If you use a VPN but don’t follow any of these VPN tips, you may not be protected at all. And in those cases, you’re just throwing away your money.

Install The VPN On All Household Devices

If you want to get the absolute most out of your VPN, you need to take advantage of the VPN’s multi-device allowance. One of the most critical aspects of our VPN reviews is device limits. This means how many devices can you install the VPN on?

Let’s think about this for a second. A typical household probably has two or three iPhones and a few laptops online. If one of those iPhones is not on the VPN, that connection is compromised.

More robust households have Roku TVs, gaming systems, etc., all connected. When any of these devices circumvents using the VPN, the connection is exposed.

This is why it’s so very important to read the fine print on a VPN before buying it and determine how many devices you can protect. Its best to protect all connected devices.

Now, there is a workaround if you have more devices than your preferred VPN allows. You can use a VPN router setup. In essence, you install the VPN on the router and by default, you protect any device that connects to your router. There are pros and cons here. Check out our VPN router guide and get more in-depth information.

Enable Your Kill Switch

If your VPN doesn’t have a kill switch, you need to switch VPNs. Yeah, that was a fun play on words, but also very true.

If you don’t know what a kill switch is, read our what is a kill switch article to learn more. In short, a kill switch turns off your device’s connection to the Internet if the VPN connection goes down.

Why is this important?

Because even a few seconds exposes your IP. All criminals need is a moment, or instance, of IP exposure to wreak havoc. Also, if you have web pages open, your ISP begins logging your valuable personal browsing activity data again. Its a bad scene.

Most VPNs do NOT enable a kill switch by default, you’ll need to do that. People complain over this and rightfully so, however, here’s the rub for VPN companies. If someone doesn’t understand what a kill switch is and then for some reason, shuts off their VPN because maybe they need it off for a minute, then their Internet dies, well….

So it’s up to the user to enable the kill switch when they understand what the kill switch is. Most of the time, enabling the kill switch in your apps is pretty simple stuff.

Opt For Dedicated IP Address

Depending on the VPN you choose, you’ll either be alloted a shared or dedicated IP address. In a shared IP environment, you share an IP address with many other users, sometimes in the thousands. A dedicated IP address assigns only to you which vastly increases your web security.

If you have the option, choose a dedicated IP address. Sometimes this costs a little more which is something you’ll need to consider. But in the end, it can be worth it.

Avoid Browser Extensions Alone

Some VPNs come with a browser extension. Some VPNs only work via a browser extension. A browser extension is fine, but only under circumstances where a VPN app is running through your core operating system.

If you only use the VPN to encrypt your browser, your IP is exposed. Your browsing activity can still be exposed to your ISP. Any activity ran outside of the browser is exposed.

You need a VPN app installed on your device in order to experience full protection.

By following our VPN tips, you can help protect you and your family’s personal data from ISP logging. You’ll get a more impactful online privacy experience.

The post VPN Tips That Increase Your Privacy By Leaps and Bounds appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

So let’s simplify things, shall we?

A VPN is an internet connection. It does not replace your Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Comcast or Verizon or whomever you use for Internet access.

Instead, it creates a new layer in your connection. The VPN is a set of servers that allow you to connect. Those servers can be located anywhere in the world.

If a VPN server resides in London, England and you connect to this server, your IP address will now show as London. If you, for example, visit a webpage or fill out an Internet form, or login to your Facebook or bank account, your IP will show a London address.

What’s more?

Your ISP most likely collects all of your web activity. Being they are your Internet Service Provider, they have full access to every web page you browse.

Consider that for a moment. Think about sites you browse, questions you Google, and information you read. All of that information likely builds a profile of who you are as a person. Your interests, politics, and even taste in cars can be easily extracted.

And in all that data, an ISP finds value.

A big company would love to know all of this information about you. Because then they can advertise specific products geared towards the highest probability you purchase.

Furthermore, your personal life’s exposure also comes with a bit of social risk, wouldn’t you say?

VPN Stops ISP Browsing History Collection

The VPN cuts the ISP out of this data. Because you connect through the VPN, your browsing activity never makes it to the ISP. So long as your VPN connection is live and ongoing, your information goes through the VPN servers.

And now you have a pretty obvious question, I’m sure. So does the VPN now store and resell this data?

The answer is complicated.

Of course, a VPN could act in nefarious ways to collect, store, and resell this data. But the best VPN companies understand that they must compete on privacy pitches. This is often called a “no-logging policy.”

