A VPN, also known as a virtual private network, is something everyone should have because it presents your ISP and other entities from spying on your activity. There are various agencies that wish to spy, and they are monitoring where your internet traffic heads.
There are also hackers who use your IP address to steal your identity. A proper VPN client ensures these scenarios are not the reality for you.
Whether looking for an android VPN client or a VPN that works on your home network, the reality is you need to know that you can trust your VPN. The good news is there are 5 ways that you can tell if your VPN client is trustworthy.
1] Clear Logging Policies
There are many different VPN clients that do log your data. The data can include when you log on and off along with your IPD address and other issues. For people worried about hacking during transit, this would be a decent policy. However, for people interested in privacy, this is a very big problem.
The issue becomes figuring out what type of information is being logged by your VPN provider. The reality is they do keep data and this serves the need of limiting traffic based on usage, user streams, and the ability to collect statistics. Of course, they could be collecting so much more.
When it comes to finding out exactly what logs are kept, you will need to dive into a privacy policy. This is where logging is covered. There are some basic things that should be addressed, for example.
- Cookies and if they use your IP Address.
- IP Address used to access the VPN client.
- Logging activity while using the service.
One example of a VPN client that offers a great privacy policy that delineates everything logged is LiquidVPN. This is the type of clarity that VPN users are looking for because it tells how everything is accounted for, down to each type of data and the VPN has a strict policy against ads.
The bottom line is that each VPN has different protocol for how they log information. The reality is if you are a person who values privacy, it is imperative to make sure that you have a VPN that protects all the information that you are looking to keep clear of other prying eyes.
The bottom line is it takes a little bit of time to see what is logged and what is not logged before you decide on a VPN. So read the privacy agreements as a pre-requisite.
2] No Other Evidence of Logging
One of the best resources for VPN information is the /r/VPN page of Reddit. There will be a lot of people talking about logging because this is perhaps one of the most controversial topics associated with VPNs.
The reality is you should always be skeptical of any business’s claims, and if a VPN says, “no logs”, then you should be able to verify this claim with other people using a VPN. That is why the Reddit page is so valuable.
There are many people interested in seeing what the VPNs log and don’t log. Using this knowledge to your benefit is a great way to avoid spending a lot of time testing things that other people have already done.
3] No Leaks Found on Tests
Testing for leaks is not just relegated to plumbing, instead you would test your VPN the way you test your plumbing. The way to do this is by going to the What is My IP Address website or some other method. What you will do is write down your IP address. Then turn on your VPN, go back to that site.
If you get the same IP address as was found without the VPN being turned on, then you have a leakage problem. Use WebRTC’s test page to see if your VPN will be something WebRTC can compromise.
If you decide that these are not tools for you, there are also other VPN tests. TorGuard, IPLeak, Perfect Privacy, DNS Leak, and DNS Leak Test are great tools for checking VPN leakage.
The sites are all good, but the reality is you can not just trust a single site. The wise move is to cross-check your leakage through using all sorts of different sites. Using TorGuard and IPLeak will help you if you are doing torrenting, so make sure that those are in your toolbox.
4] The VPN Compares Well to Others
There are lots of different sites and services that are dedicated to testing a VPN and they do a great job providing a lot of information to customers. The reality is when looking at popular publications, they all have lists of their favorite VPNs and have done the tests needed to ensure that the VPNs featured are some of the best on the market.
There is a caveat, however. The first is that it is difficult to know if the company paid for the rankings and how the tests were performed. That said, being able to see what other people who are professionals think of these VPNs will help you decide on the best one.
5] Paid Services are Always Preferred
There are a lot of benefits to having a free VPN, but let’s be honest here, if it is free, then it probably will not do the job – after all, you get what you pay for. The free services have to sell ads to be viable businesses. The ads are put on your feed based on your behavior. Which means you do not have privacy at all.
The other thing is a paid service has to be really fastidious about making sure that your privacy is always protected. This makes your privacy their primary business. Having this level of commitment is something that will always benefit the customer.
Conclusion
The reality is that finding a random VPN is not the best way to keep your information secure. Looking at the signs above, you should look for a VPN that is a paid service with no leakage. It will have great reviews, and you will understand the privacy policies along with having those policies confirmed by other users in terms of logging.
You’ll have to put in some work, but ask yourself this: how valuable is your privacy to you?
You may also like.
- Big Benefits of Using a VPN.
- How To Be Savvy When Shopping for a VPN.
- Explaining What VPN Router Is.
- VPN’s In Everyday Life.
- Ways to Stay Private Online.
