A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network – they are used for internet privacy and security. VPNs can be bought for PC, mobiles and as simple browser extension. A VPN will allow all your online activity to be encrypted, so advertisers, internet service providers and Governments cannot spy on you. And they all do spy on you.
VPNs are also used for geo-spoofing, which makes your computer IP address appear from a different country. This can allow people to search news items where there is heavy censorship (e.g. China, North Korea) and allow people to use services in countries where it is not allowed e.g. US Netflix in the UK.
How do VPS work?
Simply put, you connect to your VPN provider via an encrypted connection and all your data is tunneled through their network to your PC or device.
Who are VPNs for?
VPNs started in the corporate sector, allowing workers to securely connect to the companies servers. As the technology has developed and prices dropped, VPNs became mainstream.
Are VPNs expensive?
VPNs for personal use can be bought for as little as $35/year
Can you get a free VPN?
Yes, but they are unlikely to be any good and will be very slow
Which countries are VPNs banned in?
VPN are currently banned in China, Iran, Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, Turkey, UAE, Belarus, Russia and Oman.
What makes a VPN secure?
They use strong OpenVPN encryption and have a good track record of zero IP leaks. When choosing a secure VPN, look if the provider has a ‘no logs’ – meaning they will not hand over your data if requested by Governments.
Best Most Secure VPNs 2020
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is well regarded as one of the most secure VPNs going. They use AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit keys, which is a military grade standard. With this standard of encryption, brute force attacks are basically not possible. ExpressVPN also has a kill switch feature. If for any reason you are disconnected from the VPN, all your data to and from your device is blocked until a new connection is found. ExpressVPN also uses split tunneling which means you can access sites with different geographic locations at the same time.
ExpressVPN have 148 server locations and a total of 30,000 IPs you can use. Prices from $6.67/month, depending on the payment option.
NordVPN
NordVPN have a good reputation and are voted the #1 VPN by PC Mag. NordVPN offers a range of smart features including their ‘double VPN’ – where the connection goes through two separate VPN servers in different locations. Nord also has some browser plugins for Chrome and Firefox so you can connect with one click along with most mobiles.
NordVPN have 2850 servers operating in 59 countries. They also allow peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and make it impossible to trace any users using P2P networks. The network is super-fast and has no restrictions on bandwidth limits.
Nord VPN has a ‘No Logs’ Policy and is based away from the legal remits of the USA and Europe – their business address listed on their website is Panama.
>>Read also our guide to the most secure flash drives
Latest News and VPN Updates
With the rise of blockchain technologies, there is a new era for VPNs: The Blockchain powered VPN. Currently, VPNs are centralized by the provider, they have control of your data and have been known in the past to hand over information to Governments.
Here is a list of some of them, currently not operational:
Mysterium – Open source network allowing nodes to rent out their bandwidth
Privitax – Are going to offer a peer-to-peer marketplace for VPNs in a blockchain marketplace
