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<font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Although I don't use a
VPN myself, I have heard good things about <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://protonvpn.com/">https://protonvpn.com/</a>
. I know they do not track you and that, with the advent of the
Russian invasion, have made their VPN service freely available for
those affected, even though it means they are losing money.</font><br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Aaron E-J
The Other Realm
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://otherrealm.org">http://otherrealm.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://theotherrealm.org">http://theotherrealm.org</a> (Blog)</pre>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2022-04-03 7:48 PM, Mark D. Hamill
via Hidden-discuss wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAB22ZO-0JY=UpNWVXcBMruQetAdawoX=n-hY6rh=Q57E0m6x7Q@mail.gmail.com">
<div dir="ltr">Also beware there is a lot of consolidation in the
VPN industry, similar to web hosting consolidation. There may be
some cost savings in this approach for these businesses but it
hasn't worked out great for people getting web hosting, at least
in general, so I am leery. Private Internet Access is one of
these:
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a
href="https://restoreprivacy.com/kape-technologies-owns-expressvpn-cyberghost-pia-zenmate-vpn-review-sites/"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://restoreprivacy.com/kape-technologies-owns-expressvpn-cyberghost-pia-zenmate-vpn-review-sites/</a><br>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>We'll be changing VPNs too soon. We'll likely select one
of these two:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Surfshark <a href="https://surfshark.com"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://surfshark.com</a></div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Mulvad <a href="https://mullvad.net/en/"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://mullvad.net/en/</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This video influenced my thinking:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvE-8EvaEKk"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvE-8EvaEKk</a></div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Apr 3, 2022 at 5:50 PM
CC via Hidden-discuss <<a
href="mailto:hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote">Hi Ted,<br>
<br>
TL;Dr: Perfect Privacy<br>
<br>
In detail:<br>
It depends on what you want out of a VPN. Most people's uses
range from general online anonymity, software piracy, or
getting around national/regional boundaries.<br>
<br>
There are two main factors that make a "good" VPN, though some
of this differs depending on where you fall in that range of
use. <br>
<br>
The most important one is whether or not their servers use
known VPN IPs, which can cause some websites to block access.
This is rare for the VPN's I've used in the past, but has
increased in recent years with the industry- and
government-wide push to increase tracking of internet
traffic. In those instances you generally just have to switch
which VPN server you're coming out of, and the problem is
solved, but it's still a hassle, and some VPN's are worse than
others.<br>
Example: For a while, Amazon blocked all US traffic that used
a VPN. Switching to a Canadian server solved it easily.<br>
<br>
The second factor is whether a VPN will protect you legally in
court. This mostly goes for people pirating software or other
less-than-legal activities, but traditionally VPN services
have done this by not maintaining logs of their users
activity. Nearly all VPN services claim they don't, but very
few (only 2 that I know of personally), have proven they have
or not in court. This is something you can research online.
<br>
<br>
The best thing you can do here is looking into who owns what
VPN service, and what their legal history is. I haven't
connected to the internet without a VPN connection for almost
20 years, and today have the impression that a disappointing
number (close to 100%%) of VPNs are now extensions of some
authority or another, usually a government entity of some
kind. <br>
<br>
I would consider all the VPN services that don't meet this
criteria to be "bad".<br>
<br>
It's worth noting that the era of VPN's being useful for most
things is coming to a close. Many technologies render them
completely meaningless just by fingerprinting your browser
through your unique browsing activity.<br>
Do not trust VPN's from browsers or which are associated with
other services. Mozilla in particular is everything they say
they aren't with regards to online privacy.<br>
<br>
Finally, for about 15 years (not anymore) I used Private
Internet Access (PIA). They have, and mostly maintain, both
the above criteria for being a good service, however around
2018/2019 they were sold, and have changed hands since, to
people who are not trustworthy in many ways, as they're
currently associated with some Israeli intelligence
contractor. They're the only service I can recommend through
first-hand experience. I think Private Internet Access is
acceptable, but you'll likely be feeding your internet
activity back to some authority or another. I prefer not to
be tracked by anyone online, and I've since switched to
Perfect Privacy at the recommendation of a long-time user of
that service.<br>
<br>
Some of my advice and experience may be outdated or incorrect,
so I encourage you to double check it, but I hope this helps
you in your search. <br>
<br>
CC<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Sun, 3 Apr 2022 15:14:21 -0400<br>
Ted Trobaugh via Hidden-discuss <<a
href="mailto:hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">hidden-discuss@lists.hidden-tech.net</a>>
wrote:<br>
<br>
> I would like to get a VPN. What features should I look
for? What makes a<br>
> good VPN vs a bad VPN.<br>
> <br>
> Thanks,<br>
> Ted<br>
> <br>
> -- <br>
> Ted Trobaugh<br>
> Dolce Music and Audio<br>
> <a href="http://www.dolcemusic.com" rel="noreferrer"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">www.dolcemusic.com</a><br>
> 413-345-5114<br>
<br>
<br>
-- <br>
CC <<a href="mailto:junkmail@creathcarter.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">junkmail@creathcarter.com</a>><br>
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