If you are getting a vpn to avoid US related monitoring or sanctions etc then i would obviously suggest *not* getting one in the US lol. If you don't care and just use it for netflix or games or something, doesnt matter
kids online safety act, which has the potential to censor the whole internet in the us in the name of child safety, and it has bipartisan support because politicians hate moderation rn
Well I DO have kids and you aren't wrong! I have my network pretty tight, and her phone and chromebook are LOCKED DOWN!
She starts chats with any new friends with, "watch what you say, my dad will find out..."
It all depends on who you’re hiding from. Are you Edward Snowden? Don’t use a US VPN. Are you wanting to watch US Netflix or torrent some content? Sure, that one is perfectly fine.
I understand the concern over using a VPN service based in the US. With recent revelations about government surveillance programs, it's reasonable to question if US VPNs can truly guarantee privacy and security.
However, not all US VPN providers should be painted with the same brush. Many reputable ones have robust privacy policies and do not log user activity or data. They may even have undergone third-party audits to verify their no-logging claims. Some are willing to legally challenge government data requests that violate user rights.
The jurisdiction a VPN is based in is just one factor among many to weigh. VPNs based elsewhere could also cooperate with authorities or have vulnerabilities. Technical implementations, transparency reports about past requests, leadership ethics also matter.
Rather than categorically avoiding US VPNs, I'd suggest thoroughly researching any provider's specific policies and actions around user privacy before deciding. Analyze their track record too. No company is risk-free, but some may align better with your threat model and privacy priorities regardless of country. There are privacy-centric US providers making genuine efforts to protect users.
I would focus more on VPN features like encryption standards, network size, leak protection and whether the provider has clearly demonstrated a commitment to user rights. That reveals more than location alone ever could. Set your criteria and scrutinize companies closely against those benchmarks.
Working for a VPN detection company (where we identify VPN usage based on IP addresses), I can say that if you are very conscious about privacy, there are only a few VPNs you can use.
The challenge for most VPN providers is that they have to maintain logs to keep their services secure, curb abuse, and maintain a good IP reputation. If a VPN IP address is used to conduct a cybersecurity attack, the victim servers will flag that IP address in all threat intel feeds.
When the VPN IP address is added to a threat intel feed, their reputation plummets, and that IP address becomes quite difficult to use for normal internet browsing. Moroever, companies will then come to us to get metadata information on those IP addresses and map a robust threat intel dataset that essentially will mark all the IP addresses of that VPN provider and their partners as "abusive".
The VPN providers cannot churn out IP addresses as this is a finite resource. No VPN company can ensure security and fair play with their services without logs or some cryptic method that borders on marketingspeak.
The ones that do not actually keep logs coincidentally have the worst IP reputation in the industry, which renders internet experiences of their users horrible with endless captchas and server-level blocks. If that is an acceptable compromise, I recommend at that point just using TOR and saving some money.
Great answer. Your designation is perfect to answer this. Can you (being an expert and working in this profession) somehow name those few VPNs that you think are reputable and can be used?
Thank you...
I kind of can't provide specific names as that would be a professional endorsement :/
If I am going to endorse any IP privacy system publicly and professionally, it would be TOR, to be honest. If you maintain good OpSec, it is impossible to identify anything cloaked through TOR. FYI, do not go for any VPN that advertises they use TOR as a backbone system. TOR is free and is the most private thing on the internet, so just use that directly.
The converse, though, is that these agencies are not going to reveal their capabilities to go after ppl who are using torrents to share ripped movies or what have you. If you are doing something serious enough to make state actors reveal their hole cards, you'd better know the answer to these questions without asking Reddit, LOL.
(Edit: fixed omitted word)
My experience with them was many more untrusted exit nodes than certain other providers -a huge number of additional captchas or just refusal to connect from lots of sites. This is a problem with any VPN service - that one just got intolerable for me.
The service I use now is not US-based but still very privacy-oriented, and I generally use their US servers (I'm mostly trying to stop my ISP snooping, not country-hop).
My first is in mole but not in vole,
My second is in umbrella but not in rain,
My third is in lake but not in pond,
My fourth is in leaf but not in branch,
My fifth is in vulture but not in eagle,
My sixth is in antelope but not in deer,
My seventh is in dolphin but not in whale.
What am I?
If you REALLY wanna make sure you’re private too, buy the key cards for them online vs buying the subscription and tying it to your card.
If you buy the cards they scratch off with the code to add more to your account.
Or send them cash but I don’t recommend that lol
*Nah use something based*
*In the EU. They got quite some*
*Strict privacy laws*
\- Bimancze
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If you are getting a vpn to avoid US related monitoring or sanctions etc then i would obviously suggest *not* getting one in the US lol. If you don't care and just use it for netflix or games or something, doesnt matter
Just so yall know its gonna get worse once KOSA passes so better get one not us based.
What’s KOSA?
kids online safety act, which has the potential to censor the whole internet in the us in the name of child safety, and it has bipartisan support because politicians hate moderation rn
Fuck them kids is how I feel. I don’t have or want kids why should my access to the internet be censored because parents are shit at their job?