A VPN will say it has a “strict no logging policy” as a way to claim it does not store any data. Meaning, if you surf a website, that browsing history never stores anywhere.

In doing so, even if the authorities requested this browsing activity, it wouldn’t exist. There’d be nothing to hand over.

VPN Encrypted Connections

Having a secure Internet connection is essential to your privacy. But what the heck does that even mean? We see “secure connection” all over the web these days, particularly near payment forms.

Putting your credit card information in a web form is stressful stuff.

Encryption helps protect your information from hackers. If you put your credit card number in a web form, an encrypted connection helps squash efforts by hackers to retrieve or collect these information live.

A good VPN encrypts your connects so long as you are connected to that VPN.

The encryption aspect also helps protect your browsing history, something we discussed earlier. You have the right to search the web in private.

What a VPN Does Not Do

If a website stores cookies, the VPN doesn’t stop this. Cookies and random web tracking installs can remain an issue for you.

To combat this issue, use incognito or private mode on your browser. This stops cookies from being stored.

Are VPNs Legal?

Yes, using a VPN is legal. But your web activity remains bound by your country or region’s laws.

In other words, if you are participating in illegal web activities while using a VPN, you are still performing an illegal act. While it may be more difficult for law enforcement to locate you, it does not mean they won’t.

How To Select a VPN

You can always browse our top VPN list and get a good idea of which VPNs are the bee’s knees. It’s a great starting point for a beginner.

Our VPN reviews are influenced by a handful of important consumer factors.

Price

Like most consumer goods, price is a top influencer for a VPN. The “you get what you pay for” applies to VPNs just as it does to cars and speaker systems.

Yes, a free VPN may store logs, but not all do. Some just limit your bandwidth and ask you to upgrade when you want more. If you are someone who just uses the web for basic browsing and email, you might be fine on a VPN. Or if you just want to turn the VPN on when you browse the web, again, you may be fine. If you are a gamer, you likely won’t do well on a free VPN.

Generally, good VPNs run anywhere fro $3/month to $8/month. There are bells and whistles to consider which influence the pricing disparity.

Server Locations and Amount of Servers

A good VPN is going to allow you to choose servers based in countries they have servers. So if you are someone that needs a server in a specific country, the VPNs server location list will matter to you.

Why would you care where your server is located?

You may want to access a streaming platform’s regional content. You might want to see how a webpage looks in India.

Device Support

Don’t forget, your laptop isn’t the only device accessing the Internet. In fact, its likely not even the most important. How often do you search content on your iPhone?

When we review a VPN, we want to see how many devices are supported by a single membership. The average for a good VPN is roughly 8 devices, which typically covers a family. But if you are a gamer with gaming systems and want to cover your Roku or smart TV, well, you may need more VPN device coverage.

Interface

How difficult is it to select a new country in your VPN’s interface? Does your VPN have a kill switch that’s easy to use? Oh, wait, what is a kill switch?

Can you use your VPN mobile app easily?

Interfaces matter a whole lot, its why we review them on every VPN we use.

Conclusion

A VPN is a pretty straightforward experience. A VPN creates a new layer over your ISP that cuts your ISP out of storing or viewing your web browsing activity. A VPN encrypts your connection so that your IP doesn’t leak while filling out web forms.

The post A Beginner’s Guide To VPNs appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

We are going to break down everything there is to know about what an IP address is and why it’s important to you.

What Is An IP Address?

IP address is short for Internet Protocol Address. It’s composed of a series of numbers, separated by periods. Its a literal cyber address. It identifies your location (pending you aren’t using a VPN). If you are using a VPN, it identifies the VPN server’s location.

When you use the Internet, your IP address connects through your Internet Service Provider. For example, if you use Comcast, your IP address is logged when you pop on to NFL.com to get your pregame news. Additionally, NFL.com uses your IP address to make sure the webpage they return is sent to you, not someone else.

An IP address is comparable to a home address. You send Christmas cards to family and friends using their mailing addresses. Its slower than the web, but its pretty near the same concept. Your IP address is your cyber address. Its how information, content, entertainment, and even email finds its way to the proper source, like yourself.

There are a plethora of IP address types. And this is where some confusion arises. Fear not, though, it’s simple and easy to understand.

IP Address Types

There are a few different types of IP addresses.

Let’s explore.

Your Public IP address

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you a public IP address. If you Google “what’s my IP address,” this unique string of numbers is what pops up. Every device on your network will use the same assigned public IP address

This is the address your ISP uses to track your browsing history and other Internet activities. You must have a public IP address to use the Internet.

