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MacBH928

macrumors G3
May 17, 2008
8,747
3,902
Yet another reason to not use free VPN services:

"From a website’s perspective, the IP traffic of a residential proxy network user appears to originate from the rented residential IP address, not from the proxy service customer. These services can be used in a legitimate manner for several business purposes — such as price comparisons or sales intelligence — but they are massively abused for hiding cybercrime activity because they can make it difficult to trace malicious traffic to its original source.

Residential proxy services are often marketed to people seeking the ability to evade country-specific blocking by the major movie and media streaming providers. But some of them — like 911 — build their networks in part by offering “free VPN” or “free proxy” services that are powered by software which turns the user’s PC into a traffic relay for other users. In this scenario, users indeed get to use a free VPN service, but they are often unaware that doing so will turn their computer into a proxy that lets others use their Internet address to transact online."


People deserve it because they want everything free so it comes back to eat them
 
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0128672

Cancelled
Apr 16, 2020
5,962
4,783
It seems like some people are choosing VPNs based on price and speed, and there's little discussion about more important factors including:

1. Who owns the VPN? Is it public-facing?
2. In which country is the VPN based? Does that country offer strong consumer protections?
2. Does it regularly post third-party backend security audit reports?
3. What are its privacy practices and how transparent are they?
4. Does it share data with other companies?
5. Does it offer a bug bounty or coordinated vulnerability-disclosure program?

Wirecutter provides excellent background about how to choose a trustworthy VPN. The only two it recommends are Mullvad and IVPN. Several other popular VPNs mentioned in this thread are reviewed. You might want to know what that company is doing with your data.

 

212rikanmofo

macrumors 68000
Jan 31, 2003
1,897
724
I plan on signing up for a VPN soon, but don't have much clue about them. Can you guys recommend a good, reliable VPN? I am located in America. I would like a VPN that has excellent speed, service and price.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Save 61% on Windscribe VPN Pro Plan: 3-Yr Subscription
I would advise anyone from signing up to a 3 year subscription without doing their due diligence and picking the provider for reasons other then sale price

How Does Windscribe Compare?
Windscibe scored an 8.7 out of 10 in our testing, which is above average, but it also falls short in some key aspects. It tends to be sluggish at times, it lacks complete data protection, and it’s not the best VPN for accessing Netflix. Those can be deal-breakers, so see our highest-rated VPNs below and compare Windscribe to NordVPN, as well as Windscribe to Surfshark, for potentially better options.
 
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bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
6,145
3,044
I would advise anyone from signing up to a 3 year subscription without doing their due diligence and picking the provider for reasons other then sale price

How Does Windscribe Compare?
security org ?!? Try something better
The best VPN services | Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/best-vpn-130004396.html
Which VPN Providers Really Take Privacy Seriously in 2023? * TorrentFreak
https://torrentfreak.com/best-vpn-anonymous-no-logging/#windscribe
VPN Company Relationships
https://kumu.io/sobeyharker/vpn-relationships
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
security org ?!? Try something better
I'm not the one researching - I have no skin in the game. I'm just pointing out some potential questions and before anyone signs up for a three year contract - be sure of what's goging on
 
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bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
6,145
3,044

KaliYoni

macrumors 68000
Feb 19, 2016
1,798
3,953
That “review” doesn’t even mention WireGuard support...

I grabbed one of the first links in google...

I think it is very important for advice on privacy and security software to come from knowledgeable and trustworthy sources. Recommendations from influencers, content mills, and shills have the potential to do real harm. While people asking questions on MR obviously have a duty to do their own research before making decisions, I believe people answering questions about consequential topics should take time to ensure they are giving out high quality information.
 
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brandoman

macrumors regular
Jun 2, 2017
128
216
Proton or Mullvad. Both offer great privacy. Nord is good too but isn't the fastest for my location.
 
