“Take a step back and consider how much of your life is transmitted over the inherently insecure internet,” Max Eddy writes for PC Magazine. “Do you feel a creeping sense of dread? That’s entirely reasonable, considering the forces arrayed against your privacy. One of the best ways to secure your data is to use a virtual private network (VPN), which also provides some control over how you’re identified online.”
“To understand the value of a VPN, it helps to think of some specific scenarios in which a VPN might be used,” Eddy writes. “Consider the public Wi-Fi network, perhaps at a coffee shop or airport. Normally, you might connect without a second thought. But do you know who might be watching the traffic on that network? Can you even be sure the Wi-Fi network is legit, or might it operated by a thief who’s after your personal data? Think about the passwords, banking data, credit card numbers, and just plain private information that you transmit every time you go online.”
“If you connect to that same public Wi-Fi network using a VPN you can rest assured that no one on that network will be able to intercept your data—no other users snooping around for would-be victims, nor even the operators of the network itself,” Eddy writes. “Among the enemies to free speech and privacy, there are two three-letter groups to be especially concerned about: the NSA and your ISP. Through years of reporting and the Snowden leaks, we now know that the NSA’s surveillance apparatus is enormous in scope. The agency has the ability to intercept and analyze just about every transmission being sent over the web. There are jaw-dropping stories about secret rooms inside data infrastructure hubs, from which the agency had direct access to the beating heart of the internet. With a VPN, you can rest assured that your data is encrypted and less directly traceable back to you. Given the mass surveillance efforts by the NSA and others, having more ways to encrypt your data is a good thing.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We use TunnelBear’s VPN service (especially while using public Wi-Fi) which lets you choose from servers located around the world in 20+ countries. TunnelBear offers unlimited data for $4.99/month. Importantly, TunnelBear explicitly states, “No logging. TunnelBear does NOT log any activity of users connected to our service. Period.”
SEE ALSO:
Why Mac users need a VPN service – January 17, 2018
Your DNS settings may be betraying your privacy – October 24, 2017
Apple should offer their own VPN service to iOS and Mac users for security and privacy – April 5, 2017
Protecting against possible ISP snooping by using a VPN and https – April 3, 2017
Privacy 101: Why you need a VPN – March 31, 2017
Why Congress’s rejection of proposed FCC data rules will not affect your privacy in the slightest – March 31, 2017
Congress to US citizens: Online privacy isn’t dead, those who want it will just have to pay for it – March 30, 2017
U.S. Congress sends repeal of FCC broadband privacy rules to President Trump for signature – March 29, 2017
Congress votes to repeal FCC Internet privacy rules – March 28, 2017
U.S. Senate votes to overturn Internet privacy rules – March 23, 2017
If you’re going through a nasty divorce, get a VPN. Get it for your phone as well.
DONT TEXT either,
Good luck. You may actually NOT come out alive.
This sounds like a really good story from someone with experience. Do tell more lol
Here we go again:
You pay for fast internet and then strangle it with a shitty VPN service.
Every up and down set of data goes through the net to the VPN and back from the VPN as a Middle Man. If it is located overseas (say Switzerland) the data is making two trips under the ocean. I hope you like latency and a slower connection.
There is another caveat: some websites you may use monitor where you log in from and a VPN that does not fix you to one server can make it look like you are trying to log in to the same account from multiple locations. USAA- the Insurance and Banking outfit- saw this when I was trying out a VPN service and locked my accounts first and asked questions later. All I had done was use the USAA website and iOS app on a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone on the same day using the VPN and it was set to randomize my VPN server by default.
They saw someone logging in from Europe, the US West Coast and Canada within hours of each other and slapped the freeze on. Too a nice long phone call to get the freeze lifted.
Well, at least you know your VPN is working 😉
After a lot of research I chose ExpressVPN.
By the way, ExpressVPN in no way strangles speed. On the contrary, sometimes the speed using the service is faster than when not using it. That is one of the reasons I chose ExpressVPN.
I too have had great results with ExpressVPN. Just important to set it up the right way. (With no DNS leaks, etc..)
Using StrongVPN to connect to Canada to watch Olympics on the CBC website. Works great. Will cancel after Friday night.
What do folks have to say about the built-in VPN service that comes with Opera?
Do not use it. That’s what I say. I’ve used IPVanish, so slow I cancelled. Now on TunnelBear, same way if not worse
How DO YOU know how secure/unsecure VPN server services really are, or not?
Just because these VPN services claim they are NOT mining your data, does NOT mean they aren’t and another potential source of your data being mined and corrupted.
AND VPNs, in general, DO slow down the speed of your web browsing on both computer and mobile devices.
They might be fine for use on public Wifi, if you use a lot of public Wifi, but if you don’t, it’s not worth the monthly subscription costs.
Screw VPNs. I’ll take my chances without one.
I started a web trafficking company and I was starting to have concerns about my info being public. I realized how much data is available on other people. This had me thinking about my privacy so I was considering ExpressVPN . During one of my targeted sessions, I was hit with a virus and my AVG software protected me. AVG then offered me 60 days free trial on their VPN so I took it. This gives me some more time to do more VPN research.
Have a look at this comparison: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/vpn-comparison-chart/
ANY VPN located in one of the “five eyes countries” should be considered insecure as they can be compelled by a judge to hand over any information, and potentially to record despite any “assurances” they give.
I’m also convinced that many of those “VPNs” giving away “free” traffic are honeypot traps run by the NSA and/or the media industry.
That is why some companies like Private Internet Access don’t keep records. If you don’t have records on hand than there is nothing you can be compelled to turn over.
Jred, you REALLY should not believe everything you read on the internet. Just because someone says they don’t keep records doesn’t make it so. And Private Internet Access is based in the US and is under the Five Eyes jurisdiction.
agreed.
What’s to stop a VPN from being compromised by the federal government?
What’s to stop a VPN being a front for the federal government?
Trump has no interest in your traffic, but others in the Fed Gov might.
Trump 2024!