With the news coming from across the pond, a VPN for USA is now mandatory. Indeed, allowing ISPs to sell their users’ data was just a first step. And the administration is not done yet! Therefore, you should prepare your devices before visiting uncle Sam. Because walls have ears there. Fortunately, there’s a solution to protect your privacy online: a USA VPN. So let’s review the best VPNs for the United States.
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Ranking of the best USA VPN
It’s not that easy to choose the right USA VPN. Indeed, there are hundreds of VPN on the market. And most claim to be the best.
A simple way to improve your chances of finding a good VPN is to pay for one. Furthermore, you must make sure that your VPN provider offers a strict no-logging policy. Because without data, they can’t sell them. Also, they can’t share them with the authorities, in case you’re using a VPN for torrenting…
Taking into account your privacy protection and the access to English streaming sites, here’s my overall ranking of the best VPN for USA. Pick any of the list before traveling to the US. And stick to it when you’re back home. Most of them offer free trials and money-back guarantee. So you won’t spend much if you don’t like a VPN.
Beware of US-based providers!
First of all, you can’t count on private browsing to surf anonymously. Indeed, it won’t hide or encrypt any of your traffic. It’s like if you used nothing at all. Zip. Like the condom below.
The only solution is to use a VPN provider for the US. But I wouldn’t recommend a US VPN provider. Because if ever the company logs your activity, then they’ll have to share your data with the authorities when requested. So if you want the best US VPN, make sure the provider enforces a strict non-logging policy.
Avoid free VPNs
First of all, let’s remind you that you should stay away from free VPNs. Indeed, you should know that all your traffic passes through the VPN servers. So there’s nothing that can prevent your VPN to do exactly what your ISP is doing… Logging you data and sell them!
Because nothing’s really free in this world. Behind these free service is an expensive network with hardware, software and employees. So “if you’re not paying for it, you become the product”. And you don’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul now that the Internet privacy rules are gone!
What is the cost of your privacy in America?
While the trustworthy VPNs are not free, they’re not expensive. Indeed, you can find cheap VPNs which offer promotions as low as £2.50 for a full month protection.
So you can subscribe for the time you spend in the USA. But using a VPN as you use an antivirus, like Panda Dome for example, would be much better: All the time. Because the Internet privacy rules have been repealed. Also it’s easy to cancel a subscription and you won’t have any unpleasant surprise.
However, if you subscribe for 6 months to 2 years, you can get much better offers, with over 50% discounts. So we’re talking about the price of a couple pints to guarantee your privacy online. Sounds like a fair deal to me. Especially if you’re browsing from an expensive device like an iPhone…
The threats to your online privacy in the US
RIP Internet privacy rules
While 2016 will remain a victory for open Internet supporters, March 2017 will prove a terrible defeat. Indeed, the American ISPs can now sell their users’ data without their consent! President D. Trump signed the bill that flushed American users’ online privacy down the toilets. Also this Congressional Review Act (CRA) bill prevents from implementing similar rules in the future…
And the US administration is now busy destroying users’ rights on Internet. Indeed, their next target is Net neutrality! But let’s not forget what came before…
PATRIOT Act: Massive surveillance from the US agencies
In 2001, it was not a Space Odyssey. Rather Orwell’s future unwinding before our eyes. Indeed, President G.W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act, days after 9/11, in the name of national security. As a result, he gave the NSA unprecedented powers to spy on, well, basically everyone. And everywhere.
A little over a decade later, Edward Snowden revealed the scope of this global surveillance program. And what we suspected became a reality: The National Security Agency (NSA) and their allies spy on the whole world. And it’s kinda hard to believe that they’re not spying on American citizen on the American soil…
Despite being exposed, the PATRIOT Act is still in Force. While it expired in 2015, it was renewed under the name USA Freedom Act. However, the NSA can’t continue its mass phone data collection program anymore. But phone companies have to retain the data. And the NSA can obtain information about targeted individuals with permission from a federal court.
