What Country provides the best privacy laws for a VPN?

What countries provide the best privacy laws for me to get my VPN? I heard Sweden and Switzerland, what do people think?

thankyou.

 

hi there, i know it's ot but seems like you abandoned that thread of yours alleging that "SRWare iron forks to Google servers without the user's consent. [sic]"

as has been requested by some others on the said thread, could you please provide a link for that allegation, please?
thanks

 

According to what AirVPN says, US is even better than EU from this point of view.

Please see this topic:

https://airvpn.org/topic/9358-eu-and-data-retention-laws-with-eu-based-vpn/

 

It says the US is better than Europe in terms of data retention laws, which is one tiny aspect of what you should consider when it comes to privacy. It doesn't matter if there are no data retention laws when the NSA is going to be retaining its own private copy of your traffic anyway.

 

Recent documents show that NSA/GCHQ is a little perturbed at Italy's laws. Very hard to get co-operation due to the legal climate. Then there is the fact that Italy wants to put some CIA personnel IN JAIL.

 

For what it's worth, apparently Switzerland has a new plan to turn themselves into an internet privacy haven:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/03/us-swisscom-cloud-idUSBRE9A209S20131103

I don't know if this is just a savvy business move, in the current climate, serious, or both. But given Switzerland's history of providing anonymous banking services, it could be for real. Of course, they may do more to stand up for wealthy paying clients, than little VPN user peons.

But there could be an interesting confluence on interests here. If Switzerland decides to really go to the mat on privacy issues, even for the little guy, it would be good publicity for generating this type of business and potentially help actually create some privacy.

 

I've heard about it. The guy would have ended up in for line in prison for attempting to take a hostage.

 

Well, they caved on the banking haven thing, and turned in many wealthy clients to the US IRS, so this seems mostly hot air to me

 

Do all VPN require the user to download software or do some work via an online login control panel?

If the VPN requires software download then how to trust the software? Is there an open sourse VPN software that can be trusted?

 

VPN is about trust. They can log and record all your information and sell it to the highest bidder and you would never know. Trusting their software is the last thing you should worry about.

 

OpenVPN, then you can set it up according to your VPN provider instructions if you do not want to use a VPN client.

 

Most VPN services use OpenVPN. And you can use stock software from https://openvpn.net/index.php/open-source.html with any of them. A few use the old Microsoft PPTP, but avoid them unless they're using it via IPsec. Services for smartphones typically use IPsec.

 

couldn't agree more.

 

im thinking that some VPN companies could be a honeypot trap set up by some Government agencies, any opinions on this?

And if so, would it be better to chain at least 2 VPN?

 

That's been asked enough times that there ought to be a FAQ

It's possible. Have examples been reported? Maybe, but I don't remember.

There's no way to know.

I think so

Maybe three, even. Plus Tor, if it matters. Plus a VPN through Tor, if you need to access something that blocks Tor exits.

 

Yeah, that's a good point. But Switzerland still might, hypothetically, be better than other options. That could at least do a decent job resisting the dragnet style internet surveillance. Of course, I'm just speculating.

And maybe it's the other way around, from what I suggested above. It would be good business for them to protect the little guy who isn't doing anything and just wants privacy. But of course they're going to roll on wealthy people, if they're cheating the IRS, as well as people engaged in other serious criminal activity. There's too much money at stake or political interest at stake.

 

Stay away from the US with regard to country of vpn incorporation.

 

Actually after what Im seeing from Snowden files I don't think I will be using VPN service for privacy until I can afford a more reliable one in Russia. I assume all VPN services in Europe are compromised. I think I will just settle on US based VPN for using Netflix when im out traveling.

 

Can you provide a link to the info regarding Snowden files and VPNs being honeypots or unsecure ?

Would love to read it...

I feel you can't beat the net really, a vpn is just another company that your paying for privacy and half of them claim no monitoring or logs etc etc but we have heard reports of a few VPNs compromising and giving up customers, so far I think its hidemyass (UK based) and earthvpn(cyprus based) recently gave up a customer. Both situations were terrorist and hax related however and earth vpn addressed the issue that it was a serious case so they went against their own principles of no logging/monitoring.

Obviously impossible to trust those companies afterwards I am very surprised both companies are still operating and exist today even, obviously they must have noticed many customers leaving.

If you think about it VPNs have 1000s of customers paying monthly and subscribing if anyone was to give up a customer its almost the same as shutting down the service, and who would not enjoy 1000 x $5 per month ?

I think as suggested VPN chaining and Tor/Whonix best way to enjoy the internet uncensored and unrestricted. Of course I do not condone illegal activity but sadly the entire internet is already that.

 

Snowden documents are causing an extreme depressive attitude in my opinion in a lot of people. Things are not hopeless. They are just more problematic then before. There are some good VPN's out there. When searching for a good one you must and I cannot stress this strong enough analyze the data retention laws for the VPN you are evaluating. No one can do your research for you. Evaluating a VPN service is a large undertaking. I use iVPN a smaller yet higher quality VPN. The iVPN page is huge. Believe it or not I have read every single word on their page. I have hundreds of emails back and forth with the iVPN staff. Their commitment to privacy is amazing. I would suggest evaluating iVPN.

 

Thanks will check into the this one, ivpn get mentioned and recommended many times around wilders so they must be good. I would however as you suggested check them out you sound almost like someone I once chatted to who threw many questions towards another VPN provider staff to the point it was harassment but they answered every question and passed his questions.

 

CatMan - you say that jokingly, but if you take the privacy/anonymity violations of the NSA seriously then you become very unwilling to trust any providers word for anything. The reputation of a VPN provider is primary. Without a stellar reputation they go out of business. In answering my questions to my satisfaction iVPN has probably gotten as many as 50 new signups. I know I am a royal pain in the touchas. But, when you live or die based on your reputation then customers like me become very valuable and honestly they are smart enough to know it. There is a reason why VPN providers are willing to educate.

 

I agree one has to challenge and question the VPN provider. Still I would never put 100% faith in one

I read ivpn does not like p2p, torrents..... that is a large component of the internet !

 

For reasons irrelevant here, I just read Richard Stallman's piece "Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software" <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html>. His catch phrase is “Think of ‘free speech,’ not ‘free beer.’”

I get that iVPN is definately in the "free speech" camp. Many torrent-centric VPNs market mostly to the "free beer" camp. Others are somewhere in the middle.

But then, iVPN isn't free, and its source code is proprietary, as for virtually all other VPN services. Riseup, on the other hand, is free. And in the midst of a fundraiser, by the way

And I'm not always free, either

 

Mirimir: As is evidenced by your financial relationship with iVPN. Just kidding with you. ROTFL.