t mean your connection isn’t secure, PPPoE can be used in the same way is used for FTTH links and it allows IP security features like authentication and encryption to be implemented.

Sooo, dial up is slow. Very slow. But the data being transmitted over the physical cable is still using TCP/IP protocols to communicate with the broaderinternet.

Look up something called the OSI model.

The routers and switches downstream from you don’t care about the nature of your connection-fiber, copper, wireless, dial up, it’s all the same. Converted into frames which contain packets which contains bytes which contain bits, which are made up of 1s and 0s.

So from a security perspective? The line can be tapped, but that’s true of Ethernet and fiber as well. What’s amazing about information technology is that it’s built around protocols that exist independent of the physical equipment involved.

so it got me wondering what the privacy implications would be if I hypothetically were to use it. I imagine it would be terrible!

I don’t see why. Dial-Up just describes how the modem connects to a remote server, not what security protocols are possible once the connection is established