Your Private IP address

Your router must assign a private IP address per device. This is what allows each device the ability to connect to the public IP address. When you connect your iPhone and Laptop to your LAN (local area network), they must have unique private IP addresses.

We Must Have Both Private and Public IP Addresses

Not to overcomplicate the matter, we need these two IP address types because the Internet doesn’t have enough IP address numbers. The private IP address allows the device to work within the local network. And that in turn allows all devices to work on the Internet via a public IP address.

See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?

Now, lets talk deeper IP address types.

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses

In our modern times, we don’t hear much about static IP addresses vs. dynamic IP addresses. But back in the day we did. Today people hardly care if their IP address is static or dynamic.

Dynamic IP Address: Your IP address changes often.

Static IP Address: Does not change, at least for an extended amount of time. Sometimes a static IP address may remain the same until you reboot your Internet connection. Other times, it may remain the same beyond that. It depends on your ISP’s choice or the agreements you have in place with your ISP.

Often, an ISP will charge you a bit more to use a static IP address. Why would anyone pay more for a static IP address? Does a static IP address make your Internet connection better?

A static IP address is not faster, per se. But there are benefits. For example, maybe you work for a company or run a business that approves IP addresses for critical logins, such as FTP. Maybe you set up dev servers from your home to test new web sites or apps. In any of these cases, an IP address change screws up your work. Your bank may not like your IP address changing all the time.

There are lots of reasons to have a static, or dedicated IP address. But its not essential to using the web.

When you use a VPN, you can access static or dedicated IP addresses without going through your ISP. That’s some of the value in using a VPN.

Other Reasons an IP Address Changes

You reboot your router.

You pop on to your devices cellular network.

Your ISP changes it without you ever knowing.

IP Addresses Matter (A LOT)

Now that we understand the different types of IP addresses, it’s important to look at how an IP address can detrimentally effect your day to day life.

An IP address identifies you. Your ISP can track your entire browsing history via your IP address, even when it’s dynamic.

Imagine for a second if I handed you 20 pages of your neighbor’s Google searches, sites they login to, sites the read, and apps they use. Even if you knew nothing about your neighbor, you’d suddenly know an awful lot about them.

Your ISP can take that data and sell it to corporations who want to monetize on your online behaviors.

Moreover, your IP address exposes your location and computer or device drives to hackers. Hackers use IP addresses to “break in.”

Hiding your IP address is imperative to your safety and your ability to conceal your private web surfing from your ISP. A VPN allows you to choose an IP address from servers worldwide. This cuts out your ISP from collecting your browsing activity and protects your computer from hackers.

This is why it’s not only important to understand what an IP address is, but also how to conceal it.

The post Understanding IP Addresses: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

“Brave whistleblowers exposing lies & illegal actions in our government must be protected,” Gabbard tweeted. “Join me and urge Congress: Pass my bipartisan legislation (HRes1162, HRes1175, HR8452) calling for charges against @snowden & Assange to be dropped & to reform the Espionage Act.#PassItOn.”

“Every single one of us, as Americans, are guaranteed basic fundamental rights and freedoms that are enshrined in our constitution,” Gabbard said in a statement announcing the three bills.

“But we cannot take these freedoms for granted. I’ve introduced legislation to stand up for and to protect brave whistleblowers who’ve come forward to expose illegal actions within our own government or egregious abuses of power and to reform the Espionage Act.”

In 2013, then Director of National Intelligence James Clapper denied that the NSA was collecting data on American citizens. But later that same year, Snowden leaked the now famous files countering Clapper’s testimony.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is a cosponsor to Gabbard’s three bills.

HRES1175 reads “the freedom of news organizations to acquire and publish information is protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.” 

The post Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bills To Free Snowden, Asange appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

Let’s look at why VPN routers are so popular.

What Is a VPN Router?

The concept is pretty simple. If you use a VPN, you probably install it per device. So if you have an iPhone, an iPad, and a laptop, you’d need to install the VPN software on each of those devices for online security.

Many VPNs have device limits, typically between 6 and 10 devices. Surfshark allows unlimited devices. Even if the VPN allows for unlimited devices, you still need to install the software on each device. And what happens when friends or family visit you?

A VPN router conceals the IP at the router level. This means that any devices connected to that router is automatically protected and doesn’t need the VPN software installed.

VPN Router Benefits

End Device Limits

One of the core aspects of any VPN review is device limits. A VPN may charge, for example, $4 a month, but if it has a low device limit, you’ll end up paying more for those device add ons.

