Had the same managed chromebook headache with my son last semester. I just hooked his up to my GL.iNet Opal when he needed to do personal banking and stuff. The router handles the vpn part so no fuss on the actual device

Old farmhouse electrical will fry cheap electronics fast. Get a good surge protector before you plug anything expensive in or you'll regret it

What we're witnessing is straight-up engagement farming - these networks create thousands of fake accounts that interact with each other to build "legitimate-looking" histories before selling them to scammers. Older accounts with posting history sell for premium prices on black market forums because they bypass most detection systems