Not sure if I used the correct terms but what is the difference in security and privacy between downloading from a public wifi (or a closed wifi; with password) and mobile hotspot (sharing 4G/5G data from your phone to your computer)? Which one is recommended or does it not matter?
If you setup the personal hotspot correctly with a good key IMHO it’s safer.
On a public hotspot the owner or anybody that has access to this hotspot could get some of your cookies and hijack your accounts assuming they are not on https.
Basically, if you use a public hotspot you are at the mercy of the owner.
If you use your hotspot and do tethering then only your ISP could spy on you.
I do think a VPN is good if you absolutely need to download it on a public hotspot. It should encrypt all traffic making it difficult to snoop on by the hospot owner.
Obviously I’m not a lawyer but there is probably a difference getting caught downloading on someone else’s network (public hotspot) or your Network (personal hotspot).
In either hotspot I think your IP is just as exposed so it doesn’t make much difference. If you want to hide the IP then it’s a VPN you need irrelevant to the use of a hotspot.
In some case your IP might be dynamic on your 5G connection so that means your IP could change regularly making it also a bit more private. But also operators usually see very well when someone download on their mobile connection/data plan. And I assume they don’t like people downloading because they would much prefer to set you up with a 4/5G modem and a dedicated subscription for that rather than sneakily using your mobile connection to download.