These days, we’re all concerned about the best way to protect our personal data and privacy when online. A VPN is an excellent way to hide one’s activity and sensitive information by spoofing your IP address and actual location. However, it is important to pay attention to the location that your VPN connects to, as not every country has the same privacy laws in place. This means that things like logs of your online activity could be requisitioned by the authorities in that country. And if the authorities can get their hands on your data, you better believe it’s probably even easier for cyber criminals. Therefore, if you are using VPN, make sure that you are connecting to countries that have robust privacy protections in place.
Why Is It Important to Protect Your Personal Information?
In this era where most of our activities are done online, it is absolutely necessary to ensure your personal information is safeguarded. Your data can be used by criminals to impersonate you, leading to identity theft. Financial fraud can occur through skimming credit card details, leaving you stuck with the bill. Personal information like your phone number, address and email can be harvested and used for unsolicited communications. Furthermore, in some countries, speech and access to information is restricted, meaning people can be persecuted for their online activity.
Many people opt to use a VPN, or virtual private network, to protect themselves. VPNs create an encrypted and secure connection between your device and the Internet. That said, you need to be wary of where your VPN is connecting.
Considerations When Choosing a VPN Location
There are a number of things you want to weigh up when choosing a VPN. That said, doing a bit of homework can help you narrow down which service is best for you. But before you pull the trigger and subscribe, you should look into where a VPN’s servers are located. Most VPN providers will have servers in multiple countries around the globe. If protecting your personal data is the most important thing for you, then the country you choose to connect to when using your VPN becomes very important.
One of the things you want to consider is if the server is located in a five, nine or fourteen eyes country (more on that below). Furthermore, you want to be familiar with that specific country’s policies surrounding personal data, as well as their privacy laws. Finally, you want to look for a country that has a well-developed and robust Internet infrastructure, so you do not compromise speed and performance.
What are the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes Countries?
The Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes are intelligence-sharing alliances between various countries. These alliances work together to monitor communications, including online activity. The countries in these alliances share information with each other, with the aim of bolstering national security and keeping an eye on potential threats. If you value your privacy, you’ll want to avoid connecting to servers in these countries when using a VPN. And if you reside in one of these countries, it’s a good idea to stay connected to your VPN at all times.
- Five Eyes: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand
- Nine Eyes: Five Eyes countries plus Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Norway
- Fourteen Eyes: Nine Eyes countries plus Germany, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Spain
What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a data privacy law enacted by the European Union in 2018. It protects individual’s personal information from misuse by corporate entities. It does this by enforcing transparency with how one’s personal data is used and stored, as well as mandating user consent in relation to data collection practices. In addition, the GDPR also requires corporations to notify users of data breaches within 72 hours.
Violating the GDPR can result in seriously hefty fines, so you can rest easy knowing that corporations in these countries will comply. So, if you’re going to connect to a server in the EU, be on the lookout for a country that has adopted the GDPR.
Countries to Connect to When Using a VPN
The following countries are all highly rated on the Privacy Protection Index (PPI). This is a tool that is used to assess the level of privacy protection provided by different countries. It focuses on how well a country protects personal information from both corporate and government surveillance.
1. Switzerland
Switzerland’s long-standing neutrality make it a no-brainer for VPN services as they do not engage with any of the major surveillance alliances. Furthermore, the Swiss have an aggressive privacy law on the books called the Federal Data Protection Act, keeping it in line with the GDPR. It is also VPN friendly, as it does not require VPN providers to keep logs of user activity.
2. Iceland
Like Switzerland, Iceland has adopted strong privacy laws, indicating that there is minimal government surveillance or censorship. In addition, Icelandic Internet Service Providers are not required to retain user data. This means that the chances your activity is being logged is very low. Furthermore, Iceland enjoys an advanced digital infrastructure, so you can be sure your connection will be speedy and stable.
3. Romania
The Romanian government has adopted minimal restrictions on Internet use and strong privacy laws that ensure compliance with the GDPR. In addition, the government is considered to be torrent friendly – they do not impede peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic. This doesn’t mean that they endorse pirating copyrighted material, however they recognize a user’s right to share digital files.
4. Panama
Panama’s Law 81, enacted in 2019, offers robust privacy protection. The law applies to all entities processing personal data and includes the data of both Panamanian nationals and foreigners. It establishes several data protection principles, including transparency with how data is used and allows the individual to object to the processing of their personal data.
5. Seychelles
The Seychelles have no mandatory data retention logs on the books. In addition, they have a fairly advanced digital infrastructure. This makes it an attractive location for folks aiming to maintain their privacy while ensuring stable connection speeds.
6. Estonia
The citizens of Estonia enjoy a highly developed digital infrastructure. Nearly all public services are available online, and residents use a government issued electronic ID for secure authorization. As a result, Estonia has heavily invested in cybersecurity and has adopted the Personal Data Protection Act to safeguard people’s privacy and identity. Estonia’s tech friendly government makes it an ideal VPN location.
Other Countries to Consider
Germany, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands are all considered to have excellent privacy laws and protections in place to safeguard an individual’s personal data. That said, some of these countries are a part of surveillance alliances. While this isn’t ideal, these countries also enjoy advanced digital infrastructure, meaning that their speed and stability is top-notch.
Wrapping Up
A VPN is an easy and affordable way to protect yourself online. That said, there are many VPN providers to choose from, which can make the process a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, we’ve done the hard work for you and have rounded up the best VPN providers in 2024. If you primarily use your smartphone for banking and other sensitive activities, you might want to consider the best VPNs for Android and iOS devices. If you’re tech-savvy and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you could also create your own VPN in Linux using OpenVPN.
Image credit: Petter Lagson via Unsplash
