[grc] What is a trustworthy VPN?

[al davis]

On Wed, 28 Dec 2016 18:08:42 -0500
Sabrina Roach via grc <grc at maillist.peak.org> wrote:
> I'd love hivemind input on which VPN's they like.

The only one worth using is the one you set up yourself.

> I'm a Riseup user for listservs I manage and am starting to use Signal for
> texting. If it's useful to know that to know where my values are. If I
> should also be looking at other products that are nonprofit and secure,
> lmk.

That has nothing to do with VPN.

VPN = "Virtual Private Network" is a way of extending your "Private
Network" to multiple sites by tunneling through the public Internet.
It makes it look like your multiple sites are all on the same private
network, when they really are not.  It is used to enhance security by
making your stuff accessible at your multiple sites without directly
exposing your stuff to the public Internet.

If you know how to set one up, great.  If you don't, you can do
without.  The cost of doing without is either that your stuff is only
available where it physically is, or you expose it to the public
Internet.

Exposing your stuff to the public Internet may be the only way to do
what you need to do.  In this case, you can have some protection by
choosing good passwords and using port mapping on your router.  Almost
any router, including the consumer ones, will do this.

Paul mentioned:  "Tor is your friend for anonymity rather than a VPN."
If anonymous web surfing is what you want to do, yes.  That's what Tor
is for.  That's not what VPN is for.

So-called VPN and log-in services over the web are not really private.
They are middle-men.  They are less secure than exposing your stuff to
the public Internet would be.

> I also would like to know what one pays for a good VPN.

Zero.  It's either free software or should come with the operating
system.