Help Me Select a VPN.

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by Wendi, Aug 17, 2021.

  1. Trooper

    Trooper Registered Member

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    Crisis averted. I forgot that I had NextDNS setup in my browser. After taking that out, all is well. Sorry for the false alarm folks.

    upload_2022-3-10_20-39-21.png
     
  2. Lagavulin16

    Lagavulin16 Registered Member

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    Surfshark rocks for streaming video without any buffering issues. And the price tag won't break you out into a cold sweat either. A couple of years back after bouncing around the web on this opinion and that I finally landed on Surfshark. No regrets. Based on many, many "reviews" (mostly sponsored opinions no doubt) I've checked out lately on the web, I might give Nord VPN a shot later on. Too bad my fave poster and resident guru in all matters of privacy, "mirimir" hasn't chimed in. And if he does... you can bet the farm that his suggestion would be your best ticket.
     
  3. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    Word of advice, stay away from a vpn that advertises everywhere. If they do, you know their priorities.
     
  4. Lagavulin16

    Lagavulin16 Registered Member

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    As a matter of clarification, one would more likely dig around for reviews as opposed to advertisements. Yeah, like "let's see who advertises the best." I dunno. Is that a thing? :eek:
     
  5. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    What I mean is, Mullvad, Hide.me, AirVPN, etc, don't advertise much because they're focused on their product; their attention is not split. Nord, Surfshark, PIA, ExpressVPN, etc., do adverise a lot (everywhere), so their focus is in question.
     
  6. Lagavulin16

    Lagavulin16 Registered Member

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    @n8chavez Well, that settles it then. As soon as another Yugo hits the market I'll just have to ditch that itch to buy a Corvette. Thanks in advance... :confused:
     
  7. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    Just recently, HideAway (under a new MANAGEMENT TEAM - from China) has given away a 1-year free (unlimited) VPN service.
    Unlimited connections, unlimited use.
    There are SO MANY questions about HideAway from me.
    The VPN app has NO SETTINGS for any protocols or anything else.
    There is no DNS leak protection, there is no KillSwitch, etc...
    In short. The user has NO CONTROL whatsoever.
    HideAway.png

    Yes, it's fast (but not always reliable). Is it encrypted? They say, YES, but who knows.
    My US MIAMI connection is in Gibraltar - that's what the IP checking web-sites tell me.

    Another thing.
    While using on laptop, HideAway does not show any leaks, but almost everyday, I get DNS leaks on the desktop computer.
     
  8. Willy2

    Willy2 Registered Member

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    - This video (see below) questions whether using a VPN is really such a smart idea.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_b8Z2kAFyY

    - When a spammer uses the same VPN then your email has the same known IP adress as the spammer. This will make it much more likely that your email will be blocked as well by your ISP.
    - Using a VPN also means that it will slow down the speed of your internet connection. So, you're paying extra (for the VPN) to get a slower internet connection.
    - There are other tricks to reduce the risk of infecting your computer. One of them is using a router. Then already A LOT OF malware will be blocked.
     
  9. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

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    Not always. In some cases there will be very little difference in speed whether connected to a VPN or not. If a VPN is causing noticeable slowdowns, this can be fixed by connecting to a different server, or switching to another VPN.
    Using a VPN does nothing to protect from getting infected.
     
  10. Buddel

    Buddel Registered Member

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    Good point, but you can easily exclude your email client from VPN traffic by means of split tunneling.
     
  11. XIII

    XIII Registered Member

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    Is this really the case, or does your email have the IP address of your mail provider’s SMTP server?
     
  12. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    I've had a few VPN apps with the "Split Tunneling" settings, but...

    I always use a Sandboxed Browser; therefore, that Split Tunneling was not available.
    But, I've tried it months ago.
     
  13. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    Some funny facts.
    I've purchased IVACY VPN from Stack Social five years ago.
    Just recently, my BitDefender started complaining about that IVACY desktop app, and I've uninstalled (currently) it - I have lots of other VPN's.
    I still use the IVACY VPN browser add-on/extension along with my Desktop (various) VPN apps.
    But...
    When I use the Ivacy browser extension, I'm not allowed to visit the Stack Social web-site - BANNED.
    I need to turn the Ivacy add-on off in order to visit Stack Social, the same web-site that I've bought IVACY from.:(
    The bash.ws web-site tells me that my Canadian Ivacy add-on IP address is not blacklisted.
    Another interesting thing.
    Just with any Desktop VPN app/s, bash.ws shows that I have two opened ports, but if I turn the IVACY browser extension, it says - NO OPENED PORTS.

    Go figure.
     
  14. Willy2

    Willy2 Registered Member

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    Agree, but how many VPNs offer such a "split tunneling" feature ?
     
  15. Willy2

    Willy2 Registered Member

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    Correct. Your email will be send from the same VPN's SMTP server as the spammer's email. And that's why the spamfilter of an ISP will / could consider your email as spam as well. Because the spamfilter sees the same IP adress.
     
  16. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

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    Your email is going to have the IP address of the ISPs SMTP server, once it is sent. Otherwise DMARC would not work. But if your ISP blocks users that are not on their network you would not be allowed to send in the first place.
     
  17. khanyash

    khanyash Registered Member

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    Where did you get the info about the new management team? Firetrust is still owned by Nick Bolton, I believe.

    As per HideAway, it has an inbuilt Kill Switch and DNS leak protection. And the next major version will have new features and settings.

    Do you have Secure DNS enabled in the browser on your desktop computer?
     
  18. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    Don't get me wrong. I'm very grateful for such a generous offer - 1 year free and unlimited VPN - from HideAway, but...

    From their web-site:
    "Using HideAway with DNS leak protection ensures that your ISP's DNS server are not used, but instead those by HideAway are used instead. Some ISP's are now using a technology called 'Transparent DNS proxy'. Using this technology, they will intercept all DNS lookup requests (TCP/UDP port 53) and transparently proxy the results.

    This effectively forces you to use their DNS service for all DNS lookups. Stay anonymous, private and secure when browsing the internet with the worlds fastest, most flexible VPN."

    "Encrypt your connection & hide your real IP address to ensure your security and privacy at home and in public."

    And here is what I get with HideAway:

    HideAway-DNS_WebRTC Leaking.JPG
     
  19. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    Please be advised that there are NO VISIBLE FEATURES and/or SETTINGS that one could see in that HideAway VPN!
    Just, Trust us it's NOT LEAKING!
    Just, Trust us it has that KillSwith!
    Just, Trust us we are using the HIGHEST LEVEL of Encryption(?)!
    Just, Trust us but not ask about what PROTOCOL HideAway is using!
     
  20. khanyash

    khanyash Registered Member

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    I do not know if HideAway protects against the WebRTC leak or not. You may disable WebRTC in your browser and check again.
     
  21. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    The following screen capture is from the Firetrust web-site:

    NoWebRTC.JPG
     
  22. khanyash

    khanyash Registered Member

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    It is for the test done and not from the Firetrust website.
     
  23. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

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    I've said enough.
    I think everyone has received enough verified information.
     
  24. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    Just get Mullvad, and call it a day. You won't find a more trustworthy, reputable, VPN. (Discount here).
     
  25. beethoven

    beethoven Registered Member

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    I am surprised to see this with a discount - I thought they do not do any sales
     
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