The DARK side of VPNs
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- Out now NBTV’s new Ebook - Beginner’s Introduction to Privacy - available at:
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It turns out that an overwhelming number of VPNs are actively harvesting and selling your data, capturing passwords / credentials / movements from your web activities, and doing all sorts of awful things.
VPNs can be super useful: to help you watch the Netflix catalogue of another country, avoid government surveillance and censorship under oppressive regimes, hide your IP address from websites, stay safe on public wifi, and stop your ISP from spying on your internet activities.
But it REALLY depends on which VPN you’re using.
In this video we’re going to explore which VPN companies own which review sites, which VPN permissions demand far too much access to your machine, which code has appalling security, and the giant red flags in a lot of this code that scream data collection.
00:00 Private Private Super Secret Secure VPN!
00:42 Intro
02:33 What VPNs Do
04:17 The Risk of Free VPN Services
05:30 1clickVPN
07:15 FreeVPN
08:44 ZenMate
10:03 AZA VPN and HULA VPN
11:29 NordVPN and ExpressVPN
14:01 Kape Technologies
15:23 Ziff Davis and White Labeling
16:42 Chinese Data Collection
18:04 Affiliate Sponsorships
18:57 Final Tips
19:21 Support NBTV/Outro
When you’re choosing a VPN or other tools for your privacy arsenal, it’s a good idea to do your own research and see what the security experts are saying. There’s some great information out there, but you do need to learn how to look for it.
Special Thanks to Jonathan Tomek for sharing his awesome research with us for this video!
More details in Consumer Reports:
digital-lab-wp.consumerreport...
Brought to you by NBTV members: Lee Rennie, Reuben Yap, Sam Ettaro, Will Sandoval, and Naomi Brockwell.
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Recommended Books:
Permanent Record - Edward Snowden
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No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald
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What has the government done to our money - Rothbard
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Extreme Privacy - Michael Bazzel (The best privacy book I've ever read)
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Naomi's Privacy Bag: some of my favorite products to help protect your privacy!
Use the Brave browser! brave.com/nao076
USB-C to ethernet adapter:
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Faraday bag (signal stopping, to protect your fob, credit card, computer, and phone)
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Data Blocker (if you're charging your phone in an unknown port, use this so that no data is transferred)
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Computer privacy screen (use your computer in public? Keep your information safe! Choose the size right for your computer)
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Phone privacy screen (don't let people in public see your private data, choose the size for your phone)
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Camera cover (for computers and phones, so no one can access your camera without you knowing)
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Privacy Tip: Turn off your wifi and bluetooth when you're not using them!!! 
Наука
Important note based on the comments:
Many people are saying this video made them NOT want to use a VPN at all.
YOU SHOULD USE A VPN!
Just make sure it’s a good one.
Most people like mullvad.
I also like ProtonVPN and use it because it’s super stable, but have heard some conflicting stories, so make up your own mind there 🙏
Good stuff. CR (Consumer Reports) is a pretty good outfit (tho in the 1990s they unfairly slammed Isuzu/Suzuki cars for roll-over risk when there was little of it) so I'll check out their report.
I believe the issue that people have with Proton AG (AKA ProtonMail and Proton VPN) is the impossibility of using it in an anonymous manner. This has led to the dreaded accusation that they are, in fact, an FBI honey pot. From my research, that's fear mongering (intentionally so, or not). The two that I am looking into are Windscribe (a Canadian VPN run by people I genuinely believe when they say that they are privacy focused) and Mullvad (or Mozilla VPN, which is just a white label Mullvad), who actively work to help you be anonymous.
A note in regards to he video, Grey Goose has publicly said that they do not make Kirkland brand. USAToday did a 'fact check' which revealed that "LEVECKE CORPORATION" is the manufacturer of Kirkland vodka.
That said, if Grey Goose, the vodka, is not Kirkland brand vodka, that does not mean that Grey Goose, the company (Actually "Bacardi Limited" is the company) might make Kirkland vodka through Levecke Corporation. Just because someone makes or white labels a product, does not mean that that product is not in some manner modified for the purchaser (in this case, the public facing company that then sells you the white-labelled product).
VPN's are just "tunnels" - that is all.
It pretends your pc is in that location; but all the data for for your PC is exposed; just from a different IP.
It is *NOT* a filter of data available if you didn't use a VPN. You are still identifiable!.
