VPNs - this is the handy software that you can use to make sure that you have as much protection as your can for your device. Not only do they come with military-grade encryption, but they also have an automatic killswitch that will activate if you exceed your data limit.
A lot of people use VPNs for hiding their internet activity. They also use it to access movies and TV shows that might not be available in their native country. By hiding your IP address, a company cannot track where you are streaming content from.
Gamers also like to use VPNs to stop third-parties from getting involved in their consoles. Sometimes if you download an indie game, it can come with plenty of unwanted malware. Also, if you are downloading music from Spotify, this is a great way to keep third parties from tracking your activity.
One method of doing this is by keeping all of your logs secret. A lot of VPN websites keep logs private, which means that nobody has access to what you are searching. This way, your information will not be sold to third parties, this is why you get things such as targeted advertising.
So how secure is a VPN? Do they really keep zero logs on all your internet transactions? Have any websites violated this policy? What happens if your data is sold to third parties? How can you find out how secure your VPN really is?
Well, if you need answers to your VPN-related questions, then you should definitely keep reading. We’ll tell you what a VPN really means when they say ‘no logging’ and how accurate that can be.
What Are Logs?
This will usually mean a record of all the transactions that you’ve made on the internet that day. This can vary from what websites you’ve visited, as well as the timestamp on what things you’ve been watching.
A lot of VPNs will state that they do not keep a record of your IP address and actually provide you with a non-static IP address when you first start using your VPN. This means that your VPN will actually keep a record of some of the basic details of your internet search and website visiting history.
A lot of VPNs also have a killswitch, which means that the software will automatically disconnect you from the internet when you have exceeded your allotted bandwidth. It also activates if it feels like bad-faith actors or hackers are trying to access your computer remotely.
By removing all of your logs, other websites won’t be able to track you. It also won’t be able to get hold of your data and use it to target you when it comes to advertisements or political campaigns. This has been the cause of much controversy, with a lot of users not wanting their movements tracked online.
A log is made automatically as soon as you visit a website. This means that companies and algorithms can keep track of where you are on the internet, which a lot of people find really invasive. A lot of companies also use this information in their targeted advertising campaigns.
The way a VPN works is by connecting you to an independent server and masking your IP address by providing their own. These IP addresses are always changing to make sure that nobody can hack them.
They also won’t keep any logs of your transactions with the internet, so you won’t have to worry about any third-party website gaining access to your personal information.
Which VPNs Keep Logs and Which Don’t?
It’s truly difficult to tell which websites are being honest when they say that they operate on a strict ‘no logging’ policy. VPN providers such as VPN Unlimited state that it does not store the timestamps of its users, but they do keep a temporary record of them. This might be a dealbreaker for some who want that total security.
This VPN says that they do not keep a record of the specific websites that their customers visit, but there is a brief log of the timestamp. However, they provide you with a new IP address that is not fixed, rather that it keeps changing to evade tracking devices.
A lot of VPNs will advertise that they encrypt a lot of different websites and work on numerous operating systems such as Windows and Apple.
VPN providers such as Express VPN will offer you blanket protection across all platforms and operating systems. This is probably one of the best VPN softwares that you can get for your gaming too, as it works very well with consoles, coming with a DNS cable.
You’ll have to do a bit of digging when it comes to finding out which VPN providers truly offer a no-logging policy. Sometimes they might state that they have zero traces of your internet browsing history, but they might still keep all the accounts of you interacting with the servers themselves.
Ultimately, thanks to new legislation, it is illegal to pass on any data without your consent. We would recommend that you shop around before securing a decent VPN. Make sure that when they say that they have a zero-logging policy that they really mean it!
Our Final Say
We hope that this article has given you a bit more information on no-logging and how you can find a company that really means what they say when it comes to this practice.
Remember that some of these companies can have access to the timestamps on your logs, so there will be a record of the places that you’ve visited and at what time.
- Does a VPN Protect You on Public Wi-Fi? - July 21, 2021
- What Is VPN Tunneling (And How Does It Work)? - July 21, 2021
- What Is VPN Passthrough? (Explained) - July 21, 2021