Finally got VPN: NordVPN

[sd_shooter]

Son doesn't want to be tracked online after reading the Snowden book and convinced me to get a VPN.

Settled on NordVPN, it's about $3.50/month when prepaid for a few years.

On Windows machines it's very easy to install, a little app runs in the background. Initially you pick where you want to appear online (eg. USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe...) then it hides.

On my Mac it was more of a PITA, it started asking for permission to access my 'keychain' (what's that?) Eventually I let it proceed and now it's much like the Win version.

Apparently I could also install it on my router and then the entire household would be protected. Haven't done that yet.

Per their website you lose a little bandwith since your traffic now takes a longer route. I haven't noticed any difference in daily browsing/surfing. I left our Hulu/Netflix streaming devices open (TV, PS3, PS4)

[ocabj]

It's asking you for permission to access the keychain because you are probably saving your credentials for the VPN in the VPN configuration.

I have mixed opinions of commercial VPN services. I have one because it only costs a few bucks a month, but I hardly use it. If I want to secure traffic, I just use my work VPN; significantly faster than any commercial VPN service provider. I don't really care much about the anonymization aspect.

[ibanezfoo]

https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/21/nordvpn-confirms-it-was-hacked/

As I understand it, theres really only a few companies that own all these different VPN services. I don't trust them.

[Rizzo]

Son doesn't want to be tracked online after reading the Snowden book and convinced me to get a VPN.

Settled on NordVPN, it's about $3.50/month when prepaid for a few years.

On Windows machines it's very easy to install, a little app runs in the background. Initially you pick where you want to appear online (eg. USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe...) then it hides.

On my Mac it was more of a PITA, it started asking for permission to access my 'keychain' (what's that?) Eventually I let it proceed and now it's much like the Win version.

Apparently I could also install it on my router and then the entire household would be protected. Haven't done that yet.

Per their website you lose a little bandwith since your traffic now takes a longer route. I haven't noticed any difference in daily browsing/surfing. I left our Hulu/Netflix streaming devices open (TV, PS3, PS4)

Can you configure NordVPN to automatically run when the computer starts or do you have to manually "start" it after the computer boots up?
Thanks

[gdr_11]

Epic browser supposedly runs on its own VPN network and they claim there is zero tracking. Not sure if the claims are true or not. I use Tor a lot but it can be pretty slow depending on the server it is connected to at the time.

[ibanezfoo]

Epic browser supposedly runs on its own VPN network and they claim there is zero tracking. Not sure if the claims are true or not. I use Tor a lot but it can be pretty slow depending on the server it is connected to at the time.

The Feds own a lot of the Tor exit nodes...Then they just change the data rate on the incoming and outgoing nodes with a specific pattern and they know exactly where you are. Maybe if you did that but behind some private VPNs you'd be ok.

Not to mention all the shady exit node operators that just steal all the info that passes though...

[bombadillo]

I use one from protonmail. They seem to be pretty solid and if I paid them even more so.

[Jongage]

Nord is a good product. That particular company does NOT have a logging policy so they don't keep track of your websites. I recall about a year or so, a US district court issued a subpoena and is was returned with a big fat zero for the log.

Good choice

[MrBlazito]

don't forget to disable it when you use paypal, amazon or any other financial services.

[OlderThanDirt]

I use several different VPNs depending on what I am doing and my location. There is a game in a lot of countries to block undesirable foreign websites, but you can usually get around their censorship using one of the commonly available VPNs. China tries to block access, but there are so many VPN options that you can usually find a way around their blocking attempts. Of all places, Sudan has a fairly efficient system for blocking almost all external websites and I had to use a direct enterprise VPN to a server in Santa Barbara to gain unencumbered internet access. There is a reason Russia is considering disconnecting from the internet.

[RaymondGalla]

I also read this book and decided to seriously think about my security on the Internet. So I started looking for different literature about anonymity on the Internet and decided to find a VPN service. I spent a long time choosing which VPN would be better and I liked surfshark because of the good upload and download speed, which I learned about on PinpointVPN and now actively use it. I installed it on all sorts of devices and advised my friends to do the same. A plus for me was that now I can watch on Netflix content that was only available in some countries, I found some interesting series for myself.

[Librarian]

You may find that some state government websites will refuse connections from non-in-state sources, and a lot of commercial sites refuse connections from non-US sources.

More of an annoyance than a problem, mostly.

[AtomicOrange]

...
Apparently I could also install it on my router and then the entire household would be protected. Haven't done that yet.
...

I use PIA and set it up on one of my routers. It works fine and has been pretty stable, but requires a reboot occasionally. I run it that way so I can connect my security cams, doorbell, and other devices to the Net via a VPN. It's a little slower on the router and if the server goes down for whatever reason, you would need to login to the router to change the server reference.

[AtomicOrange]

You may find that some state government websites will refuse connections from non-in-state sources, and a lot of commercial sites refuse connections from non-US sources.

More of an annoyance than a problem, mostly.

Netflix didn't like the VPN, and my employer once called me to ask if I was travelling to Miami, or using a VPN. Other than those instances, mine has been largely transparent.

[Librarian]

Netflix didn't like the VPN, and my employer once called me to ask if I was travelling to Miami, or using a VPN. Other than those instances, mine has been largely transparent.

Yeah, Amazon Video does not like VPN (I, too, use Nord) and NHL/MLB streaming do not like it, either. I have not figured out how the remote sites know the difference, so long as I stay in the US.

Although streaming sites, however they know, might reasonably prefer not to run traffic to VPN-Node to My-real-node to Me.