Even on TOR, metrics exist to identify people.
What is the word on Kaspersky VPN, especially since it is now bundled into Kaspersky Plus?
@@Shagsteri Tor uses 3 VPN so accessing is far more difficult. Tor is slow tho.
You know when someone values quality over money when she puts herself on the blacklist of half her possible sponsors in one video
I do that all the time. In the long haul, it pays off, as my client base becomes more educated and values core competence over shillmanship. Another excellent content maker is Louis Rossman. He champions right-to-repair and ownership of what we buy.
it takes guts
Your mocking impersonification of the typical Instagram influencer is awesome!
I was thinking of RUclipsrs, lol
Meanwhile me
KAREN?????
I would love to see Tom Spark's reaction - or even an explanation over how he can sleep at night knowing he is only in it for the money from referrals. DO people still have to read out pre-approved scripts and have their videos approved before they are paid for advertising VPNs! We all know what goes on. People that want to make money will allow themselves to be used by companies in return for a few free gifts or money, not considering the effect a product has on others.
You see it all the time with review videos, take for example car reviews. They are ALL the same, set out the same way, follow the same script, have the same video angles, the same wording throughout. The only thing that is different is the name of the channel and area of the country, plus the advertiser. They do it to get a hire car for a few weeks and that is all. People advertising VPNs and offering affiliate links can get a 40% commission, but some have sales targets to hit, to try and reduce what they give affiliates.
🤣 It's not the only thing that's been mocked.
I always had my suspicions but man.. the vpn industries is just a giant private information harvesting scheme. Thanks so much for this episode.
yeah bro, one needs to do their research to the shithouse to find one that's not a peice of shit..
Yup - I've had my suspicions and avoid them.
All of Big Tech is designed to follow your every move. This didn't start yesterday.
VPN is a service that makes it more secure, watching content is restricted by IP location or the policy of the service you want to use, like netflix is an example, even if you don't use vpn, gg, facebook etc. still collects your information everyday even when you don't use it, for example you put your phone next to you,the screen is turn off and talk about a certain item like perfume, clothes, jewelry etc and then turn on the phone and surf facebook or any website with ads on it, the item you just mentioned will be displayed, in this era if you don't want to reveal information, it's best not to use the internet
@@longtran1871 You really think your microphone in your phone is being monitored?
Being a CIO for over 35 yrs I have always told people to stay away from VPNs because 99% of people do not understand how a VPN actually works. Recently, because of covid, many company's have their own VPNs which are managed by thier own IT staff, but are also subject to content filtering firewalls as well with reverse IP lookups. These VPNs are great for doing remote working.
You don't need to know how a car works to drive one either. VPN's help... but its still comes down to how much trust will YOU give up... The answer usually is: much more than before..
Its fine to use VPN's as long as people aren't stupid about it The problem I have is many VPN businesses go out the rails as how great they are, encryption, and boasting like they never boasted before :P
And. it works.. How much more info goes online now thanks to VPN tunnels, SSL and all ?? My hands are washed.. It's a shame in 30 years later we still assume businesses are the ones who should look out for us, and when that fails, its better to 'keeping digging and hoping' then than users change themselves. I've done that 10 years ago... Can't say the same for most others.. They still would rather trust someone to protect the data they "chose" to give up/
CIO? “Reverse IP lookups”
What would you suggest as an alternative for a VPN, or is there no alternative?
You have made it so much easier to keep up with the current bs in tech and made it super simple to share that with my friends! Thank you for all you do!
Thanks for watching!
Betime the video is out, things can change quickly as well.
*Simple Rule:* if you opt for VPN, choose one you trust more than your own ISP. You are essentially transferring (sharing) data your ISP would have, over to that VPN provider. Choose carefully.
I know beyond a doubt I can't trust my ISP so that's a pretty low bar 😂
@@daggern15
Very good point and choose one that does independent audits.
But, for the same price as a commercial VPN you can use a VPS running your own Open-Source VPN software, such as OpenVPN.
This way you can become your families own VPN service. It's what I do, and I sleep very well at nights ; ) You can also add protection against web threats or set up parental locks and logging if that's your thing... or, just use it as a tunnel with no logging.