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svenmany

macrumors demi-god
Jun 19, 2011
2,280
1,533
I tested NordVPN and Surfshark in April of 2022, trying to move off of Private Internet Access. Back then Private Internet Access interfered with Private Relay, even when PIA was turned off.

NordVPN wouldn't work with Bank of America (unless I limited it to a particular server their support person recommended I try).

Surfshark was very slow when shopping on Amazon.

I had to buy both to test. But they both gave immediate refunds without any hassle. Definitely test any VPN with sites you use regularly.

I'm now using ProtonVPN.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
I've been using ProtonVPN lately and I like what they have offer - Another vote for them.

I was using ExpressVPN, but their moves over the past few years have led some concerns over the integrity of their product.
 
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bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
6,145
3,044
Dude, take it down a notch. I grabbed one of the first links in google. You seem overly upset, its not worth it
I’ve recommend a good deal for a good VPN provider. You’ve dismissed it with false information. I’m not “overly upset”, just disappointed by this kind of behavior.
Speed test on one of Windscribe’s Zurich servers, WireGuard config
WireGuard.jpg
 
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Martyimac

macrumors 68020
Aug 19, 2009
2,461
1,697
S. AZ.
I'm sure somewhere in the past I suggested PIA. I am still using it and have had very few problems. They do have the option of using Wiregaurd which I have enabled. Worth taking a look.

 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
You’ve dismissed it with false information
You seem to be the one getting upset, lol. A word of advice, if you want to remain stress free on the internet, don't take things so personally. Other people may have different opinions AND they may use websites that you disagree with. Its all good. Its not a war to the death on who has to be right and who has to be wrong, we can have different opinions.

As for Windscribe - I guess its not all rainbows and unicorns ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Windscribe VPN Security Breach: Servers and Private Key Seized

Windscribe, a popular VPN based in Canada, has suffered a major security breach. Ukrainian authorities seized Windscribe servers and also obtained Windscribe’s private key, which allows them to decrypt traffic from Windscribe users. Windscribe staff has admitted they failed to properly encrypt their servers and are in the process of updating VPN infrastructure to “follow industry best practices.”
 

lasloduncan

macrumors 6502a
Mar 2, 2015
547
32
Hello all,

I’m looking for a VPN to install to my new MBP. I feel like every other YouTube video has an influencer recommend another VPN service and I don’t know which to trust.

Obviously one that is fast and reliable are preferred. Free would be spectacular.
I recommend free does not work well for anything..... i have used protonvpn for some years ....I also have protonmail which seems more complicated and demanding of my tweaking more than I want. but vpn is wonderful there are some quirks with it as all stuff......unlike mac once ironed out good.....
 
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bogdanw

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2009
6,145
3,044
As for Windscribe - I guess its not all rainbows and unicorns ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Windscribe VPN Security Breach: Servers and Private Key Seized
That is well known and addressed
Ars Technica - VPN servers seized by Ukrainian authorities weren’t encrypted
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ed-by-ukrainian-authorities-werent-encrypted/
Windscribe - Ukrainian server seizure 
https://blog.windscribe.com/ukraini...ntary-and-state-of-the-industry-e71e8d205b26/

"RAM-Only Nodes
Late last year, we upgraded all of our VPN nodes to boot into a diskless RAM-based environment. That means a crazy amount of security as each one of our servers can be wiped instantly the moment it is tampered with."
https://blog.windscribe.com/windscribe-newsletter-spring-edition/
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
29,284
13,383
I've been using Mullvad for a little while and it seems ok. Speed is pretty good. Not what I get without any VPN at all, but "most of the way there".

I like the idea that you don't even register yourself with them (in the normal sense) -- no email address, nothing.

All you get from them is an account ID number, nothing more.

I also found that you can buy prepaid amounts of usage on amazon -- again, there is no real connection between the card ID number you buy and yourself. The card's ID is hidden, and to see it you have to "scratch it off", like one would do with a lottery ticket.

6 months for $29.
I had some points, so I got 6 months of VPN for around $11.
Not bad.
 
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