Welcome to Nosy Eye. We’re the privacy newsletter with as much flavor as the bottom of a Cheetos bag.

Here’s what we got for you today:

• The quick and dirty details of VPNs

• Action Tip of the Day

Ok, really quick. What are VPNs?

Do you have that cousin that knows how to “hack” your Netflix account so you can watch shows/movies that are only available in certain countries?

Well, sorry to break it to you, but they didn’t hack Netflix.

They used a VPN to, more or less, tell Netflix that your account is being logged in from a specific country.

VPNs (virtual private network) are a combination of technologies that connect your device to another server through encrypted tunnels, so to speak.

You essentially tell the VPN provider that you want it to seem as if you’re operating from a different location than where you are currently.

So they give you an IP address from that location. And just like that you’re in Mongolia.

They also offer a suite of cool features:

• Geo-location spoofing which allows you to access media, data, and websites exclusive to specific regions.

  • You can also try and save money shopping for flights and goods online 🤫 

• Web traffic encryption

• Secure browsing while on public networks

• Access to secure services and data (like for your job)

Sounds like a good deal. I’ll take one.

VPNs, overall, are great to use for maintaining your privacy when using the internet, but they’re not all created equal.

In a quick Google search, you’ll see a bunch of free VPN options. But like all things in technology:

If a product is free, then you’re the product. 

That means, in this case, most of these free VPN services are watching your internet traffic, collecting your data, and selling it off.

However, just because you pay for one does not mean it’s any better. There are a lot of nefarious players in this space who play fast and loose with the rules and your data.

Here are a few ways to tell if a VPN provider is legit:

• Open source - easy to review and verify their code.

• Have they given up user data because of issued court orders?

• Reviews by trusted third parties.

• Reputation - well known to produce great products and has a transparent organization.

• Legal protection - Their base of operations is in a country with strong privacy laws.

Proton VPN is one we’re most comfortable recommending.

Though that doesn’t mean it’s 100% fool-proof. No VPN or privacy tool is.

We implore you to put in the extra few minutes of research before committing to a provider. And afterwards, periodically check them for performance and privacy upkeep.

Action Tip of The Day

Here’s a comparison chart of VPNs to get you started on your research. Remember to verify as much as you can before making a service provider decision.

• VPN Toolkit and Comparison Chart

That's all we have for you today. There's plenty more, of course. But in the meantime, don’t get sucked into the Netflix rabbit hole now that you’ve got access to international media.

If you’d like more information or clarification, just respond to this email with “Let me see.”

Anyways, bye for now.

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is strictly educational. Please do not use easily identifiable data online, as you do not know who is going to give it away. Note that the products or services we mention are not affiliated with us. We just like them.