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So what ARE the current "good" VPN services? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 1 week ago by NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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I've used proton for a year or two now and it is fine. Great for use on my phone when I want to use public/airport wifi and it sort of kind of works with gluetun (the rotating port is annoying but it still is a forwarded port).

But I've increasingly been annoyed with Proton as a company and am looking to migrate my email/domain to fastmail in the very near future. I COULD continue to just pay for the vpn (60 USD a year is pretty reasonable) but also feel like this is a good opportunity to "shop around"

Checked the wiki and other FAQs (which all basically crib from said wiki) and they all basically boil down to proton or mullivad... except that mullivad apparently stopped allowing port forwarding which is a bit of an issue for any torrents and the like.

So are there any other good options?

Thanks

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[-] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago

Why is NordVPN not mentioned ? I’m using it and happy so far. Should I switch to something else ?

[-] MangoPenguin 33 points 1 week ago

Too much advertising, it just feels off.

[-] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 31 points 1 week ago

I think a safe assumption is that anyone that runs over half of their budget in ads can't be trusted.

[-] 0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I have no opinion of them, but I'm curious why advertising would imply untrustworthiness. Are you saying they're too eager or something? Spending money on ads is also consistent with a company that's making money by charging for a service — I'd be more suspicious of free VPNs.

[-] Abnorc@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

My experience with products that lean so heavily into the sponsors is that they're usually mediocre in terms of your overall choices. Basically, the ads kind of give me bad vibes. I admit, it's not a rational judgment, but I won't go out of my way to find out if NordVPN is actually good when there are alternatives.

If many people feel the same way, it may be evidence that sponsors are an outdated method of advertising.

[-] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It is more than a bit of a fallacy, but the general idea is that any product worth using will distinguish itself. Whereas the products that spend vast amounts of money on advertisement "can't stand on their own".

Like I said, it is a fallacy that insists companies should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and ignores the reality of the landscape these days.

THAT said: nordvpn goes REALLY hard on the advertisements and is still one of the more popular/few remaining big sponsors for podcasts and influencers. And THAT gives me pause because it has generally been shown that those are horrible venues for "getting a product out there" and mostly exist to take advantage of parasocial relationships. And, based on the linus media group leaks and corroboration from various twitch streamers, the big outfits are asking for a LOT of money per sponsorship spot.

And considering there is no way to really vet a VPN and you are inherently trusting them to do what they say they do (or do the good version of what they don't even bother to talk about)...

[-] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

The number of leads youtube/podcast advertising generates is not that impressive, the number of leads that become buyers is even less impressive. When a company spends too much on this type of advertising for a product that is not "premium"(meaning overpriced shit), it casts a shadow of doubt on where they get their revenue.

[-] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 1 week ago

if you care about privacy , yes, you should

[-] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

Why ? Asking seriously because they got multiple certifications about their no-logs policy done by independent third parties.

[-] user01@lemm.ee 5 points 1 week ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement

[-] DrDystopia@lemy.lol 1 points 1 week ago

Nord is Lithuanian.

[-] user01@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

Looks like its vpn is based in Panama. Not sure why I thought it was within 14 eyes jurisdiction. My bad

[-] Brumefey@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

What’s the relation with NordVPN ? Are other VPN providers I.e mullivad better ?

[-] MasterBuilder@lemmy.one 2 points 1 week ago

I'm guessing his/her point involves the location of its incorporation. Any company in the "five eyes" zone can be forced to release details about its users to any member state. One must evaluate whether NordVPN keeps anything more than a few hours - days tops - to decide if it is "safe enough". I was worried enough about this particular point that I chose a VPN that is not in any way beholden to five eyes or the fourteen eyes, which is a similar agreement.

Proton caught heat because of its release of information to the local law enforcement recently. While Switzerland is not part of the five eyes, it does have its own laws requiring a reveal in certain circumstances. I forgot the details, but I think they had an IP address that had not yet been wiped from cache, and that was enough to pinpoint the hackers being sought.

In truth, there's no sure way to be sure. One still must trust the organization is both honest and competent enough to properly wipe any residual information. No matter who it is, some amount of information has to be in cache for some time in order to be able to deliver the service, and there also needs something tracking the workings of the system to ensure it isn't overloaded or to find opportunities to improve it.

[-] DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 week ago

No Port forwarding

[-] Chewy7324@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 week ago

I just want to mention that the forwarded port provided by the VPN must match the one configured in the torrent client. Buying a VPN which offers port forwarding is not enough.