A Zero-Log VPN Policy: What Is It and Why It Matters
Did you ever wonder why you see the Internet ads you see? For instance, you wanted to know whether you could afford to buy a telescope for your kids and briefly visited an online store to check the prices. Now you see advertisements for telescopes on all websites you visit. How did the Internet find out about your sudden interest in astronomy?
ISPs Sell Your Logs
The answer is, in a lot of countries Internet Service Providers (ISPs) collect information about their customer’s activities. They then sell this data, and this is how you see targeted (i.e. highly personalized) ads. Logs of websites you have visited and search queries you have wanted to find the answers to are stored and sold. To be sure, no one means you any harm, it is simply that if it is possible to make some money on your lack of anonymity, people on the Internet will do so. It's not personal, it's strictly business, as they say.
In some countries, however, ISPs are required by law to report their subscribers who download and share copyrighted materials to law-enforcement agencies. This might result in having to pay heavy fines or even doing some time in prison.
Ok, there are certain websites and certain files you don’t want anyone to know you have visited and downloaded. You heard that there are VPNs that encrypt your traffic so that you no longer have to live in a fishbowl. You use their services — and nothing changes, you still see the ads about all kinds of things you’ve mentioned in passing. Why?
The answer is simple: you chose the wrong Virtual Private Network provider, i.e. the one that does not adhere to a no-log policy.
Free and Underpriced VPNs Sell Your Logs
Most free VPN services openly admit that they store and sell logs of their users’ activities: that is the only way for them to compensate for their expenses (servers, electricity, salaries) and make some profit. You receive a service — access to geo-restricted websites — and pay for it with information about what websites you have visited and what you chatted about with your friends. If such a VPN encrypts its traffic, your ISP won’t be able to decode and sell your logs. This leaves this Virtual Private Network the only seller of personal information on the market, which is good for it but makes no difference for you. In theory, users of such VPNs might be identified and fined if they violate copyright or engage in some other shady activities.
What’s more, VPNs that offer very low prices sell their users’ logs as well, even if they claim that they follow a zero log policy. If they truly didn’t, they would have been out of business long ago because of the inability to cover their overhead.
Thus, a VPN that keeps no logs cannot offer its services for free or at a ridiculously low price. It’s as simple as that.
A VPN with no Logs: Things You Should Know
Reasonably-priced Virtual Private Network services normally generate enough revenue so they don’t have to resort to selling their customers’ logs. Still, even a no-log VPN has to identify its subscribers, so some information needs to be stored or there will be no services at all. The good news is that such identification does not necessarily equal deanonymization.
So, what is a true zero log VPN? It is a service that should not and does not store the information about your:
- IP address
- geographic location
- downloads
- browsing history
- metadata
- connection times
- data content
- server usage
To be sure, during the session the service might store your real IP address/geographic location. Still, this information should be deleted after the session is over. The best services on the market do it immediately or in a very short while (like half an hour).
Even a zero-log VPN keeps such information as your:
- email address (it is required for your identification)
- your Facebook or Google profile — if for some reason you use them for identification (you don’t have to as your email address is normally enough for all no logs VPNs)
- your device name and the number of your devices (for your identification and for not exceeding the established upper limit for connected devices)
- your language, operating system, connection type (for administrative purposes)
- All this information should be deleted from the company’s servers after you stop using their services — the best companies on the market do exactly so.
It is easy to see that a true no-log Virtual Private Network only keeps the data that confirms that you are indeed its customer. While Virtual Private Networks are absolutely legal in most countries of the world, you can get even greater anonymity by:
- not using your social media profiles
- using an unpersonalized email address that you have created solely for the purpose of logging in to your VPN account.
It also needs to be mentioned that even the best zero log VPN services collect and process data about their customers’ time zones. This is done for both better planning of the load on Virtual Private Network servers and marketing purposes.
American vs Offshore VPNs: Which are the Best
There is a widely-held belief that offshore VPNs are the best when it comes to privacy protection. Allegedly, all US-based companies are members of Five, Fourteen, and God-knows-how-many Eyes alliances that share all their data with the government.
