Virtual private networks protect your privacy. You have probably heard that they don't do that. Who to believe?
Virtual Private Network are often used to obscure your internet activity from the world because they route your internet traffic through private server. Since the advent of the internet, they have been a part of online privacy culture. They have also been a source of contention, with ongoing questions into their efficacy and trustworthiness.
Consumer Reports recently published a white paper on VPNs that looked into the privacy and security policies of 16 prominent providers. Researchers initially looked into 51 companies, but eventually focused on the top providers. The results are mixed, with the report highlighting a lot of the long offered criticisms of the industry. A small coterie of VPNs seem to be pretty good.
Here are some of the things that have been said.
PR gibberish to real-world effectiveness ratio is high.
The CR report states that many providers exaggerate or make misleading claims about the effectiveness of their services, usually promising the moon and delivering far less. Consumers may believe that by using a virtual private network they are able to become completely invisible online, as companies promise things like "unrivaled internet anonymity," and the ability to " keep your browsing private and protect yourself from hackers and online tracking," and so on and so forth.
Even if your internet address is hidden, companies and advertisers can still track you across the internet. The report elaborates.
Websites often request data that can help them locate people, such as the location of their device based on the location of the cell tower. Various companies collect a wide range of data and sell it to data brokers. Many of the risks that consumers try to protect against are already mitigated through the use of HTTPS. Many risks, such as social engineering, are not mitigated by using a VPNs.
Similarly, VPNs use terms that sound impressive but actually don't mean much. The phrase "Military Grade Encryption" is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in promotional material. The report points out that a fixed encryption standard for militaries doesn't exist and that 42 different implementations vary across different segments of armed forces. Good to know.
Sometimes the best security isn't always the best.
Your online privacy is only as good as your security, and it is not always possible to find the best track records for protecting customers' data.
A group of University of Michigan researchers developed a tool called the "VPNalyzer" test suite, which was able to look at various security issues with VPN connections. The research team found that malicious and deceptive behaviors are not widespread. Nineteen of the 29 responsible disclosures were for VPNs, and the team is waiting for responses to their findings.
The CR found that there was little evidence of VPNs manipulating users' networking traffic when testing for evidence of TLS intercept.
If you're going to use a virtual private network, make sure you don't use the word "free" near it, because you'll accidentally download a piece of software onto your device.
Which PureVPN worked the best?
CR reviewed the privacy and security practices of the top four VPNs providers. They were.
It was called Mullvad.
PIA.
IVPN.
There is a proxy for the internet called the Mozilla VPN.
Apparently in that order.
These companies scored high on scales of transparency and security, but mostly by not over-promising what they could deliver. Three of the top four companies conducted audits using third-party companies to verify their security protections. The reports are published on the website so that users can look at them.
You may want to check out the leader of the pack. The company has a number of cool features that make it stand out from its competitors, and you can pay for your service in cash. If you still want to invest in a PureVPN, you should take a look at it.
The full CR white paper goes into more detail, so it is worth checking it out if you are interested. You can find it here.