In our modern world, we have devices galore. Even our watches are connected to the Internet (not that VPNs work there, but you catch my drift). Our gaming devices, tablets, phones, laptops, and smart TVs all run through an Internet connection. Devices that need a VPN add up.

If you have a lot of devices, using a VPN router makes a lot of sense. This allows you to connect all your devices and escape the VPN device limit charges.

Friends and Family Automatically Protected

Whether your filthy cousin is over for NFL Sunday, or your wife’s friends are having a wine party, if you don’t have a VPN router, everything they do on your Internet connection is exposed by default.

You might as well conceal all activity that happens across your network. A VPN router accomplishes this.

Prevent Router Spying

Yep, online criminals use a number of tactics to harm you and your family. One of those ways is hacking into a router and spying on your activity. A VPN router helps decrease such risks. It’s great for extra home online security.

Why Not Use a VPN Router?

While a VPN router may sound like the obvious, perfect solution to home network privacy, there are some downsides.

Let’s explore.

Not Easy To Change Settings

When you install VPN software on your mobile device or laptop, you can change your IP location or server on the fly. Not so with a VPN router where it is a much more laborious process to make any setting changes.

When could this be a problem?

Mainly, with streaming unblocking. When you unblock streaming content such as Netflix, you consistently need to dabble in setting changes. Its much easier to perform these changes at the device level rather than by way of the VPN router.

With a VPN router, your VPN is always ON. This can be a problem. There are cases where you want to kill off your VPN in lieu of your base connection. For example, certain financial sites may not play well with a randomized IP out of Singapore when they know you live in Milwaukee.

Not Easy To Install

If you aren’t tech savvy, installing a VPN router may give you fits. Although, many VPN routers have pretty stellar customer support to help guide you through the process. Also, you can purchase preconfigured VPN routers. Though, get ready to pay up. They can cost several hundred dollars.

Internet Connection May Be Slow

When your VPN is slow on your phone, simply bounce to another server. This is not possible with a VPN router that uses the VPN at the core router. If your VPN connection is slow, you’ll just have to endure it until things get better.

Set Up a VPN Router (What To Know)

There are three main VPN router options. In each case, setting up the VPN router will be a vastly different experience.

To keep things simple, I always recommend a Pre-Flashed router that’s out of the box ready. You’ll spend more, but you’ll also save time and energy.

You can decide which VPN you want and choose that Pre-Flashed router. For example, IPVanish Pre-Flashed routers can be purchased.

The Linksys WRT3200ACM also supports ExpressVPN.

You just need to read the supported VPNs on your Pre-Flashed Router, then check out our best VPN reviews to help you decide which VPN is best suited for your needs.

Conclusion

A VPN router helps secure all devices that connect to your network. This also has the added benefit of skirting VPN device limits. But making server or location changes on the fly is a bit taxing on a VPN router. If you are getting a VPN for unblocking streaming content, a VPN router might not be good for you. You can buy routers with VPN software pre-installed to help simplify the process.

The post VPN Routers: Everything To Possibly Know About Them appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

The Netflix Surfshark relationship is also economic in the way that it doesn’t break your bank. In other words, you won’t pay a ton to have Surfshark unblock Netflix. Surfshark is one of our more modestly priced VPNs, though we wouldn’t go so far as to call it “cheap.”

Our Surfshark review is one of our most popular and that’s due to it’s streaming unblocking prowess. Surfshark not only unblocks Netflix but dozens of other VPNs as well. And the better news is that Surfshark is easy to use in terms of unblocking.

I will start with how to use Surfshark to unblock Netflix. Beyond that, there’s some additional information of what content you can expect to access.

How To Begin Watching Netflix on Surfshark (Quick TLDR; Guide)

Using Surfshark to unblock Netflix is super easy. You just need to take a few simple steps and you’re off to the races.

And just like that, you’re using Surfshark to watch Netflix. That was pretty painless, right? Surfshark is known for its simplicity all the way around, so no surprise that its unblocking capability is user-friendly.

Why use a VPN to unblock Netflix?

A lot of people hear or read “VPN unblock Netflix” and immediately experience excitement, but aren’t sure why. They don’t truly understand the value in unblocking content on Netflix. They assume some secret vault of content exist and they want their VIP passes.

But that’s not how any of this works.

