(no subject)

[pearwaldorf]

For my own edification, I made a list of VPNs I would consider using. Perhaps it will be helpful to you.

I started from this Torrentfreak list and started winnowing down. My criteria were:

• Not located in a 14 Eyes country
• Not on this list (tbh I don't think this is a super huge deal unless you think your ISP is going to hack you but if you're super paranoid?)

Please note that if all you want to do is sidestep geo-IP restrictions to watch BBC iPlayer or Netflix or make sure people aren't sniffing your wi-fi traffic from the coffee shop, this is probably overkill. Go get yourself a Tunnelbear or Hotspot Shield account or something like that. Or if you're on Mac/iOS, Cloak looks like a good one. Their level of transparency is what I want other providers to strive for.

Caveats:

• Some of these countries these VPNs are hosted in have mutual legal assistance treaties with the US. They don't necessarily have data retention laws, so I judged them probably safe to include. Your opinion may be different.
• I didn't read through all the privacy policies. It is your responsibility to exercise due diligence and make sure you know what you're signing up for.
• Maybe don't use these if your intent is to overthrow the government. 

Further reading:

• How to choose a VPN (from the Electronic Freedom Foundation)
• VPNs are not a magic bullet (Ars Technica)
• Things to consider when choosing a VPN (thatoneprivacysite)

Comments

[hellkitty]

I know like...nothing about this stuff so I found this post to be IMMENSELY useful--thank you for posting it!!

[octoberphoenix83]

Thank you for this! It's useful research and helpful for the future.

(Also, don't mind me, just a new face on Dreamwidth looking for neat people to follow.)