In reality, this is one of the numerous urban legends akin to alligators living in the New York City sewer system and dog-sized rats populating its subway. In reality, offshore VPNs have their offices in countries like Panama because of more generous tax laws there. What’s more, some servers of every offshore Virtual Private Network service are located in the USA — otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to unblock geo-restricted shows on Netflix and other major streaming platforms. Does this mean that some of their servers (the US ones) disclose your movie preferences to the government, and some don’t?
The fact is, if the service strictly adheres to a zero log policy and keeps no logs, there is nothing at all to disclose to the government. And it’s totally up to the Virtual Private Network provider whether to keep its users’ logs or not.
VPN Unlimited and MonoDefense Bundle
If you are looking for a reliable Virtual Private Network service with a strict zero log policy, then VPN Unlimited is exactly what you need! This service is developed and supported by KeepSolid, a New York-based company. VPN Unlimited offers a very high connection speed, more than 500 servers in more than 80 geo-spots, state-of-the-art AES-256 traffic encryption, and compatibility with all popular operating systems, browsers and digital platforms. The service does not keep your browsing history, metadata, information about downloads, connection times, and server usage. It never analyzes your data content, and deletes the information about your IP address/geographic location right after your session is over. The data that is used for your identification, i.e. your email address is permanently deleted if you decide not to subscribe to the service any longer. All in all, VPN Unlimited is one of the best zero-log VPN companies on the market and well worth a try: follow this link to download a free trial version.
What’s more, KeepSolid offers an even more attractive and cost-efficient option: a bundle of security programs called MonoDefense. It includes:
VPN Unlimited — the best possible way to keep your total anonymity and enjoy geo-restricted Internet content
Passwarden — a reliable and easy-to-use password manager that helps you generate unbreakable passwords as well as encrypt and store them in a secure vault. Passwarden fills out Internet forms for you, makes sharing your secret combinations both easy and secure, and features the Duress mode to completely hide your most important passwords from perpetrators. It goes without saying that the service employs two-factor authentication for improved security.
DNS Firewall — this service blocks access to both malicious and undesirable websites. If a phishing message looks genuine enough for you to click on the fraudulent link, DNS Firewall will cut in immediately and prevent you from making an expensive mistake. DNS Firewall is also the best possible tool for blocking websites with gambling, gaming, fake news, and adult content.
Smart DNS — an ideal solution for obsolete digital platforms and low-speed connections. It allows you to bypass geo-restrictions (akin to a VPN), but does not encode your traffic.
Follow this link to find out more about MonoDefense: heightened Internet security is only one click away!
FAQ about Zero Log VPNs
Is it possible for a Virtual Private Network to keep no logs at all?
No, it is not. In order to do business, a VPN needs to tell its customers from non-customers — and this means that it keeps some logs.
What is a zero-log VPN?
A no-log VPN is a service that only keeps information that allows it to identify its customers — like their emails and names of their devices. In most countries, it’s perfectly legal to use VPNs, so this information does not incriminate you in any way.
What is the best way of keeping you anonymous while using a zero-log Virtual Private Network?
Never your social media profile for identification. Create an anonymous mailbox that no one but you knows about and uses to sign in to the VPN.
Is VPN Unlimited a zero-log VPN?
Yes, it is. The service keeps no logs of our browsing history, downloads, location, and IP.
VPN Unlimited is based in New York, USA. Does this mean that it discloses its users’ logs to authorities?
No, it doesn’t. The service keeps no logs and has nothing to disclose: after your session is over, there remains no information about it.
Is it true that an offshore-based VPN keeps fewer logs than an American one?
No, it is not. Such a VPN pays fewer taxes, to be sure, but its location has nothing to do with its adherence/ non-adherence to no logs policy.
Can I use VPN Unlimited for free?
The service offers a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, the answer is yes, you can — for a while.
How can I get VPN Unlimited on my device?
Follow this link to download and install VPN Unlimited on your laptop/desktop computer/Android device/iPhone/iPad/smart TV/router. What’s more, if you want to get an absolute bargain, be sure to get VPN Unlimited as a part of the MonoDefense software bundle.