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Privacy-Focused VPN Suggestions?


DrGravitas
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I don't have high hopes for the future of the privacy of my Internet traffic through my ISP. I've been meaning to look into this for a while, but does anyone have suggestions on VPN services focused on privacy? What sort of things should I look for, considerations to make, or things to avoid?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, two-factor authentication is very popular at the moment. I can't recommend anything specific, especially if it's for private rather than professional use, but I can recommend the *concept* of TFA.

One solution I've used in the past has the security feature of calling your phone and asking for a confirmation code whenever you try and log in. This seems like a good way of doing things, though I can't recommend their APIs much hence why I've not mentioned their name. (It's AirWatch.)

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This post by the EFF might be useful.

On 4/4/2017 at 4:43 PM, Faust said:

Well, two-factor authentication is very popular at the moment. I can't recommend anything specific, especially if it's for private rather than professional use, but I can recommend the *concept* of TFA.

One solution I've used in the past has the security feature of calling your phone and asking for a confirmation code whenever you try and log in. This seems like a good way of doing things, though I can't recommend their APIs much hence why I've not mentioned their name. (It's AirWatch.)

What does any of this have to do with privacy and VPNs?

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13 hours ago, george99g said:

This post by the EFF might be useful.

What does any of this have to do with privacy and VPNs?

It's more about how you get *into* the VPN. A nice secure network is no use if people can easily crack the password. Two-factor authentication is one especially secure method for protecting the tunnel into your VPN.

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8 minutes ago, Faust said:

It's more about how you get *into* the VPN. A nice secure network is no use if people can easily crack the password. Two-factor authentication is one especially secure method for protecting the tunnel into your VPN.

That's not what this thread is about, though.

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Just now, george99g said:

That's not what this thread is about, though.

I'd say it comes fairly broadly under this:

On 17/03/2017 at 7:55 PM, DrGravitas said:

What sort of things should I look for, considerations to make, or things to avoid?

 

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I'd say copy the same criteria that you have for an ISP and apply to VPN.

It needs to be secure, maybe a step up as said with TFA if you want that extra secure connection
It needs to be fast, the main thing with VPN is that it probably is slower than a normal, direct connection
It needs accessibility, there are some VPNs that limit the amount of connections you can have by machines - be it phone, tablet or desktop
It needs availability, which means that the up-time of their server needs to be pretty much 99.99999%
It needs trust/privacy, gotta check if they aren't shady, but that is probably obvious

And then just compare all the VPN services or, if you have the know-how, set up your own.

Dunno what VPNs are available in America, so I cant really help you in that department.

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2 hours ago, george99g said:

Sorry, I still don't see how saying that TFA is better than a weak password relates to a privacy-conscious VPN.

Probably because of the better security

If it takes more resources for you to make a secure connection, it takes exceptionally more to get into another one's -> security -> Less risk of people that can access your information -> privacy

Dunno how far I swing my wooden plank of reasoning the wrong way, but that's the relation I see in it. Security is a VERY important part of internet connectivity these days and as such is related to privacy. Other users of the VPN can still get to you if your connection isn't secure (enough). If a guy wants your information, he's gonna try everything 'till he gets it or gets bored.

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1 hour ago, Nomris said:

Probably because of the better security

If it takes more resources for you to make a secure connection, it takes exceptionally more to get into another one's -> security -> Less risk of people that can access your information -> privacy

Dunno how far I swing my wooden plank of reasoning the wrong way, but that's the relation I see in it. Security is a VERY important part of internet connectivity these days and as such is related to privacy. Other users of the VPN can still get to you if your connection isn't secure (enough). If a guy wants your information, he's gonna try everything 'till he gets it or gets bored.

Privacy and security are two completely different things. Your computer can be secure but still be sending all of your file searches to Amazon.

Yes, if you're an idiot with your passwords and pick one that can easily be cracked, your privacy will be gone by virtue of your account being compromised.

I still do not see why this needs to be mentioned in a thread where privacy from your ISP and not protection from hackers is what is required.

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A VPN is a good idea. Some VPNs can be downloaded for free but have limited data and/or a locked location. I recently started using Hotspot Shield, which is available for both mobile devices and computers. I have an elite subscription, which seems to have little effect on my internet speeds.

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  • 2 months later...

I use Private Internet Access. They are a very good VPN that doesn't log. Fast enough for all my activities, both in bandwidth and ping time. Many servers to choose from, too.

Other ones I can think of are AirVPN and ProtonVPN.
ProtonVPN is by the same people behind Proton mail, a free secure and encrypted privacy minded email. Originated from people at CERN.

Many to choose from though. Check torrentfreak's 2017 list. They are the ones I would trust to actually compile a list of actually privacy minded VPNs.

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On 2017-04-08 at 7:01 AM, LazerMaster5 said:

A VPN is a good idea. Some VPNs can be downloaded for free but have limited data and/or a locked location. I recently started using Hotspot Shield, which is available for both mobile devices and computers. I have an elite subscription, which seems to have little effect on my internet speeds.

I've been using HSS for years, and hoo nelly have they ever came a long way. Used to be a pain in the ass at times with their sloppy client -- I guess there wasn't a whole bunch of established VPN's at the time -- but I'd recommend HSS to anybody now, the Elite subscription is well worth it.

Great VPN with the perks you're looking for in terms of privacy @DrGravitas. Encrypted connection with no personally identifying information retained, including IP addresses, and servers that at least I haven't noticed any transfer rate losses from.

It's worth it if you want to shell out a few bucks for a subscription, I'm not sure if they still plant ads through your browser at random on their free service, but it is annoying if they do.

It also plays very nice with local traffic.

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