- We never log, independently audited,
a true no log VPN, zero logs.
But hold on, let's rewind here
and take a closer look at the fine print.
We never log except this minimal information
about your usage.
We're independently audited,
but we do collect your GPS location data
and promise not to share that with anyone else.
We're a true no log VPN,
except for these mysterious cookies,
your general location, and system information.
How are VPN companies not being slapped
with false advertising lawsuits?
It's crazy, but this is what you need to understand
as a privacy conscious consumer
as well as the two most important questions
you need to ask before you trust any VPN service.
Welcome to All Things Secured.
My name's Josh, and let me start by saying two things.
First, this video is not meant
to pick on any one VPN service
because nowadays, pretty much all VPNs market
some no log language somewhere on their website.
I can almost guarantee you that any VPN website you visit
will list a no logs policy as one of their features.
Second, the next time you hear
a VPN reviewer here on YouTube
or anywhere else for that matter,
going on about how amazing it is
that such and such a VPN has a no logs policy.
- Independently audited, and have a no logs policy.
- Just smile and nod.
I mean, it's not their fault really.
They've unwittingly become part of the marketing machine
that's built up virtual private networks
to be more than they really are.
The glory days of big data companies are over
and the pendulum is now swinging clearly on the other side,
where we as consumers are extremely sensitive
about our privacy.
And that's why you're seeing companies
like Google publicly removing third-party cookies
and Apple making privacy front and center
when it releases new OS updates.
VPN companies have taken note of this trend
and have had no choice,
but to follow along or be left behind.
The problem is that for the most part,
a lot of this is simply smoke and mirrors.
I mean, sure.
Google is removing third-party cookies from Chrome,
but you better believe that they're still tracking you.
Apple may not monetize your data,
but you better believe that they use it
to draw you deeper and deeper into their ecosystem.
And no, it's definitely not in the best interest
of a commercial VPN company to log your data.
However, genuine zero logging is practically impossible
for companies that need to provide customer support,
maintain a safe network and limit abuses.
Think about it.
Most VPNs limit the number
of simultaneous connections you can make,
which that means how many devices
can be connected to their VPN services
on the same account at the same time.
But how can they know that unless they're logging
at least your initial device connection in some way?
Every VPN company I know has an acceptable use policy
that gives a company the right to terminate your account
if you use their service for illegal purposes,
but how would that be even possible
if there isn't some way to connect that data usage
or that illegal usage to you or your account?
Here's the deal.
When most VPN companies talk about no logging,
what they really mean is that they don't log
identifiable data about you.
And that's a good thing, but the phrase,
"We don't log personal information
that can be used to trace back to your account,"
just doesn't look as good on a website homepage
or have the same ring to it as, "We are zero log."
So when you read a VPN review that simply puts a check mark
on a list of features that says they don't log your data,
I think they're actually doing you a disservice.
There are two questions you need to ask
when it comes to your data, both with a VPN,
and I would suggest even generally
with a lot of the data services that we use nowadays.
The wording of the first question is important.
The question is not, does this company log any data?
Because the answer to that is easy. Yes, they do.
Rather, the question you should be asking is,
what kind of data is this company logging?
The second question is equally important.
How long are they retaining that data?
The answer to both of these questions
can be found in the privacy policy
of pretty much any VPN service you're looking for.
Let's take ExpressVPN for an example
since they're probably one of the more popular VPNs
on the market today.
If I navigate to their privacy policy page,
you'll see that they clearly state what data they collect.
They collect my personal information when I sign up,
that's my name, my email address,
payment information, et cetera,
aggregate usage for statistics,
anonymized app diagnostics used for quality control,
and then an IP address for those
who use their media streaming services.
NordVPN, another popular VPN service,
states that they collect username and timestamp
of the last session status
in order to enforce that simultaneous connection limit.
But that data is automatically deleted after 15 minutes
once you get off.
Now, I personally like both of these VPN services
and I use them both regularly.
And they're also part of a growing trend of services
that boasts independent audits related to their privacy.
These independent audits are great
and certainly better than nothing.
But when it comes down to it, all these audits prove
is that at a particular moment in time,
a moment that the company knew was coming
and was prepared for,
their servers didn't show any signs
of storing sensitive information.
That's like telling my nine-year-old son
that I'm going to check that he made his bed
at exactly 4:00 PM in the afternoon,
and then using the results of my check
to assume that his bed is always made throughout the day.
Jayden, did you make your bed today?
- Yeah.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
- Again, these audits aren't a bad thing at all
but it's really more marketing magic than anything else.
They're doing everything they can to convince you
that you can trust their company, their servers,
their people with your personal data.
And that's the biggest takeaway here,
a VPN is not a privacy tool.
Let me say that again
in case you weren't listening to me the first time.
A VPN is not a privacy tool.
You are trusting a centralized entity with your data.
So unless you combine that with Tor
or some sort of decentralized network,
the privacy of your data is reliant on trust.
So the bottom line, if you're trying to use a VPN
to do something illegal, don't.
If you think a VPN is trustworthy
just because they have some zero log policy, don't.
But if you're researching VPNs and you care about your data,
read through that privacy policy
and make sure you agree with how they're collecting
and storing your data.
I still use a VPN and I'll list a couple of them
that I like in the description below.
But as I've mentioned in this video that you see here,
I don't use a VPN for security purposes.
I use a VPN to evade censorship in geoblocked services
because I don't think that it's a cloak of anonymity.
Did you enjoy this video? Well, give it a thumbs up.
If you disagree with me or have any questions,
I welcome you to leave a comment below.