Top 5 Secure VPNs That Are Focused on Privacy

This week, SaferNet has looked at the corruption within the VPN industry. Though the core ethos of the mark focuses on the privacy of its users, we have learned that this is rarely the case. Instead, many VPN providers are owned by data-greedy corporations who sell their users out or even worse are owned by companies based within countries with shakey privacy laws. This often means that such companies are at the mercy of their governments, and user data may freely be passed around with the customer’s knowledge or permission.

It can be easy to lose heart in the industry. In one sense, you are completely vulnerable without a VPN. But seemingly signing up for a VPN can leave you in a much worse position. Despite how bleak the outlook is, there are still several VPN providers fighting the good fight and putting user privacy as their number one priority.

When considering a VPN service, consumers now must be well-informed or face the risks associated with choosing an untrustworthy provider.

Here are some factors those who are searching for a VPN should keep in mind:

• Independence; is the service owned by another company who themselves own a number of other VPN services?
• Data Limits
• Speed and throttling
• Price; the majority of ‘Free’ VPNs are expected to sell your data
• Security
• Company headquarters – Is the company based in a country with modern privacy laws?
• Privacy; what kind of logs are kept?

In this post, we’ll look at the top 5 VPNs that put emphasis on privacy and aren’t aiming to sell out their user base. Many of the reviews found here can be seen in greater detail on VPNPro.

VpyrVPN

 

VyprVPN is one of the best overall VPNs on the market. It offers great privacy and security without sacrificing speed. Implementing WireGuard protocol means that we should see this service among the fastest very soon. This also means that you’re getting great P2P protection without sacrificing speed.

VyprVPN is the best for those living under repressive regimes, such as Russia or North Korea. Even the infamous Great Firewall of China is no match to this VPN.

This VPN has user-friendly apps for all popular platforms, as well as some less popular ones. It will help you get past geo-blocking and watch multiple streaming platforms, Netflix included.

VyprVPN is based in Switzerland, a country known for its strong privacy laws. As such, there has never been any need for the VPN provider to retain logs of user data. However, until late in 2018, VyprVPN company policy was to record some identifying metadata including “the user’s source IP address, the VyprVPN IP address used by the user, connection start and stop time and total number of bytes used.”

Although IP addresses aren’t typically considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII), they can and have been used to identify individuals through their Internet Service Provider (ISP). As such, we try to avoid recommending providers that retain such logs.

Thankfully, VpyrVPN overhauled its policy in 2018 and now keeps no logs whatsoever. The company even subjected itself to an independent audit to prove that no logs are maintained.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a highly regarded VPN brand from the same CERN scientists who gave us ProtonMail. It has received widespread acclaim for its content protection measures and privacy policy.

ProtonVPN has set out to offer the world a VPN that is secure, not funded through malicious means, and not limited in terms of bandwidth or amount of data transferred.

ProtonVPN is very committed to robust online security and privacy. Security-wise, it’s incredibly safe and is a surefire choice for protecting your digital assets. From hiding your IP address and ensuring your anonymity online, to torrenting safely and avoiding online censorship, this VPN service is pretty much as good as it gets.

ProtonVPN is suitable for security-first users who are willing to wait when this service grows their server and location numbers. It is a hugely ambitious project, lead by the CERN employees, and already the best choice for those who want a free VPN.

SurfShark VPN

Since its launch in 2018, Surfshark has earned the consumer’s trust and became one of the top overall VPNs. This wasn’t just about excellent speed or top-notch security and privacy. The biggest argument for Surfshark VPN was getting all that for a low price.

Operating from the British Virgin Islands, this provider has set a strict standard upon itself. It has a no-logs policy and stays away from the Five Eyes surveillance alliance. Additionally, Surfshark uses military-grade encryption and the latest tunneling protocols to protect its users.

With Surfshark VPN, you’ll be able to torrent safely and watch multiple streaming platforms. There more than 3200+ servers in 65+ countries, so if one won’t unblock Netflix, the other will.

NordVPN

With such a great reputation behind it, Nord has become almost synonymous with the name VPN, and it certainly is a contender for the #1 spot.

NordVPN server list is one of the best in the industry. It allows them to provide truly global coverage and reliable connections all over the world. If you don’t have a particular location in mind, this service can automatically select the best server for you based on their loads.

Many VPN services claim to provide complete anonymity on the internet, but only a few can back it up in features and evidence. NordVPN is one of the few, having these security and privacy features:

• Military-grade encryption
• Latest tunneling protocols
• Minimal logging

In October 2019, it came to light that an attacker remotely accessed one of NordVPN’s servers. NordVPN says there is no evidence that the attacker obtained anything significant. We discuss the attack, and its consequences, in much greater detail in a feature article about the breach. The company has since invested significant time and capital into hardening its systems and practices, including the moves to its own server clusters and diskless servers.