Can we trust TOR, or any public VPN service?

So, you want to cruise the Internet anonymously. You need a good VPN. That means no user logins, no logging of your activity, no blocking of traffic – and no cooperation with the NSA.

TOR, famously, is NOT all these things. Thinking you are safe by using TOR alone is a sad mistake with big consequences. A VPN is a good layer to add, assuming you do it right, if there is a truly right way. One saying I’ve heard is, “VPN before TOR, cops at your door.” Presumably TOR before VPN, ain’t no one coming in?

Back in 2014 I found this list of VPN providers and their answers to some very pointed questions about the security, confidentiality and privacy they provide their users.

https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-services-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2014-edition-140315/

More recently (2015), Jock at SecureThoughts.com directed me to a much-updated version of this article, using the blindingly clear Infographics style.

http://securethoughts.com/best-vpn/

This issue hasn’t gotten any smaller over the past year; in fact, I’ve been analyzing confidential services, and finding that you’ll largely have to go to Switzerland to get them. Read the article and see just how “private” most services really are.

#encryption #hackerhighschool

* * *