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Kitty4670
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10 Apr 2024, 3:12 pm

What the best VPN?



blitzkrieg
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10 Apr 2024, 3:51 pm

You can't go wrong with NordVPN.

It is reasonably priced and very fast!

https://nordvpn.com/



ToughDiamond
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11 Apr 2024, 3:33 pm

Paid-for VPNs are generally thought to have better privacy, security and functionality than the free ones, but they still might not be perfect in those respects.

If you're particularly loathe to pay, I've read that ProtonVPN, Windscribe and TunnelBear are worth considering, but I've never used them. It's hard for me to recommend any VPN as being suitable for any particular individual because a lot depends on the person, and the criteria for choosing one are complex. Depends what you want to use it for.

I've used VPNgate and didn't notice any security or privacy problems, but how would I know if it was leaking? Functionality didn't seem that great - it was usually OK for browsing but some websites knew it was a VPN and they wouldn't play ball. And I don't think I got very far with downloading large files. And the region(s) I wanted to "be in" weren't always available to pick. The service depended on volunteers in various countries allowing me to use their computers as proxy servers, and sometimes they just didn't show up in the list.

All in all, I'd say act on any recommendation with caution, and research the criteria that matter most to you before paying out or running the program, though I'm not saying recommendations are necessarily wrong.

Tip: Microsoft locked me out of my email account when I ran a VPN without first closing my email client. It seems they were suspicious that I'd appeared to cross the Atlantic so quickly, and so they thought I'd been hacked. But then, some service providers can get nasty like that even if you just travel to another country. And I got them to let me back in again eventually. They might not have been such butts about it if I'd had 2-factor authentication. Facebook logged me out but didn't make it hard for me to log in again.



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11 Apr 2024, 5:24 pm

I use ProtonVPN all the time on my cell phone and don't have any issues with it.

One thing that you can do is to route through two different sites to obscure the path a bit more. My cell phone, for example, currently is configured with entrance and exit points in the US and in Iceland.

On two occasions just for fun, I was on a computer in my office and connecting via ssh to a computer in the computer room across the hall. Instead of just connecting directly, I had it route my connection through Stockholm, Sweden and Tokyo, Japan. The first time I did this, I was surprised at the speed I was getting. The second time, it was noticeably slower.

For what it's worth, I have a Proton Visionary Plan which includes all their products and enhanced support. They are the best e-mail out there. Also, my storage space is 5.6 terabytes.


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14 Apr 2024, 6:17 pm

I've got Windscribe, Proton, Hide Me and Privado. In each case, it's the free version only, and they seem to work okay, though I don't really know how effective they are in maintaining privacy and security.


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blitzkrieg
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14 Apr 2024, 6:26 pm

Don't free VPN's have a data limit?

The limit is usually so low as not to be usable for people who want an 'always on' VPN option.



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14 Apr 2024, 6:52 pm

^ I don't use them on a regular basis. I think the Windscribe, Privado and Hide Me VPNs give you 10GB per month, which is more than enouigh. Proton might actually be unlimited in fact.....


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kokopelli
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14 Apr 2024, 7:47 pm

DeepHour wrote:
^ I don't use them on a regular basis. I think the Windscribe, Privado and Hide Me VPNs give you 10GB per month, which is more than enouigh. Proton might actually be unlimited in fact.....


If you don't have a paid account, Proton does have a handful of free VPNs you can use. I think their limits are on speeds, not total per month.


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14 Apr 2024, 8:25 pm

Not being very Techy ... but need protection....? Messed up my Proton vpn thingy passwords and stuff ,, and old brain.. not best combo ..scared of Nord.. got too many solicitations for accounts I never had , into my email..felt like phishing attack stuff....Feels like my emaill addy is a dumping ground for solicitations being vomited out of there IP depts / servers ...kinda burned out on lotsa stuff.Still did the 2 factor-ed everything important. ,one site seems like 3 factor stuff.occassionally. :roll:


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06 May 2024, 3:31 pm

I've been using one called Private Internet Access. It tends to be recomended for filesharing which is why I use it because they do not keep records of what IP addresses you use. They'll record nothing to trace your activity in case they recieve a court order to hand over records.


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Kitty4670
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15 May 2024, 10:13 pm

Thanks everyone. I have ExpressVPN. What is the best private browser? I have Edge, Firefox & Safari.



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16 May 2024, 10:23 am

Brave , has been reccomended to me..but have not been using it much yet..weening myself away from google can be a pain ..for me as i do not often like to engage these infernal devises yet. Yes..yes, I do dinosaur very well.


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20 May 2024, 11:55 pm

i have been using Brave for the past couple of years. In addition to supposedly being one of the most private, it has ad blocking built in, so I believe when you watch Youtube videos on it they are never interrupted by ads (I could be wrong on that, though).

If you are using a phone the Newpipe app is great for Youtube videos. It is not supposed to track you like Youtube does, and you can download the videos as either audio files or video files. One of the apps I use the most on my phone.