Only use it occasionally? Then get away with paying $0.000124 per minute (half a cent an hour) ... and pay that ONLY when you're ACTUALLY using it. Just get a VPS or Container host that charges by the minute and lets you suspend your services. I mean why pay for 24/7/365 when your VPS can sleep when you do?
If I want general anonymity, I use TOR from within a VM.
And, if I want strong anonymity I have a back-to-back connection through my own private B2B TOR node which manipulates headers, compression and generates idle traffic (within the onion route) to completely prevent traffic correlation attacks... with this, I am even private from governmental-level bad actors.
My laptops are all protected with a three-layer whole disk encryption.
If forced to hand over the password to unlock them, I can pretend to comply, and give them a password to the decoy system... they'd never be able to prove that the other system even exists. So, I am invulnerable to court orders.
What I'm saying is, there are STRONG solutions to most problems.
VPNs are nice, but are not the solution they claim to be - And it definitely doesn't make sense (financially or in terms of privacy) to rent time on someone elses.
That's like paying a complete stranger to hide YOUR cash under THEIR mattress... to protect yourself from your own landlord, just in case he snoops... when you should probably just open a bank account : /
For every job, there's a tool that gets it done best.
Its in a tunnel...
@@daggern15 However, you trust them enough to have a connection with them. This security and privacy is fun to play devil's advocate....
Since I became privacy aware I've tried Windscribe, Proton VPN & finally settled on Mullvad VPN. Doing research about the country's privacy laws where the VPN company resides is also important I might add. I did hear about VPNs that rely entirely on crypto such as orchid VPN I do hope you shed some light on it in a future video, as always thank you for everything you've done for the privacy and anonymity community.
Mullvad is a very good choice. U def did your homework.
14 eyes
I believe that Mozilla VPN is based on Mullvad VPN. Is that correct? Or where do they differ, under a security standpoint?
@@cont8155 Isn't ExpressVPN (my VPN of choice) also subject to 14 eyes? I don't mind 14 Eyes to nail some deviant, I just need a VPN to allow me to theoretically download the occasional copyrighted work without my ISP sending me a copyright strike notice (which has happened).
Yeah it's pretty much impossible to trust an American one , nsa etc
I have been using express for over 2 years and I was kinda happy with them, at the time they were my best option but now... sigh 😕, I hope you make a video with potential good options to choose from Naomi.
I recommend Mullvad or Proton Vpn they're both open source products and respects your privacy🙂
To be fair, a VPN provider might get your location on an app so it knows roughly (or exactly!!) where you are and which node it should connect you to. Generally, each VPN provider would only have a couple of nodes in each country, so a rough idea of where you are should be sufficient. This video doesn't give them that credit.
Obviously that always depends on your ISPs exit node to the internet, so I'm based in London and my exit node is fortunately in London, which is great, so ExpressVPN gives me a London VPN node.
I've not tried being elsewhere, like say if I was in Birmingham UK and my ISPs exit node was London, would ExpressVPN give me a Birmingham node because I was nearby, or would it give me their London node as that's closer to my ISPs exit node and so more efficient? Again, it depending on what country you're in, it might not matter because you might only have one VPN node anyway. But what if you're with a UK mobile ISP and when you're abroad (say Spain), it could route all your traffic through the UK, so a UK VPN node would be better than say the closest VPN node which might be in Madrid.
Realistically, a VPN provider should be able to use your internet facing IP address to identify the best VPN node for you, as that'll be the closest one to their nodes.
www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/expressvpn-server-seized-in-turkey-verifyies-no-logs-claim/
That article (I don't know if it's trustworthy, but I've heard the story a few times) shows ExpressVPN doesn't keep logs. But then to be honest, if you're doing something illegal, expect to be caught. If you're just trying to reduce the likelihood of a MITM attack while on public Wi-Fi connections, or just watch something on an international platform that your country can't get, use whatever VPN provider you like. I use ExpressVPN.
@@methane1027 What email services do you happen use?
@@AubsUK better yet, use a virtual machine to do ur 'private' stuff, something like whonix would be good I guess
I hope so, as well. The people really need that. Myself included.
Naomi, red hair, good speaker, good sense of style, and extremely tech savvy. A bunch of not so common qualities in one bundle. And I'm pretty confident in my ability to know when some ones reading off a script that they didn't write. And I'm almost certain this info is straight out of your head and your own research.
Thank you for providing good info on a subject that often has a lot of bad opinions and in a digestible way.