When we talk about Surfshark unblocking Netflix, we mean that by using a VPN like Surfshark, you can access specific content licensed in countries outside of where you live. Due to licensing agreements, Netflix doesn’t offer exactly the same libraries in every country. So if you have a Netflix account and live in the UK, your library is a little different than if you live in the US. Content creators such as movie studios do all that they can to enforce their copyrights on a global level. Hence, content restrictions are abundant on all streaming services.

By using a VPN, you change your location while protecting your online privacy. By default, this helps you access content in other countries. Streaming services “mostly” go by your IP, though it’s more complex with that as streaming services find ways to decipher between IP concealing and authentic location. In other words, they have other ways to determine your location outside of just IP.

That said, streaming services aren’t pleased with VPNs, to say the least. This results in streaming companies attempting to thwart the efforts of VPNs changing user locations.

This means you can’t just use a proxy and expect to view that content. A VPN not only needs to help you change your online location, but also needs to be sophisticated enough to stop a streaming company from snuffing out that a VPN is running.

Surfshark works well with Netflix because it doesn’t appear as a VPN.

Does Surfshark Work With Netflix?

As discussed, Surfshark does indeed work with Netflix. Many tests have shown Surfshark opens all 15 Netflix libraries. And it does it at pretty fast speeds. Because Surfshark subscribers have unlimited device plans, you can also watch Netflix through Surfshark on all your tablets, mobile devices, laptops, and streaming devices such as Roku.

Which Netflix Libraries Does Surfshark Unblock?

Surfshark unblocks most Netflix libraries. Here’s a full Netflix country library list that Surfshark unblocks.

If you’re curious as to what value these libraries offer, simply look up Netflix content guides by a specific country. You can see which shows or movies you’ll gain access to.

For the most part, any Netflix exclusive shows are available on across all libraries. But shows not made or owned by Netflix will enact licensing agreements per region.

Surfshark performed research to figure out which Netflix libraries reigned supreme. Here’s a fancy infographic created by the VPN.

At nearly 6,000 pieces of entertainment content, the United States holds the largest, highest-quality library. That’s no big surprise, of course. So if you live outside of the United States, a VPN like Surfshark really helps you win. Oddly, Singapore and some of it’s neighbors crush it for Emmy Winning content.

What’s further interesting is that the United States has the lowest IMDB rating according to the research. India, as luck would have it, has the top IMDB rating. This just goes to show you that no matter where you live, unblocking Netflix has it’s perks.

Does Surfshark Unblock Other Streaming Services?

Netflix isn’t the only service that Surfshark unblocks. Here’s a few more major streaming companies you’ll be able to view additional regional content.

Conclusion

The Netflix Surfshark relationship is a marriage made for TV. Surfshark unblocks Netflix with relative ease and it does so in a stable, fast way. By using Surfshark, you’ll get access to at least 15 libraries worldwide, including the United States. Using Surfshark to unblock Netflix is simple and easy.

Try Surfshark Risk-Free Today.

The post How To Watch Netflix With Surfshark appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

This is because, according to a report in The Times, Uber shares a wealth of otherwise private information with the police. Not only does Uber share user info with the police but they also share it with the National Crime Agency and the counter-terrorism department.

Due to this, police were largely advocates for Uber’s legal battle to operate in the UK. Prior, London officials banned Uber twice. However, the latest ruling assures that Uber will operate in the UK and likely share a lot of information along the way.

Police have long asserted that child sex trafficking rings operate via local transportation, such as bus lines and cabs. They believe that Uber’s privacy sharing ways will help reduce instances of criminal behavior.

Of course, when the idea of a ride-sharing app sharing our information is served up in such a philanthropic way, it’s difficult to see the downside to data-sharing.

But it’s a slippery slope, as James Farrar, the head of the App Drivers & Couriers Union explains.

“The rideshare giant is particularly vulnerable to undue pressure from police and regulatory authorities to compromise the personal data protection rights of their drivers, couriers, and passengers.”

Directly talking about the data-sharing, he followed up saying such sharing is, “disproportionate, unjustified, and a threat to the civil liberties of drivers, couriers, and customers.”

Always understand what your mobile apps share in terms of data. Turn off all sharing that’s not essential to the apps function in your smartphone settings.

The post Uber Shares Data With Police In London appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

The list of ways you can be victimized online is endless. But the good news is, you can take steps to protect your internet privacy. Let’s look at 9 powerful ways to protect your internet privacy.

Stick To HTTPS

This Internet privacy tip is as simple as it gets. Stick to websites which utilize HTTPS over HTTP. HTTPS helps prevent form submission shenanigans by encrypting the user’s connection to the website. If you are to use an HTTP site, don’t submit any forms whatsoever, particularly those of the payment types.