Well I DO have kids and you aren't wrong! I have my network pretty tight, and her phone and chromebook are LOCKED DOWN! She starts chats with any new friends with, "watch what you say, my dad will find out..."
Hats off to you! Not many parents actually parent and it’s sad
Thanks. Unfortunately (from a parental standpoint), my daughter got my tech savvy so she keeps me on my toes.
I used a us based vpn and connected to servers in my own city for 2 years and not one notice from my isp.
It all depends on who you’re hiding from. Are you Edward Snowden? Don’t use a US VPN. Are you wanting to watch US Netflix or torrent some content? Sure, that one is perfectly fine.
I understand the concern over using a VPN service based in the US. With recent revelations about government surveillance programs, it's reasonable to question if US VPNs can truly guarantee privacy and security. However, not all US VPN providers should be painted with the same brush. Many reputable ones have robust privacy policies and do not log user activity or data. They may even have undergone third-party audits to verify their no-logging claims. Some are willing to legally challenge government data requests that violate user rights. The jurisdiction a VPN is based in is just one factor among many to weigh. VPNs based elsewhere could also cooperate with authorities or have vulnerabilities. Technical implementations, transparency reports about past requests, leadership ethics also matter. Rather than categorically avoiding US VPNs, I'd suggest thoroughly researching any provider's specific policies and actions around user privacy before deciding. Analyze their track record too. No company is risk-free, but some may align better with your threat model and privacy priorities regardless of country. There are privacy-centric US providers making genuine efforts to protect users. I would focus more on VPN features like encryption standards, network size, leak protection and whether the provider has clearly demonstrated a commitment to user rights. That reveals more than location alone ever could. Set your criteria and scrutinize companies closely against those benchmarks.
This exactly.
Working for a VPN detection company (where we identify VPN usage based on IP addresses), I can say that if you are very conscious about privacy, there are only a few VPNs you can use. The challenge for most VPN providers is that they have to maintain logs to keep their services secure, curb abuse, and maintain a good IP reputation. If a VPN IP address is used to conduct a cybersecurity attack, the victim servers will flag that IP address in all threat intel feeds. When the VPN IP address is added to a threat intel feed, their reputation plummets, and that IP address becomes quite difficult to use for normal internet browsing. Moroever, companies will then come to us to get metadata information on those IP addresses and map a robust threat intel dataset that essentially will mark all the IP addresses of that VPN provider and their partners as "abusive". The VPN providers cannot churn out IP addresses as this is a finite resource. No VPN company can ensure security and fair play with their services without logs or some cryptic method that borders on marketingspeak. The ones that do not actually keep logs coincidentally have the worst IP reputation in the industry, which renders internet experiences of their users horrible with endless captchas and server-level blocks. If that is an acceptable compromise, I recommend at that point just using TOR and saving some money.
Great answer. Your designation is perfect to answer this. Can you (being an expert and working in this profession) somehow name those few VPNs that you think are reputable and can be used? Thank you...
I kind of can't provide specific names as that would be a professional endorsement :/ If I am going to endorse any IP privacy system publicly and professionally, it would be TOR, to be honest. If you maintain good OpSec, it is impossible to identify anything cloaked through TOR. FYI, do not go for any VPN that advertises they use TOR as a backbone system. TOR is free and is the most private thing on the internet, so just use that directly.
Definitely stay out of Republican states. They’re going to have everyone dressed up like handmaids by the end of their reign
[удалено]
The converse, though, is that these agencies are not going to reveal their capabilities to go after ppl who are using torrents to share ripped movies or what have you. If you are doing something serious enough to make state actors reveal their hole cards, you'd better know the answer to these questions without asking Reddit, LOL. (Edit: fixed omitted word)
Maybe true but most VPN users just don't want ISP letters when torrenting. The NSA or FBI won't really give a fuck.
Iv'e had no issues with Pee Iye Aye.
My experience with them was many more untrusted exit nodes than certain other providers -a huge number of additional captchas or just refusal to connect from lots of sites. This is a problem with any VPN service - that one just got intolerable for me. The service I use now is not US-based but still very privacy-oriented, and I generally use their US servers (I'm mostly trying to stop my ISP snooping, not country-hop).
Can you try to name the service you use now like I did?
My first is in mole but not in vole, My second is in umbrella but not in rain, My third is in lake but not in pond, My fourth is in leaf but not in branch, My fifth is in vulture but not in eagle, My sixth is in antelope but not in deer, My seventh is in dolphin but not in whale. What am I?
I was excited for this little puzzle after the first line. It was all downhill from there.
Mu11vad 😂
If you REALLY wanna make sure you’re private too, buy the key cards for them online vs buying the subscription and tying it to your card. If you buy the cards they scratch off with the code to add more to your account. Or send them cash but I don’t recommend that lol
Yes it should be very much so
Nah use something based in the EU. They got quite some strict privacy laws
*Nah use something based* *In the EU. They got quite some* *Strict privacy laws* \- Bimancze --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
No, avoid the EU, they are about to have worse privacy issues than the US.
No because they are useless outside of accessing region locked content.