WoW! You’ve opened my eyes. I feel so played. Thank you. I will be supporting you.
I've only just come across your channel and I'm impressed. Super impressed actually. Thrive and prosper NBTV!
Amazing video. Exemplary professionalism. Thanks for the great research and report, and also for the good-looking presentation in form and content.
Thank you for this invaluable information 👍👍 It is disgusting that on paying for a service the company is ripping you off by selling your data. Legalisation is required outlawing such practices.
Most privacy services do, they feed off the gullible people. I've had people tell me that no one can see their email as they use ProtonMail and the App says it's all encrypted! None of them know it goes out of Proton in plain text and other people sending them emails do so in plain text for all to see. VPNs are just rented proxy servers scamming people by making them think they need one to keep them all safe and secure - when all they want to do is sift through their data and sell it.
Fantastic information as always Naomi. I wish I' d seen this a couple of months ago. Thank you.
Thank you Naomi!! I have just come across your channel and it’s just perfect!!
I’d be very up for purchasing one of the phones you suggested in another video as well! (I’m in the Uk)
it's mentioned in the pinned comment, but mullvad is super solid privacy wise. They go out of their way to explain exactly what they do and what they don't collect, they run their servers entirely in RAM (so no drives installed even capable of storing data) and generally just seem to be super trustworthy. You can do some more research on your own (and should) but they generally seem super reliable in every metric.
And you can pay for your account in cash!
@@Jenny-px5tu or monero, if sending cash is not an option
The problem is equipment in data farms. UK Law requires data logging of traffic. The VPN might not log, traffic, but they do log connections and use. The data farm logs the data in and out.
It is a word game. Mullvad is more respected than most.
@@OH2023-cj9if and Mullvad isn't based in the UK? They're based in Sweden. I'm not quite sure what your argument is here.
The issue is the word game that VPNs play. To operate in the UK, companies, BY LAW, must make their traffic available for inspection and storage by GCHQ and other law enforcement agencies. The VPN will say "we do not log your personal data", this is only partly true - they need to log your activity and personal details for connections and accounting. The hosting company is also controlled by UK Law if over here, so all data is available for inspection as it is stored. They now say things like "We use RAM servers" to make you think hard drives can not be confiscated. That's the equivalent of "military grade encryption" claims! It doesn't matter what drives they use, the hosting company is complying with Law and handing over the data. Most VPNs do respond to requests for information or they are closed down.
I would not trust the reviews from Tom Spark or believe his content as he works as an influencer and affiliate marketer. His only interest is making money from people signing up to VPNs, so he is inclined to give reviews he feels will boost sales.
He was not even aware WeVPN was a front for UK Security Services to monitor and play with VPN traffic to catch people.
The excuse was that it was a number of ex-PIA staff that left when Kape bought the company, they decided to set up on their own. Looking at the site and doing background checks and using some OSINT soon revealed who was behind WeVPN.
They were forced to shut down when they were found out and details were revealed on social media concerning which police stations some of the servers were located in - they had forgotten that the police IP was being presented to sites!
A very simple mistake to make, but their cover was blown.
So don't go using VPNs, they are just inspecting, controlling and selling all your data and you pay them to, plus they are registered in companies that give NO protection in terms of Data Protection or Consumer Laws. Nord is even banned from using PayPal because of all the complaints they were getting and refunds. It is more valuable if they can get a credit card or bank account linked to a profile, then it is verified and sells for more. ALL your info and you were told it was for your own benefit.
Please don't waste money on VPNs and think they offer privacy, security or a really misunderstood term - anonymity,
Naomi is correct, listen to her.
Something I tend to do is forgo a provider's app, and stick with the reference client for the VPN protocol in question whenever possible. I'm well aware that there are many services that have good apps, but at the end of the day, unless I need some very specific feature, it'll be a hard pass on installing another OpenVPN, or WireGuard client.
New subscriber from NZ. Phenomenal information, thank you so much. Looking forward to spending the next few weeks watching the restbof your content. Keep up the good work. 💕🙏💕
Wow, well that was an eye opener. Thank you for this information.
ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE KNOWLEDGE YOU BRING US. 🙏 💯
🙏🙏
Thank you for taking the time to share information that we should ALL be aware of, but most of us just go through life accepting permissions without thinking. I've fallen prey to this myself. If I'm in a hurry and I need to download something, I won't take the time to read the EULA or permissions because I need it to finish a task or reach out to someone in a hurry. Slow down, do your OWN research, and make the best choices for your privacy.
