How to choose a good VPN

VPN is a program that provides Internet security. It would seem - what dangers could there be when using the VPN itself? Anything from the appearance of annoying advertising to the use of your data by the provider for their own purposes. It all depends on the manufacturer.
It may even turn out that VPN protection is weak, and this is sometimes even worse than no protection at all (read the article “How VPN can be dangerous”).
That's why choosing a VPN is a very important matter.

 

 

Rules for choosing a VPN

Never install VPNs from unfamiliar companies on your device without checking. At a minimum, you need to scan the file for viruses.

Before installing the program and connecting to servers (even if the file was clean when checked for viruses), carefully study the information on the service website. Go through all sections! The privacy policy must indicate that the company does not keep activity history, does not permanently or for a long time store logs (connection logs, except for minimal technical information), does not transfer data to third parties, and does not use the client’s device for any purpose. And it is important to know the history of the developers and owners.

Complete absence of storage of information about you is possible only for those VPNs that are registered in countries that allow not storing such information. These are those outside the “14 Eyes Union”, which includes: USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, France, Holland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Spain. Therefore, for those who care, check where the VPN service is based and whether it is part of the mentioned alliance.

The rating doesn’t mean anything at all, because it is compiled only from ordinary users who do not delve into the details. Therefore, you should not pay special attention to the presence of “stars” in the application store and other resources. The same “Hola” has a high rating and a huge number of installations, but few people read the privacy policy and know that using this VPN for free, their device can be used to connect other people, thereby reducing performance. What can we say about safety...

It makes sense to pay attention to reviews. But not those that are left in the application store (AppStore or Play Market) like “Cool VPN, everything works great!”, but detailed reviews describing functionality, limitations, and real facts. Ideally, read full text or video reviews from experts covering all aspects of the service, its real advantages and disadvantages.

And remember: not everything is expensive - it’s always of good quality, and among the paid ones you also need to carefully select services.