One thing I liked about PIA’s app is the kill switch function that prevents internet connection if you’re not on the vpn. Does that happen by default when I have wireguard enabled?
I use this in a place I don’t trust and need to make sure it doesn’t accidentally connect “raw”.
Another nice PIA feature is the ability to check server speed. Any way to know which of mullvad’s servers is the best bet?
I’m using ExpressVPN and while they cost more (as much as 3 times as these budget services) they so far seem to offer a fast product.
You can also sign up with crypto currency if you want.
But can you renew with Bitcoin etc?
But I do recall, in the past, renewing ExpressVPN with Bitcoin.
Mullvad's policies and account creation process demonstrate an awareness and commitment to privacy as a number one priority. Yes, at the end of the day, none of us really knows what a VPN service is doing on the back end, but the fact that they have detailed public information about their operations, as well as additional privacy options such as paying with cash/crypto, is a good sign. Other little things, such as supporting WireGuard and running their own Bitcoin nodes instead of relying on third party services for crypto payments, are also good signs that their team has above average technical chops compared to other providers.
[1] https://medium.com/@derek./how-is-nordvpn-unblocking-disney-...
It seems pretty plain to me; Mullvad's website even has the relevant section on Swedish legislation that requires it for national defense.
I just don't see how trust in a provider has any bearing whatsoever on the privacy of the connection they provide; they can't do anything whatsoever to stop (or even detect) governments from logging all of the data that comes into or out of their networks.
A VPN is useful in settings where you're dealing with a malicious ISP (for instance, ones that hijack unencrypted HTTP sessions to inject their own HTML) or any untrustworthy third party network. Do I trust my VPN provider more than my ISP? Yes. Do I trust my VPN provider unconditionally? No. That's what end-to-end encryption is for.
Private Internet Access is very profitable [1] and our new partner’s action of merging with PIA speaks louder than words whether privacy is important to them.
[1] https://investors.kape.com/~/media/Files/K/Kape-IR/reports-a... (Slide 5)
That being said, if the company was profitable, why even entertain this merger? I simply don't see how getting into bed with a company with such a sordid past is worth it if you were able to make it on your own.
VPNs are mainly for piracy and it’s only a matter of time until big media takes a shot at suing someone. No one wants to be that someone, so selling to anyone becomes attractive. I doubt there’s a lineup to buy a company who’s main talent is under assessing risk.
I think the critical thing you're missing here is that it doesn't matter if Kape is trustworthy, it matters whether people see it as trustworthy. And you're not in a position to change the latter, no matter how much you talk about the former, because you have a conflict of interest.
The other thing is, you need to be able to explain the merger.
If PIA wasn't profitable, the merger looks bad, because that means that Kape is going to find other ways to monetize it.
If PIA was profitable, the merger is just confusing as heck, because why screw up a good thing? And confusion is bad, because people want security from a VPN. Not the computer kind, the emotional kind. Big upheavals like mergers throw that out the window, so you need to manage that transition very, very carefully.
You're not doing that, so far.