Awesome video 🎉
Would love a video about how “hidden” doesn’t mean secured or invisible on the internet. And some recommendations for secure use of proxies
Thank you so much for educating us on all this overwhelming information 😊
Great exposé. I've thought this before about free VPN's in particular, but VPN'S are one of the most vaguely documented techs out there so it's much harder to get clarity on them than other things. Your revelation that they own review sites & sites like PC Mag may explain that.
Thank you so much for this! VPN's are a great tool for company infrastructure like giving the user access to files AND allowing the company to scan and control their client computers...
I left the IT industry over a decade ago so I've struggled with argumentation like this myself.
I have a bunch of people I'll send this to.
And lets not forget that a tunnel goes two ways, companies use them to push updates, scan and backup files etc - a VPN company can do the same unless the end user is very skilled in setting up a computer (and those that are so skilled will unlikely be in need of these services).
Very good information. Thx Naomi, your channel is great! Very good work. Greetz from Germany.
Thanks Naomi…what an eye opener!
Your hair is looking amazing this time of year.
Naomi. Thank you for the work you do. It's so important that people are educated about what is happening in our society. Also I liked your latest Snapchat episode. People need to know where and how their privacy is being compromised.
🙏
You popped up in recommended channels for me usually these are channels if no interest the first i watched was your video about not having google on your phone, really liked how you explained everything and so i clicked on your channel to see what else youve done and omg is your channel for me! So subscribed now and about to watch all of them! Happy ive found you and your channel!
💛
Insightfull as allways Naomi.
Keep up the good work ;-)
Hello Naomi,
Thank you for your great videos! But.. after seeing this one I am a little confused. I use a paid VPN (Surfshark) but is that good or better use another one? Could you show or make a list on which you rank the vpn's that are not collecting your data or how I can find out myself?Thank you! Simone (from the Netherlands - so not sure if that makes a difference for which VPN to use?)
I've been using Surfshark as well. It's really cheap, but I'm considering not using it anymore
Great video... I'm using my own OpenVPN server on my own VPS server... no logging, no spying... this could be a good subject for YT video
Glad I saw this. Very informative
Great video. I've just discovered your channel. Fascinating content.
Good luck indeed! At least we have you Naomi. I only use Proton VPN because they've stayed ahead of everyone else when it comes to encryption and open-source support. The addition of onion routers was just a bonus.
ProtonVPN is by far the best
Proton also never aggressively advertised because people who knew what they wanted could just, y'know, _go find it._ Any VPN that actively _looks_ for customers should not be trusted, for obvious reasons.
So far I must agree. Proton does seem to be convincing.
Girl I can’t. I can’t deal w/ doing something good for my privacy & then being told I made it worse
one step at a time! Go with Mullvad or protonvpn and you're making a big difference to your privacy
@@NaomiBrockwellTV I tend to think 'trust' is more important then a VPN or any encryption because its the gateway to sharing with 'anonymous'' users..... Maybe its me.. but the more "tools" me have, the more likely we will trust.. And that is not the way privacy works.. If anyone read 1984 by George Orwell. its paints the situation we have today perfectly..
And that was back in 1984.... even before all the crap we have today..
As always, great content! And you seem to find very good guests to interview as well. I learn a ton here. Thank you for all you do!
I would like to ask tho, is there any info you could pass on that would show how one goes about doing the digging you talk about here. I have a good amount of trust of the info you pass on but even you yourself tell us to do our own digging. Just don't know how or where to start. I'm not a business person and I'm not a CEO or anyone terribly important. I'm just a minion. But I'm a minion who cares about his privacy. So any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
And thank you again for your work here! I look forward to each release!
Thank you. You are amazing to do this work.
I've always been very sceptical to free and more or less free vpns. Almost every bigger site nowadays have ads that promise amazing protection against malware and almost everything else. The scariest thing I learned today was that a third of the programs are China based/owned.
Of course there are some legitimete uses for a VPN but they try to make people belive that as long as you have one nothing unpleasant can happen to you on the net while browsing.
Excellent post, as always, Naomi !
Rule of thumb : if the service is free, then you are the product
…she just stated that even *paid* VPNs are selling user data.