Spotting HTTPS is simple, especially with Firefox that may warn you when a website is HTTP> Just look at the top of your browser where the URL is typed in. You should notice a lock box icon. That’s how you know the website is secure.

Log Out After Using a Site

I know, no one wants to constantly have to login to websites such as Facebook, Youtube, and your Gmail. What a hassle!

But the fact is, remaining logged in leaves you vulnerable to hacking. Imagine the possibilities for a criminal mind that gains access to your Google account. They’d immediately hold location and email data, not to mention your browsing history and stored credit cards.

Fear not, you can use a password manager to help assist you with logging in. We recommend Nord Locker for password cloud storage.

Don’t Fall For Fear Mongering Messages

Email phishing is big business…at least, for criminals.

Many criminals leverage fear messages, such as, “you’re computer has been hacked” or “Reset your password immediately.” The emails will appear to derive from legitimate companies, likely ones you frequently use.

The strategy has you putting in personal information into a web form. Often, the email address will spoof a real address. And the URL that you click on will be a copy of the brand’s site, but the URL is slightly off being that the criminals don’t own that specific domain. For example, the phishing URL might be Verizonreset.ru. Or Verizon.passwordproblems.com.

Phishing scams have evolved greatly over the years. And it’s now scary how good these scams are at converting the unsuspecting into victims. Many phishing scams leverage social media as a way to cultivate a user’s interest.

This is why it is so important to tune up your social media privacy. Which leads us to…

Tune Up Your Social Media Privacy

A public social media account, while good for viral content, is even better for criminals who lie in wait. Social media accounts give amazing, in-depth insight into a person’s life. With such information in hand, a criminal can tailor phishing attempts based on interest. They can use name + birthday information to sign up for accounts, or even retrieve password information.

They can outright impersonate you to your coworkers or employees as a way to extract their personal information. When a criminal can view your social media accounts, the sky is the limit in terms of data fleecing.

Check all your social media accounts. Unless you are working as an influencer or public persona, its best to limit profile access to close friends.

Use a VPN

I can’t say this enough, use a VPN to help protect your web surfing privacy.

Browse the products on our best VPN list to find a VPN that’s right for you. Or, give something simple like Proton VPN a try.

Keep Up With Antivirus

If you use Windows, make darn sure your antivirus is up to date with the latest version. If you use a Mac, its best to make sure your updated to the latest OS and that you’ve activated the Mac’s internal OS antivirus software.

A good antivirus will snuff out malware and phishing attempts. It can block nefarious links. And it will frequently scan your computer for malicious files that happen to find their way onto your harddrive.

Limit Public Wi-Fi

This is one of the more disheartening tips. Let’s face it, we all want to pop on to the coffee shop or even grocery store’s Wi-Fi because its faster than our cellular networks.

And sometimes, we don’t have a choice when our cellular can’t fight the building’s walls and we need information.

But its important to realize that hacking on public Wi-Fi is huge business. Called MITM or man in the middle attacks, a criminal can figure out ways to send unsavory and malicious links to people on the same Wi-Fi. They can hijack a cookie session which allows them to grab your login credentials to various websites. They may even prompt you to input login information.

Public Wi-Fi networks are a haven for cyber-attacks. Limit public Wi-Fi usage as much as possible.

Create Powerful Passwords

I get it. You’ll never remember that crazy password. You need strong passwords, though, if you want to have any chance at beating cyber-threats. Too many people use simple passwords for convenience and that’s a big problem.

Use a password manager such as Nord Locker to help you not only store your passwords so you don’t need to remember them, but also help you create strong passwords.

Make sure you create unique strong passwords per site. Don’t ever use the same password for two different sites or apps. If a hacker gets a password to one of your sites, they’ll try that password to all your sites.

Use Two-Step Authentication

Two-Step authentication uses a mobile number or app to verify a login is really you. Typically, when you submit your password to a site such as Facebook or Google, if Two-Step is on, a text message comes to your phone. Or, you copy a code from an app on your phone. This means that anyone who logs into that specific site or app must have your phone, or at least, access to your text messages.

Its not full proof, but it’s pretty darn good.

Conclusion

Improving your Internet privacy isn’t super difficult, it just takes some changes in habits and a little extra knowledge. As our world becomes more and more tech-driven, establishing internet privacy habits will help protect you and your family’s personal data.

