Friday, January 25, 2013

3 of the Best Anonymous VPN Services for Bittorrent or p2p

We all know that these days, your activities online aren't nearly as safe or private as we would like. The easiest way to dramatically improve your anonymity and privacy online is with a VPN that does not track or log your internet usage. All vpn services are not created equal, and there are a select few that offer the perfect blend of privacy and speed that makes them perfect for Bittorrent users.

What is an Anonymous VPN

An anonymous VPN service is one that specifically states to their customers that they do not keep records of  internet activity, and do not keep data usage logs or connection logs. Interestingly, the United States is one of the few developed nations that doesn't mandate data retention for VPN providers. 

An anonymous vpn allows their subscribers to connect to a secure, remote server and obtain a new IP address which servers as a privacy buffer between the user and the outside world (internet). Although the user must first connect to their internet through their ISP before reaching the VPN's servers, the ISP will not be able to monitor the connection because all of the between the user and the VPN server will be encrypted and safe from prying eyes.

Why Bittorrent Users need an anonymous VPN service

Most Bittorrent users are unaware of the security risks inherent in the technology. Anytime you connect to a swarm to upload or download a file, your IP address is 100% visible to everyone connected to the same swarm. An IP address is a digital identifier that can be linked to your exact address through your internet provider. An IP address is all that is needed for a hacker to target a specific computer. Various organizations around the world are also monitoring Bittorrent usage and assembling huge logs of the ip addresses of bittorrent users and files they have downloaded. We don't believe in promoting digital piracy, but we do believe in the right to personal privacy and internet freedom. An anonymous vpn is the best way to achieve this.

With an anonymous vpn, your IP address when using bittorrent will not be your own, it will be an ip address assigned to you by your vpn server. Moreover, because anonymous vpn providers do not keep logs, your new ip address cannot be traced back to you. This is the only way to be truly anonymous online.

The Best Anonymous VPN Providers for Bittorrent

1. Private Internet Access VPN

Private Internet Access is one of my all-time favorite vpn providers. For starters, it's just about the most affordable pro-level vpn provider around, with monthly prices as low as $3.33 when you buy 12 months at a time. Even better, they don't keep logs and they have a number of U.S. and international servers with solid speeds. Anything over 1.5 Mbps is good enough for bittorrent, and Private Internet Access usually averages around 3-6 Mbps in testing.

2. Torguard VPN and Proxy

Torguard is one of those vpn services that tailors their service towards bittorrent users specifically. They don't keep logs and have servers in more than 6 countries. They do restrict p2p/ bittorrent users to specific servers, but those servers are plenty fast (usually between 3-5 Mbps). Torguard offers several solutions for bittorrent users, ranging from a proxy service that secures and anonymizes only the bittorrent client, to a full-on vpn that will secure your entire internet connection.

3. BTGuard VPN and Proxy

BTguard attracts users with a simple motto: No Logs, period! Even their name suggests they welcome Bittorrent and p2p users. They offer an encrypted bittorrent proxy service that comes with a free customized version of utorrent with all the relevant settings built in to make setup super easy. They also have a VPN service for $9.95 to secure your entire internet connection. For maximum security, you can subscribe to BTGuard proxy service and use it through another vpn service like Private Internet Access, for total anonymity.

Everyone has to internet privacy, but these days, we have to take steps on our own to secure that freedom and privacy. We hope you check out the vpn's above, and see if they are right for you. You can also check out the list of the Best VPN's for Bittorrent for more ideas. As always, Torrent Safe!!!