The “you are the product” stoner adage needs to go away. Some companies that you pay can, and do still sell your data. And some companies that provide free products do not abuse your data. It’s a ridiculous oversimplification and misleading at best.
Me also surprised that the data-collectors are 1/3 of China, but at the same time 2/3 is stolen by "friendly fire"???. The amount of money that is used in these takeovers came out all of our pockets first material (8 USD/month) and immaterial (keystroke presence detection), and the data has an intrinsic ongoing value after today as well and counting!
@@TwiggehTV Second rule: If you pay 8 USD/month your still the product!
There are those that will always demand 'free' no matter how hard we try and convince otherwise... People have to also understand that fact as well, i think before we can move on.
I was using ExpressVPN for a number of years and recently switched to ProtonVPN. It was an easy switch to make because they have servers in my country/state, and bundle in the email and storage services (which I would have had to all pay individually on other platforms otherwise), all for the same price I was paying for Express. Performance isn't hugely different either. Definitely really happy with the whole suit of products so far.
ExpressVPN is all i use.... I'd probably go out on a limb and say I wouldn't be choosing based on location of end point. I mean it may actually be "better" due to law requirements.
@@Tech-geeky I'd switch off of Express, they're just harvesting your data. Mullvad is much better.
That's good for convenience, but a lot of UK companies block Proton email addresses now as I found when I tried using my paid account with a few banks! A lot of services block their VPN IPs too. Don't forget your email is NOT encrypted when it arrives or leaves their server, it only stays encrypted if you email another protonmail user and they do not forward it elsewhere. There is no encrypted email standard between ISPs, it's all plain text. The only thing that is encrypted is traffic between the app and their system. They lie about End2End encryption on emails.
Be aware they also log and hand over details to Law Enforcement upon request too.
I really do think it will be the next Encrochat
I use ExpressVPN but I only use it for bypassing geo restricted content
I'm always subscribed, liking and commenting on these fabulous posts. 💛
I always appreciate that!! 💛
I always look forward to your videos!
Good information. Also realize that through a VPN you may be sharing an IP address with shady characters who have nefarious reasons to hide their identify from the web sites they visit. You may find that web sites have blocked access from VPN IP addresses for that reason. Consequently, you only get to surf a part of the internet.
shared IP blocks ? When you connect to your ISP's its the same.. So would would rather share a shady block of address with someone who is an ISP, or from a VPN provider you don't even have a relationship with?
@@Tech-geeky No it isn't the same thing. A VPN is just a rented proxy server.
dude ive been trying to tell people this for years... even though im a software engineer they still don't listen
@Ariana yes
@Ariana What data is logged?
@Ariana I've done that. there is zero proof of that or any findings in the search about it. The nordvpn breach was a single server in finland and it didn't give any user info. You got links to your sources?
Wow! Thanks! Worse than I even imagined! I am happy to learn about these specifics.
Thank you for the information ❤️
Finally a good tech chanel for even "average" people! :) - subscribed now! :)
💛
I recently switched from PIA to Nord because they offered a ridiculously low price and all the internet hype. This video has made me reconsider my decision.
this video makes anyone reconsider using a VPN at all, lol. They basically say there's no safe one. But anyway, I still believ almost any (paid) VPN is still better than no VPN at all
I switched to Nord from PIA.because PIA got to be super slow.
@@HumanBeingWithFeelings
I trust my VPN more then I trust my Internet Service Provider.
I like PIA because they constantly prove their no logs policy to actually be true unlike Nord for example who actually was keeping logs and lying about it.
@@SolidoNaso. I've since switched to Mullvad VPN. Can't get any better than that.
Great video, Thanks a lot!
Excellent research, Naomi! Thank you for encouraging people to go down the rabbit hole and research before jumping into something... Anything, not just VPN!
I wish more people saw your video
I chose my VPN based largely on suggestions by Journalistic Organizations and Investigative Journalists using it. At the very least, that weeds out the Chinese ones.
Great video Naomi. Thank you very much.
Thanks for this info Naomi.
So here's the $64,000 question ... HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A GOOD VPN ?
And yes, I know good is subjective, but is it really? A VPN that actually does what it claims to do.
Are there actually people (web sites) that you can trust, when it comes to doling out proper information?