The post 9 Powerful Ways To Protect Your Internet Privacy appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

But VPN logging policies can be confusing. Because in the end, no VPN is truly logless. This is why it is important to understand what VPN logging means, which VPN logging is acceptable, and what it all means to your privacy protection.

VPN Logging Basics

When an Internet Service Provider (ISP) stores data of any sort, this is called “logging.” A VPN is supposed to cut off the ISP from logging any data, and it mostly does.

But its almost impossible to achieve zero logs. Although many VPNs claim zero logs and no logging policies, its not practical in the end.

So what do VPNs who claim no logging actually mean? Are they liars?

Some VPNs are plainly lying, while others are using the term in the spirit it was intended to be used. Let me explain further: When you use a VPN, it’s because you want your browsing history, location, and other personal data anonymized.

So at a brass tacks level, a VPN that claims no logging and doesn’t store your browsing history, IP address, location, and a few other items, certainly comply with the spirit of the term.

So as a consumer shopping for the best VPN, what should you look for in logging policies? And how do you know what they log?

Reading The Privacy Policy

Let’s be honest, reading a privacy policy sucks. Some VPNs offer easy to read privacy policies, but most do not. Obviously, difficult to read privacy policies aren’t exclusive to VPNs. Its just the way of the Internet.

But in the end, a VPN privacy policy is where you gain a clearer picture of what logging goes on.

Below is a quick way to search for the essentials. Below, we will discuss these factors in-depth in two categories – Activity Logs and Connection Logs. We don’t see a need to overcomplicate this stuff.

CTRL F for the following:

The Worst: Activity Logs

You want to avoid any VPN that keeps activity logs. VPN activity logging entirely misses the point of using a VPN. Activity logs are DNS requests, your browsing history, any URL you click on, and your personal metadata.

If anyone views your activity log, they know everything about you. This information can be sold and traded on open free markets and the dark web. Companies leverage it for advertising purposes. A store or criminal may be able to determine your exact location, no matter where you are.

Typically, good VPNs don’t log your activity. However, free VPNs are notorious for logging browsing activity. Nothing is free. As mentioned above, consumer browsing activity logs are valuable. So a free VPN essentially cuts off the ISP to this valuable data and sells it. When you use a free VPN that logs your activity, you’re trading one nefarious player for another. I’m not saying all free VPNs do this, I’m saying, read the privacy policy and look for a review of that particular VPN.

Other VPNs may log or monitor browsing activity when under legal duress. Again, you want no part of this. Because this means the VPN does keep the logs, even though they claim they don’t look at them nor use them.

You want to use a VPN that uses memory based servers and are incapable of tallying activity logs.

The ‘Not As Bad:’ Aggregated Logs

Many VPNs collect aggregated logs. An aggregated log is anonymized information. For example, a VPN could track statistics such as location and url tracking, but anonymize it so as not to connect it to a specific user. For the VPN, this is a huge win because they are able to view performance information yet still not keep personalized user logs.

But alas, this is an open door for misuse. Many VPNs collect aggregated logs even when they claim boldly they have a “no logging policy.” The key here is believing the VPN at its word.

This is why I always suggest using a reputable VPN.

The Acceptable: Connection Logs

In the opening paragraphs, I mentioned that all VPNs must log some data. How else would they charge customers for bandwidth? How would they perform server load balancing without seeing usage stats?

A VPN must log certain data to operate their business. For example, a VPN typically logs a server timestamp that records the exact times a connection is made or ceased.

If a VPN didn’t log connections, it couldn’t tweek server performance and consumers would lose out.

So why do some people hold disdain for VPN connection logging?

Well, like any tracking, its possible for a VPN to put pieces together and match users with logs. For example, in the privacy policy, see if the VPN tracks what device you use. This is often written as “device identifier.” You don’t want that.

A Truly VPN No Logging Experience

So what can we reasonably expect when a VPN tells us they have a no logging policy?

For certain, they won’t store or track any of your browsing activity. Logging browsing activity remains the most egregious VPN logging there is.

One of the more overlooked aspect of VPN privacy is the VPN jurisdiction.You should probably read that linked VPN jurisdiction article to get a good idea of what I mean. Essentially, if a VPN is located in countries who participate in privacy sharing, you’re not that insulated from spying.

But let’s use some common sense here. When you sign up for a VPN, you might give your credit card or Paypal to pay, right? And your email address? Both of those are stored somewhere. And mostly, they are unavoidable logging.

Many VPNs offer cryptocurrency payment methods, so you can utilize that for completely anonymous payments. In terms of email addresses, you can get an anonymous email through Proton VPN.

