When you use the internet, chances are that you have an Internet Service Provider selling this service to you. ISPs are the customer endpoints that connect households to the backbone of the internet. They naturally see all data you transmit or receive. Some of it may be encrypted, some not. Your ISP sees which IPs you connect to, when and how much data you transmit, and to what HTTP domains. Yes, your ISP knows and likely has logs about that you’ve been looking at thisotherwebsiteisometimesgoto.com. In this article I will show you how to stay safe and secure online with Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN!
We all argue that we don’t have anything to hide in front of others. That doesn’t mean you need to give away everything freely though. This is why the Virtual Private Network (VPN) was introduced. It acts as a tunnel between your computer at home and some distant server. That distant server now becomes the connection to the internet backbone instead of your ISP. Arguably, this doesn’t get you in a better place yet. But now you have control over whom you give your data, and to what terms.
Many VPNs to choose from: What to look out for
There is a myriad of VPN providers out there today. The metrics they differentiate them by are usually:
- Cost per month: $3-$10 is the usual range (or less if you commit to multi year contracts)
- Server locations: This decides the law that applies to them, and can be used to unlock geo-restrictions
- Client features: Streaming-optimized servers, p2p sharing servers, Tor routing, multihop to name a few
- Logs policy: Whether they keep logs of your activity
- Supported platforms: Some have full support for Windows, mac OS, Linux, and mobile platforms, some lack in one or more
- Money back guarantee: If you’re not satisfied within some period of time, get your money back, no questions asked
All VPN companies usually try to boast a helpful, quick customer support. This is true or not to some extent for many, but that applies to non-VPN companies as well. One additional detail the top VPN providers highlight is their court-proven no logs policy. If they need to attest in court, some companies have proven to stay true to their word. They can’t give the court information they don’t have. How exactly that plays out in law and justice afterwards depends on the exact case. Some companies have their headquarters located in countries or states with a less restrictive jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions legally allow not keeping logs, which protects these companies. In most regards though they are seen in the same role as ISPs. They are generally not held accountable for user actions.
Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN: A Proven, Affordable Allrounder
For private internet browsing that doesn’t record your actions, you will want a VPN that doesn’t keep logs. It should work well on your target platform(s), and have the client features you need. If you aim to circumvent geo-restrictions, having a server in the target region is required.
One such service is Private Internet Access (PIA). They have a 30 days money back guarantee so you get to try them out. PIA was founded in 2010 by Private Internet Access, Inc., located in the US. They have a proven strict no-logs policy. A big plus: They make their source code available as open source software on GitHub, which is remarkable.
Get your PIA Account now!
PIA VPN Features on Offer
PIA offers 24/7 customer support, has a customer base of 15+ million users and has advanced client features to offer:
- Support all major platforms: Including Windows, mac OS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS, gaming consoles, smart TVs and even routers
- Blocks ads: It filters out many known ad providers, keeping you safe from obtrusive and potentially malicious ad code
- Split tunneling: You can decide (locally) which applications should go through VPN and which ones use your regular internet connection
- Multihop and obfuscation: PIA VPN uses their Shadowsocks feature to obfuscate the fact that you use a VPN. Many VPN servers are known by their IP and some service providers block connections from VPNs. With obfuscation, you can circumvent this.
- System-wide killswitch: If this switch is on, no traffic can leak out, even if the connection drops. The killswitch prevents any data from leaving the system if the VPN connection is down.
- Port forwarding: You can request to have one port forwarded from outside. PIA assigns the port number dynamically upon connect.
Many Connections and Devices Protected
PIA allows you to use its service on an unlimited number of devices, with unlimited simultaneous connections. Many VPN providers limit this to just under 10 connections or devices, and usually charge for more. With PIA, that’s all included. Also, your bandwidth is not limited! PIA VPN uses WireGuard to encrypt and protect your connection (you can switch to IPSec or OpenVPN though). The features are equally well supported on all major platforms, helping you to stay safe with PIA VPN.
PIA VPN allows you to use torrent protocols. While torrenting is not inherently evil, many VPN providers forbid and block its usage on their network. PIA openly advertises this as a feature of their service.
Affordable Pricing, More Features
The regular monthly price for PIA access is 11.69€ per month. If you are willing to commit for longer, you can currently get it down to 1.75€ per month.
Additional options you can purchase include an Antivirus, and a dedicated IP feature. This is particularly interesting if you either want to make your host available from outside via a static IP. It is also useful if you want to prevent captchas from popping up again and again. You can order these on the initial purchase or later on.
They offer a free email breach scanner. This basically means that they monitor common databases that contain leaked email addresses. They will notify you if yours shows up. Not necessarily a VPN feature, but nevertheless one way PIA VPN helps you stay safe!
Automation and Scripting for PIA VPN
PIA VPN comes with sleek, easy to use GUIs for all major platforms. It offers a command line utility too though if you prefer to automate or operate the client from command line. The utility allows you to:
- Login or logout and check if your account is logged in
- Connect to specific servers (or let PIA auto choose based on latency to your location)
- Request port forwarding, and read the forwarded port number
- Turn on/off all kinds of settings and features mentioned above
There is an extensive documentation available here. You can configure the client to automatically start, and optionally automatically connect. You can configure this to happen at system boot time or when a user logs in.
So if you decide to secure your internet access with a VPN connection, consider giving Private Internet Access a try. You can request your money back within 30 days. For me, the product comes cheap for the price and performance! Stay safe with PIA VPN!
Get your PIA Account now!
Get the Conversation Started
Be sure to not give away your identity through your browsing habits or your browser app. To protect yourself even further, try the new, safe DuckDuckGo browser! And if you want to share content, consider adding Tor to your setup! You have thoughts about this article or VPNs in general or just want to share your experiences? Comment below to get the coversation started!