Furthermore, the NSA can count on the “collaboration” of American technology companies. Indeed, the government requires them to give a built-in access to their data. And such backdoors are harmful to your privacy, and can fatally compromise your software encryption.
In conclusion, when travelling to the United States, consider that you’re under surveillance from the moment you enter American soil. Maybe even before actually. Because even if you’re innocent, the NSA can track your phone and email communications, collect bank records, and monitor your activity on the Internet.
So prepare ahead of your trip. And subscribe to a USA VPN to use on all your connected devices: Computer, phone, tablet! Because your privacy is your right.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act: For torrent users
In the US, like nowhere else, copyright is a subject taken very seriously. Indeed, the business of cultural products is very large. Therefore powerful lobbies (Hollywood, music and TV channels) pushed the government to adopt a law to extend the reach of copyright. As a result, President B. Clinton signed the DMCA in 1998.
Among other things, the DMCA allows private companies to track internet users who infringe their copyright. And to send them copyright infringement notices. Or even to bring them to court!
And I must confess: I have already received an email from a VPN… My USA VPN provider asked me to stop downloading copyrighted content with one of their American servers. Indeed , I had forgotten to select a server located outside the US. Therefore, a copyright troll found the IP address of the VPN server. And sent the VPN a notice… As a result, the VPN also sent me a notice. And I learned that my VPN was torrent friendly only on selected servers!
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So if you are using P2P protocol to download torrents, make sure you use a torrent VPN. Because you don’t want to incur the wrath of uncle Sam!
Consider using a VPN in the US
A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. And it’s a tool that will encrypt your Internet connection. Therefore, snoopers can’t access the encrypted data.
Basically, your ISP will still see that you connect to a VPN server. But that’s it. Indeed, the VPN software on your device encrypts all your traffic using military encryption. Therefore, your activity is safe.
In addition, the VPN hides your IP address and replaces it with the IP of its own server. As a result, you can:
Surf anonymously
First of all, you should always use a VPN, not only when you visit Yankee Land. Because all your connected devices are vulnerable. And every time you use your PC or your phone, you leave traces of your activity on all the sites you visit. And with all these anonymous bits of information, US agencies can find your location and your identity.
Indeed, a VPN USA protects your privacy and your security. How? Well, you can check my article what’s a VPN for more details. And I’ll keep it simple here: A VPN encrypts your connection. Therefore, it protects your data from snoopers (ISP, US government agencies, or hackers).
Also, it hides your IP address. Therefore, the websites you visit can only get access to the VPN server address. And they have no clue you’re actually the user visiting them. While they know the requests you make, they can’t link them to your real IP address.
Unblock content
Another popular use of VPN is to work around censorship and access all the geo-restricted content. Indeed, without a VPN, you can’t watch Netflix UK from the US, nor the BBC iPlayer. But with the best VPN for Netflix, no problem!
But a VPN will unblock any geo-restricted content. At least the content of the countries where your VPN offers a server. Basically, a VPN emulates your location anywhere in the world. And the sites you visit consider your IP address is the one of the VPN server. So if you’re connected to a server in London, you’re an English user.
Most USA VPN services provide servers on all continents. So you can connect to the country where content is accessible and get around restrictions.
Conclusion
I’m on your side and trying to help you find the best VPN for your usage, now that the Internet privacy laws are gone. Check the VPNs I recommend above. These are all reliable. And you can read my reviews and visit each site to make up your mind. Some of them even offer free trials and money-back guarantees.
If you don’t want to think about it, go for my number 1 VPN : ExpressVPN.
Before conclusing this article, a funny thing I read online: An angry programmer created a website to avoid your ISP and the advertisers who bought your data to profile you. How does it work? His website auto-opens tabs based on random Google searches. Every 10 seconds it opens 5 new pages. So the snoopers have your real traffic and also the fake traffic generated by the website. And they theoretically have no way of knowing which one is legit. Visit Internet Noise and click on Make some noise to start blurring your traffic!
This was my guide: USA VPN | What is the best VPN for USA? Stay tuned for more articles coming soon.