So there are ways to sign up to a VPN anonymous, you just need to take a few extra steps.

The post VPN Logging: What Data Is Your VPN Really Keeping? appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.

But deciding which VPN is the best can be complicated. There is a lot of technical jargon to mill through. One of the most complicated VPN terms is VPN encryption. The encryption your VPN uses is central and critical to your protection.

But what is VPN encryption? Which VPN encryption is the best? We will discuss PPTP vs SSTP and OpenVPN vs IKEv2 vs L2TP. Let’s get down to which is the best encryption for your needs.

What is a VPN protocol?

If you don’t understand what a VPN protocol is, it’s rather difficult to assess which one best suits your online privacy needs.

A VPN protocol determines how your data is protected. A VPN protocol not only protects data through encryption, but it can also effect the speed of your overall connection.

There are a handful of different VPN protocols to consider:

Don’t let the techy names intimidate you. We can keep things as basic.

OpenVPN

It only makes sense that we begin with the most powerful VPN protocol, OpenVPN. Many of the top VPN services allow for OpenVPN. If you don’t read anymore in this VPN encryption guide, rest assured, if you see OpenVPN in a VPN’s description, this is a good thing.

OpenVPN is the most popular protocol because its the most reliable and efficient. The “open” portion of the name refers to “open source.” This means that developers all over the world are able to constantly update OpenVPN. It was first released in 2001 and over the past two decades, the open-source aspect of OpenVPN has allowed it to thrive and flourish.

To the best of our knowledge, OpenVPN has never been hacked or compromised in any way. Additionally, OpenVPN is considered speedy, so it won’t blow your connection’s speed.

PPTP

PPTP is an abbreviation for Point-To-Point Tunneling Protocol. Its the longest-standing VPN protocol for encryption online. Created over 25 years ago, PPTP evolved by way of help from Microsoft.

PPTP remains in use today, but it’s old and it was created at a time when the Internet looked much different.

The NSA has hacked PPTP on a consistent basis. PPTP uses 128-bit encryption, a level down from the 256 we recommend.

PPTP is old and outdated. I would not recommend you use it as your primary VPN encryption provider.

SSTP

SSTP is an abbreviation for Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol. Originally designed by Microsoft for Windows, it also works somewhat on other OS platforms.

SSTP is a level up from PPTP, which is why it was created. Microsoft wanted to improve PPTP, hence, SSTP arrived. It is often found as an option on many Windows operating systems.

One major concern should already come to mind – would you trust Microsoft to protect your data? Remember, unlike OpenVPN, SSTP is not open-source. Instead, as a protocol, it is controlled solely by a huge corporation that loves personal data.

That said, on Windows, SSTP works decently well. If you are using a Mac, it may cause your connection to become sluggish.

L2TP

L2TP is an abbreviation for Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol. L2TP uses IPSec for encryption instead of performing the task innately. Because of this, you’ll get the highest standard of VPN encryption in 256-bit encryption.

We have no evidence of L2TP being hacked by government agencies. It seems to work well across multiple operating systems.

L2TP is basically a poor man’s VPN protocol. It’s better than PPTP and SSTP, but not nearly as good as OpenVPN. Its speed is good and its security is decent.

IKEv2

IKEv2 is an abbreviation for Internet Key Exchange Version 2. IKEv2 also has ties to the early Microsoft days. Moreover, like L2TP, it uses IPSec for encryption which translates into 256-bit. That’s good stuff.

It works well on Microsoft devices, no surprises there. It’s also good to go on mobile devices such as Android and IOS.

IKEv2 is considered a good solution for mobile VPN encryption.

Which VPN Protocol Is The Best?

If you skipped down to the meat and potatoes, that’s fine. As described above, OpenVPN is the absolute best option for VPN encryption. It’s fast, it is secure, and it is open-source and not connected to any major companies. It’s never been hacked as far as we know.

Some people might leverage PPTP or SSTP if they use Windows. There is nothing wrong with this, but overall, if you use a high-end VPN, you’ll likely get the option to use OpenVPN.

Conclusion

VPN encryption is potentially the most important part of any VPN service. If your VPN protocol is lackluster, you’re not that protected. If big data companies can access your VPN protocol because they have a stake in it, well, that’s not good either.

In the end, OpenVPN is the top VPN protocol and encryption.

The post VPN Encryption: Understanding VPN Protocols appeared first on Best 20 VPN - Free Trial VPN Services in 2022 - Hide Your IP & Browse Secure.