Or perhaps I just need to do endless hours of research to the point that I just give-up or give-in !
Naomi - you are forever a Queen.
I appreciate the update on vpns, it was your video that introduced me to them.
Brava! I just spot you channel and subscribed, your way to make videos and the content is so unique and rich! Well done! 👍
Thanks so much!
A beautiful and smart girl talking about security and IT, what's not to like ❤️
Finally youtube is recommending me Good Channels.
Thanks for the very clear explanation. I subscribed!
Thank you for watching and subscribing!
Great video (very helpful) !
I only use a VPN to access blocked sites. Other then that, they are always off. And I don't use any on my phone. There's enough tracking built into that already.
I do one better.. I fake 98% of info that goes online, even "mandatory" info... I know i can't prevent this from being shared, so i do the next best thing... LIE.. :)
That way, i don't give a toss how much info they share, the result remain the same..... Not much is known.
Probably not the smartest thing to do, particularly when i'm probably breaking al kinds of laws and Terms, but those are the breaks you live with.
I always suspected that most vpns collect data. Seems like it's even worse than I thought.
Thank you for the video, you are highly appreciated. High quality content!
🙏🙏
Always interesting, thank you.
While this is a great warning, I really wish you'd've provided more resources on where and how to investigate specific VPNs, or find a VPN that would be appropriate and safe for someone's use case.
I linked the report in the description for further research 🙏
@@NaomiBrockwellTV True! And thank you! Still I think a VPN buying guide would be a great topic for this channel in the future. I appreciate the response and your great content!
There is a saying: What is free is worth nothing. But those VPN services are even worse: You pay them for giving your information...
Just like your ISP!
So important! Thank you!
Thanks Naomi for trying to open people's eyes to see things the way things are.
This makes sense - why would some of these VPN providers give the service for free? Thank you 🌷🌷🙏🙏
It's like the poker table adage: if you look around the table and can't figure out how the money is being made, i.e., who is the patsy, the patsy is you.
@@raylopez99 , I knew that many cheap routers can be hacked and sure if the engine is IOT , the previous DOS attack was with IOT devices. I build my own router and a brand new firmware and I contacted a few hacker in Russia to ask for a connection to my router and then earn 10000 euro but after a few months still not a breach and I payed 200 euro for the time . My router blocks all service ports except when a computer need it. Stealth ports so finding a port is extremely difficult. so what people should do is a port scan in the first place. If there are open ports or closed ports, that is a problem cause hackers can see the ports and then try to open them.
Really great video and very useful information. You mentioned PCMag so it is worth noting, I think, that in a review dated September 30, 2022, PCMag gave the Mullvad VPN an Editor's Choice award. Also, the reviewer specifically noted that a mentioned VPN is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent of PCMag. This says very little about the safety of VPNs owned by Ziff Davis but does suggest that PCMag is still making an effort towards editorial independence and integrity.
its one of the sites I like and when I watched this i was like ah FFS.
Thank you for your good work NB 🙏
Ok you have my attention and have thoroughly conveyed why I should be cautious. Now... what are your recommendations?
Can you do episode on reliable, trustworthy VPN'S that don't sell our information, and it's dependable?? I use NordVPN, I wish this episode came out before I purchase NordVPN…SMH
He's got crazy eyes lol but this is a very informative video. Thanks Naomi 👍
Very awesome topic!! Your hair is gorgeous by the way!! I'm jealous!!
Excellent job, Naomi! Why not spin up your own VPN on a hosting provider? You could add your own private NextCloud Service and Secure VoIP server with a secure VoIP caller to give friends. So everyone who talks on your network has private conversations. Keep communication secure and dump public cloud services too!
I just want to be able to access region-blocked content. Stop blocking the Internet, so I won't have to use a VPN. 😤
Interesting video. I've always known about suspectable VPN providers, especially the free ones, but this really sheds a deeper light into this business. I've tried many different VPNs over the years and have been using Nord for quite some time but if an expert in this field uses Mullvad, that's good enough for me. After researching it, they seem to be pretty solid and transparent about what they provide and since they are based out of Sweden which is known for their very strict privacy laws, I took the plunge.
No VPN is perfect - none - but I'm impressed with the foundation of Mullvad so far
starting AD is so cool..
Excellent information. Great video.
And remember, a vpn means nothing if your software on your device is constantly monitoring you.
