VPN

The latest news and reviews of VPNs.

Latest

Google Fi's VPN is coming to the iPhone this spring
Google Project Fi’s VPN service has only been available to Android users in beta so far, but that’s about to change -- it will some come to the iPhone, too.
Mozilla brings its VPN to Mac and Linux
You can use the service on up to five devices with a $5/month subscription.
FBI, Europol take down a VPN service aimed at criminals
The FBI and Europol have shut down a VPN service pitched toward criminals, and it could make honest VPN operators nervous.
Some Google One plans now come with a complimentary VPN
If you’re a Google One subscriber, there’s a new reason to consider the service’s $10 per month 2TB plan. Google is adding built-in virtual private network (VPN) functionality to the Google One app, but you’ll need to subscribe to the 2TB and above plans to access the perk.
Everything you need to know about getting a VPN
Here's a list of the best VPN services you can get right now, plus advice on how to choose the best VPN for you.
Seven Hong Kong VPN providers accused of exposing private user data
Seven Hong Kong VPN companies have reportedly leaked sensitive user data despite claiming they don't keep logs.
Mozilla's $5 VPN promises private browsing on Windows, Android
Mozilla is launching a fast, affordable and lightweight VPN for people who have never used a VPN before.
A popular analytics platform secretly scraped user data via VPN apps
Popular analytics platform Sensor Tower has been secretly harvesting data from millions of people with Android and iOS ad-blocking and VPN apps, according to an investigation by BuzzFeed News. It's not clear that the apps -- which include Free and Unlimited VPN, Luna VPN and Adblock Focus -- were owned by Sensor Tower, nor were their users made aware that by using them they were exposing their data to potential risk.
Mozilla’s latest Android app takes its VPN service beyond Firefox
Mozilla has been investigating the VPN sphere for a while. Last year it launched a VPN-like browser extension, while back in 2018 it rolled out an experimental subscription-based VPN service. Now it's launched an Android app for the full device Firefox VPN it currently has in closed beta.
Russia claims it has successfully tested its own internet
Russia has ramped up the balkanization of its technology and infrastructure over the past few months. The government's "sovereign internet" law -- which allows content to be blocked in an "emergency situation" -- took effect in November, and President Vladimir Putin recently signed a law that bans the sale of devices without pre-installed Russian apps. Today, Russia's Ministry of Communications announced that it has successfully tested a countrywide alternative to the internet, according to the BBC. How this network functions isn't clear, but the Ministry of Communications claims that users didn't notice any changes to their typical web use during the testing phase.
TunnelBear discounts a year of VPN service to $50
If you're concerned about the privacy of your internet access or just want to access foreign content like you're a local, a VPN can help -- and thankfully, you might not have to pay early to use one. TunnelBear is running a Black Friday weekend sale that offers a year of VPN service for $50, or just shy of $10 off the usual price. That nets you 256-bit encryption on up to five connected devices with unlimited data, and there won't be logs to help hackers or suspicious governments trace your activity.
NordVPN admits to 'isolated' server breach in Finland
Virtual private network provider NordVPN has confirmed an attacker breached one of its servers, though the tangible impact of the breach seems to be pretty limited. There were no user activity logs on the server -- the company says it doesn't track, collect or share people's private data. There was also no way for the hacker to access usernames and passwords and nor could the attacker have decrypted VPN traffic to other servers.
Spies, lies and data thieves: It's time to get a VPN
If we've learned anything in the past few years, it's that the internet is full of creeps trying to spy on us. And I don't just mean malicious hackers, scammers, wi-fi snoopers, account hijackers and wankers in trench coats. Often the creeps in question are companies snatching our private data. And advertisers following us around like mouth-breathing Peeping Toms.
Russia to start blocking major VPNs after censorship refusal
Russia's hatred for censorship-dodging VPNs is well-known, and it's now prepared to follow through on its warnings. Telecoms oversight chief Alexander Zharov told Interfax that he expected to block nine major VPNs, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN, for refusing to connect to a national blacklist that would prevent people from accessing sites through their tunneling services. He expected that the crackdown could take place within a month.
Putin signs Russian internet isolation bill into law
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law on Wednesday that will tighten government control over the internet. The new law requires that internet service providers in Russia unplug from foreign servers. It also calls for the creation of a national domain system that would allow the country to stay online if it was ever cut off from the global internet. The law will go into effect on November 1st, the Financial Times reports.
Cloudflare's privacy-focused DNS app adds a free VPN
Cloudfare's 1.1.1.1 DNS service will add a VPN to its app for mobile devices. Known as Warp, the feature will gives users of the DNS resolver even more privacy while browsing the internet on their phone. Though the 1.1.1.1 DNS service already keeps your carrier from tracking your browser history, it doesn't encrypt your internet traffic. Setting up encryption manually on Cloudfare's DNS server, while possible, required some Linux prowess.
Opera for Android ships with free VPN
Opera announced that it is offering free VPN protection to all users on Android. The latest version of the company's Android app will include a built-in VPN, expanding a service that it first made available to mobile beta users last month and has offered in its desktop app for years. The VPN will be available starting in Opera for Android 51, which will start rolling out in the Google Play Store today.
Opera's free VPN is now built into its Android browser
Opera is adding a free, unlimited VPN to its Android browser. It's rolling out the VPN gradually to beta users first before making it more widely available. You'll be able to set your location as America, Europe or Asia, or use a setting to automatically pick the optimal connection. There are also options to turn off the VPN while searching so you get more localized results and to only activate it on private tabs.
Google also has a data-vacuuming iOS app that bypasses the App Store (Update)
Facebook isn't the only tech giant to offer a data-vacuuming app that sidesteps Apple's App Store. Since 2012, Google has allowed people to earn gift cards by offering up their data through its Screenwise project. On iOS and Android, the company gains access to participants' data through a VPN app called Screenwise Meter. But if Facebook's latest turmoils are anything to go by, Google could suffer Apple's ire over it.
Firefox update adds improved tracking protection
Mozilla is trying to do something about that eerie feeling you get when you think of cat food and all of a sudden start seeing targeted ads about cat food -- with the new Firefox update, anti-tracking measures are being implemented that will prevent websites from following you as you jump from site to site. This comes a year after Firefox's last major update, Quantum , which brought with it increased speed, as well as an earlier version of tracking protection.

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