The clip below is really about Facebook likes but broadly similar principles apply.
I get the point, and it's defo worth keeping security in mind. Certainly I'd find it a little, um, disconcerting for a barista bod to come out with such details about me BUT (you knew there was one coming!) it's pretty cursory stuff imho; dob, college, mum's name, etc.
People are willingly making this info available on their Fb, LinkedIn pages etc, so really the issue demonstrated in the clip is the speed and ease with which such stuff can be gleaned, not that it can be. And a VPN wouldn't have made a difference here, the info obtained was via a single Fb 'like' (presumably) As with many things, the tech isn't the core problem but it certainly does facilitate it.
Your doctor's secretary, your local library assistant, etc; they'll equally have access to identitying details about you. The issue comes if/when they decide to do something fraudulent with that access.
Me, I'm more concerned that people are so easily bought. A free coffee for an Fb like? Should you not have the coffee first
before giving your seal of approval! ?
I am, as ever, being deliberately flippant BTW. Flippant with a point. Of course, security is an issue, as it ever has been. With increased benefit comes increased risk maybe??
My interest in VPN is purely to access geolocked TV. But as the beeb pretty successfully plays 'whack-a-mole' with VPN servers, it's not a game I'm going to play.