Agree, even if you run Mullvad and/or self-host Wireguard/OpenVPN but you use Windows or macOS as an OS, you're still being monitored on every level. No matter if you disable telemetry or not. A step further, it's best to have open-source firmware and disabled/neutralized ME.
I always have a gut-feeling that the boom of VPNs have something shady behind it. I would rather trust my own ISP than those shady VPNs. Just think about it. Those VPNs would be more interested stealing your passwords and credentials than your own ISP. I wouldn't be surprised if these VPNs are more monitored when compared if you don't use one at all.
Keep it up Naomi! Thanks for keeping us informed!
O btw... nice intro! 👍👍👍 😂
Legit the stupidest reply on this video.
Everything your VPN is doing, your ISP is doing but worse as the NSA or your government's spy agency typically requires direct access to for drag new surveillance to ISP's. So you gave to deal with them selling your data & governments collecting it all in real time.
The WORST case scenario with a VPN is that you're in the exact same position as you would be with your ISP. If you pick a good VPN like Mullvad, IVPN, or WeVPN, then you will have greatly improved privacy.
For me a VPN is an essential peice of technology for my home network & I actually have a VPN installed on my router to ensure all data is properly encrypted, it's an amazing tool.
@@WitchMedusa Legit stupidest reply I've seen. I don't trust any VPNs aside from my own I run myself. All the other 3rd party VPNs can claim whatever they want but you can't be 100% sure they do what they claim. My ISP already have my personal data when I register for their service. I use my own private VPN that I set up and have physical access to. I also use DNS over HTTPS on top of that.
You're fckin stupid if you think your government and ISP doesn't have your data already. Using 3rd party VPNs is like giving access to your private data to entities that has a higher chance doing something more nefarious than your government or ISP. Do you think you're so important that your government or ISP will specifically target you? Hahahaha!
But then your ISP is harvesting your data instead of the VPN.
If you pay for wifi you might want to try PiVPN. Self hosted. You decided how much gets logged. A single one time payment. It does not anonymize your ip but that's what TOR is for or proxychains if you are trying to hide from the government.
You'll get a copyright strike if you accidentally or otherwise download copyrighted material while on your local ISP, at least in the USA. I got one a while ago for just a few seconds of download from my DC based ISP. Might switch from ExpressVPN however based on the uncool activities of ExpressVPN CIO Daniel Gericke as highlighted by this video.
@@ricochetbabalon257 or that your government may not compel your ISP to turn over your (unencrypted) data?
Great vid! More people need to know about this, so we put it up on our site.
that hair is knockout gorgeous! this video was really helpful and led me to do some better research. seriously considering mullvad now. thanks.
I use open vpn. Created in 2001, the OpenVPN protocol is now in use by almost every VPN provider. This is largely thanks to its open-source nature, which lets users check the code themselves. Transparency has led to a lot of testing. The code is free and open source. Openvpn and pihole works well together. You can also feed misinformation to data collectors. When I find data collection built in I spam it with false data. I also use containers because of I.P. I run linux so it was a no brainer to go with open source.
But OpenVPN is a protocol, not a service. In most use cases WireGuard is a better protocol if your service provider permits
You kept referencing nordvpn but didn't show any actual information on it, and I checked my permissions and it's only notifications. It doesn't ask for anything else. You're right, who knows whats going on server side but to include nordvpn along with all the blatantly erroneous vpn's is a bit disingenuous. If you have evidence to the contrary I'd love to see it!
Thank you Naomi !!
Great vids guys🙏
Well I sure learned a lot. Dayum! Perfect timing as I was about to look into a VPN.
Thank you for a very educational video. Your content is top notch as always
Thank you for making this video.
I'm not a tech guru by any means but I know enough to tell the actual purpose of a VPN is the one mentioned by your guest here too.
And with the saying "if a product is free you are the product" in mind, I can tell from kilometers away these "VPN providers" must play some fishy game here.
Better to set up a VPS and configure something like Wireshark there.
Very awesome video. Thanks alot
Great video as always.
Fantastic video, thank you. Oh, and my god! Is your hair real, wow 🤩
Thanks for the heads up. Always wondered if I needed one for protection.
VPNs are great, just make sure you choose a good one!
@@NaomiBrockwellTV easy to say what is a good one?
Great stuff Naomi. I'll stick with Proton for now.