PureVPN logging policy

As I have explained several times on this blog, it is hard to tell if “no logging” really means that no (to be read zero) logs are kept for each user or connection. I believe that “No logs” is more likely a marketing strategy and that most of the VPN (Virtual Private Network) providers are maintaining (some) logs for their protection. Logs that can, in some cases, be handed out to authorities.

A few days ago, the news about PureVPN helping the FBI with logs for catching a cyberstalker came as a surprise. The service was advertised as “zero logging,” but it seems that it was not the case.

Was it a surprise?

The PureVPN privacy policy starts with “We Do Not monitor user activity nor do we keep any logs.“, but if you look closer you may find out that “Our servers automatically record the time at which you connect to any of our servers. From here on forward, we do not keep any records of anything that could associate any specific activity to a specific user. The time when a successful connection is made with our servers is counted as a ‘connection,’ and the total bandwidth used during this connection is called ‘bandwidth.’“. Thus, some logs are kept for ALL users. Are these all logs that are stored on the PureVPN servers? Well, who knows?

Anyway, PureVPN did what most of the companies would have done in the same situation: provided the info requested by the FBI.

It is debatable if what they did was wrong or not. The question is: what can you, as a PureVPN user, do? And the answer is simple: if you don’t care about logs you don’t need to do anything, but if you do, you need to start looking for alternatives.

Is PureVPN a good VPN service?

Yes, it is! PureVPN is one of the top VPN providers with some excellent features:

• Large VPN server network.
• Great VPN applications.
• Kill switch, split tunneling.
• Competitive pricing.

How to look for PureVPN alternatives?

Take a look at the list below or search Google. You will find plenty of PureVPN alternatives for surfing anonymously and unblocking restricted websites. Do not jump to the first one that looks good! Take your time and look for user reviews and reviews written by bloggers. These will help you make an informed choice.

7 PureVPN alternatives – Top VPN (Virtual Private Networks) providers

I have selected seven excellent VPN alternatives to PureVPN that may offer what you need: an extended number of server locations, unlimited bandwidth, excellent support, and good connection speed. Make sure you also read the additional tips.

Is there such a thing as the best VPN? In my (humble) opinion, no. You need to find the VPN service (Virtual Private Network) that is suitable for you and that fulfills your needs.

Additional tips

Before you proceed to the alternatives, here are some additional tips:

• Start with ibVPN. It is an excellent alternative to PureVPN. It offers a free trial, and it is somehow similar to PureVPN. It also provides SmartDNS (with plenty of channels – not a VPN solution!), access to Softether VPN protocol, great apps, and excellent support, DNS leak protection, IP address leak protection. However, ibVPN’s servers network is smaller (United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, etc.). You may read our complete ibVPN review here.
• If you are not interested in SmartDNS, then go for NordVPN or ExpressVPN. They have plenty of servers, good connections, excellent support, kill switch, leak protection, great data encryption, good Internet security options.
• Are you using split tunneling? Then ExpressVPN is your alternative to PureVPN.
• Private Internet Access is also an excellent VPN service, a PureVPN alternative when it comes to VPN server speed! Take a look at our PIA speed tests.
• If you are interested in free alternatives to PureVPN, you may try Hotspot Shield. But don’t expect much in terms of online security and privacy. Free, means well … that you are the product!

My advice is to create a subscription for the smallest period available (one or 3 months). Thus, you will be able to thoroughly test the alternative service before committing to a more extended billing agreement.

Please share your experience with alternatives to PureVPN in the comments below.

Are you using HideIPVPN and you are not completely happy with it? This post lists seven good HideIPVPN alternatives for unblocking websites and browse the Internet anonymously. If you know other good VPN providers, please share them in the comments.

HideIPVPN is an excellent VPN (Virtual Private Network) provider. Here is what I appreciate the most to HideIPVPN:

• The simplicity of the VPN apps. They do what is supposed to go smoothly for the primary operating systems.
• The speed of the VPN connection and unlimited traffic.
• The Smart DNS option that easily accesses blocked websites.
• The fact that it offers access to SoftEther VPN protocol.

Why would you look for HideIPVPN alternatives?

HideIPVPN (Hide IP VPN) offers access to servers located United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and France. If you are looking for more locations or more sophisticated options like DoubleVPN, TorOverVPN or Stealth VPN you need to look somewhere else.

How to look for alternatives?

Take a look at the list below or search Google for “alternatives to HideIPVPN.” You will find plenty of HideIPVPN alternatives. Do not jump to the first one that looks good! Take your time and look for user reviews and reviews written by bloggers. These will help you make an informed choice.

