Best VPN for Online Privacy

When the Internet was in its nascent stage, user privacy was not a big issue. Privacy in those days meant being online when there was nobody else in the room. However, now the situation is entirely different, with most websites using cookies to collect personally identifiable information from you. While they claim that this will improve your user experience, are you comfortable with the fact that your ISP keeps a record of all sites you access even if your browser is set in its private or ‘incognito’ mode?

Sites like Facebook and Google get notified whenever you visit a website and porn sites can accurately identify which ISP you use. You expect them to use your data responsibly, but the Snowden revelations have proved beyond doubt that this kind of information will eventually end up with government surveillance agencies.

The truth is that when you are online, you hardly have any privacy. Just imagine this picture. A few bystanders peer over your shoulders and take notes as you browse the web. They promise to anonymize their findings, but can you trust them? Perhaps the most effective way to safeguard your privacy while surfing the web is to use a VPN service. VPN services have become quite popular in recent times because of Snowden’s NSA revelations.

A VPN not only protects your online privacy but also allows you to bypass geographical and corporate blocks imposed on websites. A VPN encrypts your signal, and hackers or spy agencies cannot figure out what you are doing online. A VPN also hides your true IP address and thus gives the impression that you are from a different country. Your VPN may reduce the speed of your Internet connection, but there are several reasons to encrypt your online activities and hide your true IP address.

Here is a quick overview of the top 3 VPN companies that will protect your data and privacy.

NordVPN

Globally known and very renowned, NordVPN is unsurprisingly also part of our selection of the best VPNs to be anonymous, browse and download without risk.

Despite a small security breach in 2018 that was not directly its fault (one of its datacenter that it was renting got attacked but without any consequences on its users), NordVPN really shows seriousness and offers one of the best VPNs at the moment.

Following the security issues of 2018, it has significantly strengthened its security so that it never happens again.

Based in Panama, it keeps absolutely no trace of your online activities and allows you to browse perfectly anonymously thanks to more than 5,000 servers you can connect to. The only small weakness is its speed, which is slightly slower than the two competitors mentioned above.

You will have the possibility to test it without any risk thanks to its 30 days satisfied or refunded without any condition.

ExpressVPN

One of our favorite VPNs in 2023 is ExpressVPN. It is the most secure on the market and also the oldest of all the VPN providers we present to you. In 11 years of experience and with more than 10 million active users, it has never had a single problem. Its external audit, conducted by PwC (a true reference) confirms its promises regarding the absence of log retention.

In addition to being the most anonymous and secure VPN, it is the fastest on the market in 2022. It offers excellent speeds that will make you forget you are connected to a VPN.

To take advantage of the best prices at ExpressVPN, sign up for its 12-month offer with 3 months free. This will allow you to enjoy 49% discount. In any case, no matter how long you subscribe, you will have 30 days to request your refund if you are not satisfied. It’s 100% unconditional, so you don’t risk anything.

You can use ExpressVPN on almost all of your devices, including your tablet, smartphone, and laptop. They use advanced encryption protocols to secure your connection. In addition, ExpressVPN allows you to use their VPN connection from your computer and smartphone simultaneously.

Surfshark

Surfshark is also a very good and secure anonymous VPN. Although it has not been audited by PwC, it has not experienced a single complaint from any of its millions of users since its inception. This truly proves its seriousness and reliability for the security of your data.

Based in the Netherlands, it can delete all information about you since there is no law requiring companies to keep data there (unlike the US and many other countries in the world).

Their applications are very well worked, whether on Mac, Windows, iOS or Android, offering an excellent user experience on all levels. As the icing on the cake, a single Surfshark subscription lets you secure an unlimited number of devices simultaneously.

A VPN makes you anonymous and gives you a new IP

We are not going to go back to the definition of VPN which we have already covered from A to Z in a dedicated article.

A VPN, once activated, will first of all offer you a new IP address: the one of the server you are connected to. Instead of browsing the internet, visiting sites and downloading files with your real IP (which identifies you in a fragment of seconds), you will browse and download with an IP that is not yours.

Thus, all your actions will be attributed to your VPN provider’s server, not to you. Everything you do is then invisible to any external actor (ISP, government, sites you visit, network administrator,…).

You just have to make sure that the VPN provider you use does not keep any log (no trace of your activities). And for good reason, the VPN will, in a way, replace your ISP. Instead of your ISP seeing your every move, it’s your VPN provider. Fortunately, your VPN provider has a completely different purpose, which is to ensure your anonymity online. In fact, a good VPN provider will not keep any trace. It is then said that it is “No Log”.

This is the case of ExpressVPN, a global reference for 11 years, which was again audited by PwC in 2019 to confirm the total absence of logs. So you can use this VPN without any risk and browse and download in a totally anonymous way, especially since its application is compatible on almost all platforms. It also offers 30 days unconditional satisfaction and 49% discount on its 1-year subscription. Downloaders, you should not miss the opportunity.

A VPN secures you by encrypting your data

What happens when you connect to your VPN server is not just the assignment of a new IP address.

The connection to the VPN will create a sort of secure, encrypted tunnel. All the information you exchange with the internet is then totally unreadable to any outside person who does not have the decryption key. You have this key via your VPN application. All this happens of course without you realizing it and you will not only be anonymous, but also protected.

The interest of VPN to secure your data comes into play especially when you are on unsecured Wi-Fi networks. This is the case, for example, in hotels, cafes, airports, public places, your workplace and more. The risk of a hacker trying to steal your personal information (passwords, banking data,…) is very high on these networks and it is therefore highly recommended to protect yourself with a good secure and anonymous VPN.

Don’t think that these mishaps only happen to others. In 2017, 1 in 8 Americans had their data hacked on public Wi-Fi. The risk is real and VPN is the best solution to protect yourself.

The many encryption protocols of the best VPNs all use a military-grade encryption key (AES 256 bits) making it impossible for any hacker to decrypt your data (99.99%). You will finally be able to browse the internet without risk.