Pretty straight forward question; would enabling a VPN on my PC (such as Private Internet Access) while tethering an android phone running CM 10.1 mask this tethering traffic from the carrier?
I think it would be seen as any other traffic being routed through the tether. Using a VPN will change the perceived origin, but only after it leaves the outbound terminal. It still has to pass through your device (and the carrier) first.
Hmm, but doesn't the VPN encrypt all web traffic? For example, all web traffic that passes through to my PC while using my standard ISP also has to pass through the modem, but that doesn't mean that the ISP can identify it.
A vpn is a good idea but also make sure to USB tether in addition because otherwise the carrier can easily sniff out a NAT due to the time-to-live (TTL) counter in the IP packets. USB tethering prevents any packet change, so they have no way of knowing if it's being used by your phone or by your pc.