7 HideIPVPN alternatives – Top VPN services providers

I have selected seven excellent VPN alternatives that easily hide your IP address and may offer what you need: an extended number of servers, excellent support, simultaneous connections on multiple devices, and good connection speed.

Additional tips

HideIPVPN provides a smooth VPN service for a reasonable price. When switching to an alternative provider, it may happen that you are not happy with the one you picked.

My advice is to create a subscription for the shortest period available (one or 3 months). Thus, you will be able to thoroughly test the alternative service before committing to a more extended billing agreement.

Please share your experience with HideIPVPN and its alternatives in the comments below.

What is a DE IP address?

Every device connected to the Internet uses an IP address to be identified in the large network that forms the Internet. Every ISP (Internet Service Provider) or hosting provider has assigned a range of IP addresses that it distributes to its subscribers. Next, the assignment of an IP block is done geographically, thus, the location of every device connected to the Internet that uses a certain IP address is known with a fair precision.

A DE IP or German IP address is an IP that is assigned to an ISP or hosting provider that provides Internet services in Germany. The most common German IPs have the following format:

• 2.160.0.0 to 2.175.255.255 (Telekom Deutschland GmbH)
• 31.224.0.0 to 31.255.255.255 (Telekom Deutschland GmbH)
• 37.80.0.0 to 37.95.255.255 (Telekom Deutschland GmbH)
• 46.80.0.0 to 46.95.255.255 (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• 53.0.0.0 to 53.255.255.255

If you are interested in finding more info regarding the DE IP blocks you should check this post.

Why would you need a DE IP from your VPN provider?

There are several reasons one could consider when searching for a DE IP. Let’s take them one by one.

Protecting online privacy while browsing

While traveling or when accessing the Internet from public places or even at home it is recommended to protect yourself from hackers by encrypting the traffic data that comes and goes to/from your devices. VPN services are doing exactly that and you should always have one at hand.

Why connect to a server in France? Why not to one in the United States or Canada, for example? First of all, you should know that what you win by encrypting the data you lose to the connection speed. And the distance to the server you are connecting to is also important. Thus, if you are located in France you should choose a server that is closed to your location and minimize the speed loss.

Accessing streaming sites that are only available for German users

That is probably the main reason users need a DE IP for unblocking sites. There are a lot of streaming channels that are restricted to users located in France. By connecting to a VPN service with German IP the restricted sites are tricked and the access is allowed.

Here are several Germany restricted channels that can be unblocked by VPNs, like Das Erste, DSF, KI.KA, 3sat, ARTE, NDR.

List of VPN providers with servers located in Germany

Finally, you may find below a list of several such DE IP VPN services:

Do you know other DE IP VPN / German IP VPN services? Feel free to share them in the comments.

OpenVPN protocol uses an RSA handshake to secure communication when a VPN connection is created. Learn why it is essential to know the type of the OpenVPN RSA handshake key used by your VPN provider.

What is the RSA handshake encryption?

RSA is a public-key encryption system (aka cryptosystem) used for securing the data transmission. In such a system the encryption key is public and the decryption key is kept secret (private key).

A user of RSA creates and publishes the public key. Anyone can use the public key to encrypt a message, but the message can be decrypted only by those that have access to the private key.

When an OpenVPN VPN connection is created, the negotiation between the server and the client is done using SSL implemented with the RSA handshake keys. This handshake occurs at the very beginning of an OpenVPN session, not for all OpenVPN connections.

RSA-1024 cracked, RSA-2048 considered safe

The length of the keys (1024-bit, 2048-bit, 4096-bit) is crucial as it determines the level of security. But, it may also slow down the connection speed. The larger the key, the slower the connection.

It was demonstrated that the 1024-bit RSA handshake key could be cracked and it probably has been by different organizations (NSA alike). After the demonstration was published, most of the providers in the security industry have upgraded their RSA handshake keys to RSA-2048 or RSA-4096 that are considered secure.

OpenVPN RSA handshake keys and the VPN providers. Why are they important?

RSA-2048 is considered the minimum standard VPN encryption for commercial VPN providers.

If a VPN provider uses RSA-1024 than the communication between your computer/device and the VPN server may be compromised. It is not something you want!

Important! You should check the length of the OpenVPN RSA handshake key of your current VPN provider or before you subscribe to a new one.

VPN providers & the RSA key length

I have checked the level of encryption (the length of OpenVPN RSA handshake key) used by the providers I use regularly and that I keep an eye on it. Here are the results:

What do you think?

What do you think of the RSA key size? Is it important?

Do you look at the length of the RSA encryption key when you choose your VPN provider? What VPN service or VPN client do you use? Do you use different encryption methods for Windows and Mac?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.