A VPN is a virtual private network and is a way to search and use the internet without the risk of being traced or tracked by ISP, Government agencies and malicious individuals who can intercept your internet connection when you are connected to public Wi-Fi. A VPN works by taking your entire connection and funneling it through another server at another location. These tunnels are encrypted with military-grade coding which gives you excellent privacy and security from malicious individuals. Also, a bonus of funneling your connection through another location is that your IP and geographical location are spoofed, resulting in complete anonymity when using the internet. The whole point of a VPN is to surf the web in privacy and anonymity and to keep you safe. There are many ways you can check whether the VPN you are using is giving you privacy, both through assessing the service you are using and through using several websites to see if your IP and location are being leaked through little cracks in the encrypted tunnels.
Look at the Encryption – OpenVPN Protocol Available or Not
Different VPN providers will have different encryption levels and each one uses a different security protocol and AES security. There are many different security protocols to choose from and they all vary in security and speed. The best option you need to look for is the OpenVPN protocol which is currently the best one in the industry. OpenVPN allows for a fast AES 256-bit military encryption and offers the best protection against ISP and Government agencies. Moreover, the software also allows for SHA2 for authentication and RSA-2048 for handshaking. Using other security protocols is also fine as long as you do not use PPTP, as this has seen to have some problems in terms of privacy and anonymity. You can easily check this infographic on Compare the most used 3 VPN protocols,
L2TP is also another solid security protocol call you can use you give you privacy and anonymity when surfing the web and is good for most of the casual users of VPN. The only issue with L2TP is that the software is still detectable by ISP and Government agencies and sometimes your IP address and geographical location will be shown. IKEv2 is the other most recommended protocol for privacy and is very secure and supports many strong military encryptions, such as AES-256. The issue with IKEv2 is that it only supports a few systems and it is yet to become integrated into other more general platforms. This is the same for SSPT which is great but only for Windows.
Check Log policy of VPN Service
If you are a very cautious user or live in an oppressive country that prohibits the use of particular websites, you may need to consider the logging policy before you go and purchase a VPN service. The logging policy is very important and will tell you whether the company keeps logs and for how long they do also. Logs become important as some countries have data retention laws, such as the US and UK. This means that Government agencies like the NSA can contact a VPN service and ask for the logs of its users and because it is the law the company will have to abide. This can result in lawsuits and fines for the users using the system as some people use VPN services as a way to torrent safely without prosecution. Logs are a way of keeping track of the activity of the users and are usually used for customer service and bandwidth issues. Most companies will tell you they do not keep logs, but this is sometimes said with crossed fingers. This is because, although they do not keep logs permanently, they may hold them for 30 days which gives agencies plenty of time to come and snoop around. Choose a company with a strict no-log policy so you can be reassured that your privacy won’t be breached.
DNS Leaks Protection
This is something that is often missed when searching for the best VPN service for privacy and anonymity as to check this, you need to know a few websites which enable you to test. DNS leaks which can be IPv4 or IPv6 DNS leaks are basically to do with many small cracks or holes in the tunnels which result in your IP and geographical location becoming exposed to ISP and Government officials. DNS Leak Test – The most Simple solution to test your DNS requests are being leaked or not.
Leaks occur when the encryption is weak or the service doesn’t use its DNS servers. To check whether your location and privacy are being exposed you can check using many websites.
Support Bitcoin Payment or other Anonymous payment Not?
This is something for the most paranoid of users and is a way to pay for a VPN service and anything else on the internet with complete security and privacy. Bitcoin is a payment gateway that has no personal connections to you or your identity and is a way to pay for services and products anonymously. It is good to check the payment gateways of VPN services and see what they offer. You want to make sure they offer more than just direct debit or credit card and see if they offer an alternative method, including Bitcoin. A company dedicated to its user’s privacy will include the option to pay via Bitcoin.
Other Features Need to Consider
All VPN providers will offer many bonuses and features for using their service and they want to create as much uniqueness as possible. As a result, you are going to want to look for a service that has several privacy-added bonuses which will benefit you when surfing the web. Features like these should include things like smart DNS, privately owned DNS, dedicated IP and something of Chinese users who are subject to harsh censorship laws. Smart DNS allows for geo-spoofing through taking DNS requests from another location, and because no encryption/decryption is involved the speeds of Smart DNS services are usually faster making them great for streaming. Other features like double encryption and Tor support also have beneficial effects on your privacy. After years of experience using different VPNs and do long-time research on it. Here at privatevpnservice.com, vote NordVPN as the winner of the Best VPN for Online Privacy, Let me show Why I select Nord,
NordVPN allows you to double encrypt your connection which stops ISP and Government agencies from snooping on your traffic, and the same can be achieved through using the onion over VPN feature Nord offers. NordVPN doesn’t keep any logs and is based on a security-friendly country with little laws on censorship. Also, the service accepts Bitcoin and offers an option to get around the Great Firewall of China.
NordVPN – Winner of the Best VPN for Privacy and Anonymity
NordVPN is the best VPN service which will provide you with excellent privacy when you are using the internet for many reasons. NordVPN has a rock-solid connection and encryption and is a very privacy-focused service, which also offers several extra features to its customers such as double encrypted servers, Tor over VPN, zero logs and a remedy for China’s censorship laws. It also has a new, fancy client which I especially like.
Double Encryption
NordVPN offers some amazing features and some will be disclosed later in the review. But by far, one of the best ones is the ability to double encrypt your VPN server connection which gives you two layers of security and privacy and is something that is not used anyway else or on any other service I have reviewed. The system works by filtering your connection through the first server, and then instead of going straight to the internet, your connection is filtered through another VPN server. This gives you incredible privacy when surfing the web and also gives you better security.
Onion over VPN
This feature is pretty cool and it allows you to pass your connection not only through a VPN server with encrypted walls but also through the Tor network which allows for complete anonymity from everyone including ISP and Government agencies alike. This is done by using an OpenVPN configuration file and allows your data and traffic to be routed directly to the Tor network. This has great effects on your privacy but will slow down your connection significantly.
Zero Logs Policy
NordVPN keeps a very strict no-logs policy and is thankfully based in Panama which doesn’t have very strict censorship laws. Panama has no censored sites and also does not have any government surveillance, meaning that this service is perfect for any privacy worried user! The country is also just out of the reach of the NSA meaning that there is no chance of your online activities getting you a fine.
Accepts Bitcoin
As mentioned early, a good and reliable service will provide the option to be able to pay via Bitcoin which is one of the safest ways to pay on the internet. This is because bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which means that your identity is not tied with the transaction, allowing you to pay in complete anonymity. NordVPN also offers some alternative methods and gateways to pay through, which can be found on Nord’s payment partner.
Bypass Great Firewall of China
This is often missed out when looking for a good VPN service which is the option offered to Chinese users, who are subject to extremely harsh censorship laws. The solution NordVPN offers is the ability to bypass the Chinese firewall with its obfsproxy. This allows Chinese users to bypass the firewall that stops them from using restricted sites and gives them privacy when using the internet.
Other Features of NordVPN
Nord is a fantastic VPN for privacy and if you are looking for a way to keep yourself anonymous when surfing the web, and it also has a number of other excellent features such as 24/7 customer support, global server coverage and a great, new client for both Windows and other mobile devices that is clean and has a whole host of features that let you change your security preferences and client features.
Conclusion
There are many ways to keep yourself private on the internet and a VPN is one of the best ways! NordVPN is by far the best VPN to use if you are after privacy and will 100% keep you anonymous when you are using the internet. NordVPN has several features that set it apart from the rest, and these features are primarily privacy-focused.
