A VPN (virtual private network) acts as a mask for one's IP address. Additionally, modern VPNs encrypt your traffic in transit, so that your ISP cannot deduce what it is you are viewing, or doing. There are a number of VPNs available, all as a paid service, however only a few are worthy of consideration. Free VPNs should be ignored. This article does not discuss the topic of building one's own VPN, which can be done rather effectively, but at a high cost. All VPNs recommended here have: a no logs policy, servers in all countries, encryption and kill switches.
The below paragraphs contain links to outside websites and sources of data; we maintain that the individual must verify the links therein.
We maintain that the reader should enable options such as "auto-connect", "killswitch" and so forth. Respectively, these two options make a VPN connect automatically when a computer boots and shut off all Internet communication if connection to the VPN suddenly drops. We recommend that the user review the content of https://thatoneprivacysite.net/ (https://archive.is/9NoTV). for a comprehensive review of nearly every VPN in existence.
- ProtonVPN: ProtonVPN is perhaps the most promising VPN available. Many packages exist, the most popular of which costs around 100USD per year. ProtonVPN does have a free version, limited to only three countries and one device. ProtonVPN features a unique function that allows the VPN service to try a reconnection through different VPN protocols, should one be blocked by a network you are on (like a school or work network).
- ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is similar to ProtonVPN in price and functionality. ExpressVPN had one of its Turkish servers raided in 2017, but no data was recovered because no logs existed.
- NordVPN: NordVPN is a very popular VPN. It can often be found with very high price discounts, either on their site, or as an offer from some Internet person, like a popular YouTube creator. It is not uncommon to acquire a three-year deal with Nord for 100USD. NordVPN may be viewed skeptically because of its March 2018 "server breach", which was not highly worrying. Nord operates entirely in Panama, which is a country not connected to the Five Eyes, so one may prefer its freedom from any potential privacy violations by a body of nations.