Topic: List of VPN Service Providers - 2023 - page 4. (Read 3390 times)

Are the VPNs listed in this thread blocked in your country? I have no idea about how good those VPNs are, I only know Surfshark and it's already on the list. Besides that, I think ProtonVPN still works in Russia and it's on the list too. I even created a new thread on your local board but no one has responded: Кaким VPN пpoвaидepoм пoльзyeтecь?.
If you guys respond and help me to filter this list, then I'll add them on the list here.

Yes, that's a mistake man, without a doubt. It's pretty clear to see that there is the website first, then name of upcoming VPN provider, then website down below, then the name of upcoming VPN provider and so on. That's okay man.

I want to believe that's a mistake. Right? Perhaps, you entering Xeovo there instead of zoogvpn seems to have misplaced others beneath on your list. You may want to crosscheck it.

I'll just leave this here, since a lot of VPN services have been blocked in Russia, and information from the telegram channel gives a clue to VPN services that are still working.

 (https://zoogvpn.com/)
 (https://xeovo.com/)
 (https://vpnredcat.com/ru)
 (https://getoutline.org/)
 (https://lantern.io/)
 (https://psiphon.ca/)
 (https://finevpn.org/)
 (https://amnezia.org/)
 (https://seed4.me/)
 (https://blancvpn.com/ru)
 (https://surfshark.com/) -
 (https://redshieldvpn.com/)
 (https://cloudvpn.pro/ru/)
 (https://antizapret.prostovpn.org/)
 (https://turbovpn.com/ru/)
 (https://hi-l.im/)
 (https://adguard-vpn.com/ru/welcome.html)
 (https://t.me/vpngen)
 (https://www.newnode.com/)
 (https://stolitomsonvpn.com/)


https://t.me/na_svyazi_helpdesk/193

For those interested: Mullvad has now concluded another infrastructure audit[1] (third one) conducted by Radically Open Security[2] - Netherlands based firm - and where are their main conclusions:
For those interested in knowing in what kind of environment were these tests conducted, wait no more:
As always, Mullvad transparency is something that is unique to them and that I would like to see other VPN providers adopting. Even after dropping port forwarding features, they still are one of the VPN providers that I can't stop recommending to people around me (that and IVPN).

Besides this infrastructure audit they also recently published another entry[3] where they also state that their client isn't susceptible to the "TunnelCrack" vulnerability disclosure[4].

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[1]https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2023/8/9/infrastructure-audit-completed-by-radically-open-security/
[2]https://www.radicallyopensecurity.com/
[3]https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2023/8/9/response-to-tunnelcrack-vulnerability-disclosure/
[4]https://tunnelcrack.mathyvanhoef.com/

It probably depends on the company's location and the geo location of the users connecting to their servers. I am sure they are required by law to keep logs that could be recovered in case of criminal activities by the users. It's not the same if the VPN provider operates outside of the Five Eyes countries (or one of the other X Eyes countries) or some exotic off-grid territory ,though. To be on the safe side, I would rather think they are storing logs unless proven otherwise. 

I don't believe what they write but in this case, it certainly means that they store your logs but it's difficult to say whether they really delete it after 15 minutes or not, for cautious, I would say - not.
But there is a thing that I don't understand, do VPN companies have legal right to act and say that they don't store logs? Is it legal to offer VPN service without storing logs and activities? If yes, then why do they lie? If not, then why do they lie again? If they don't have right to not keep logs, then their it's a criminal case that they mention no-log policy on their website and if they have legal right to offer no-log service, then I don't really understand why do they cheat and still keep our logs and activities. It's a pure bullshit to say that they keep it in order to optimize network performance. Yeah, it's necessary for that too but it's possible to offer normal service without that.

I wouldn't pay too much attention on a company's claim that they are not storing logs, they will never share logs, or that your information is safe. In the past, there have been cases where those that claimed your information is safe or that nothing gets logged were caught lying. They are a business entity interested in their own well-being and prosperity. If the right people knock on their doors, many will comply and magically recover deleted data.

Very good, I like it! Yeah, Surfshark is non-privacy focused because of this:
Also, as far as I know, their Killswitch sometimes leaks IP, many people were posting about this.

To be honest, recently I am starting to like IVPN, like their pricing and services, also their VPN is very fast, like the interface of their app, like the way they let you to create an account without email and other details, they also use and financially support BTCPayserver and they only support two cryptocurrencies for payment, Bitcoin and Monero. I don't advertise their service but just feel like they are very close to Mullvad.

Because of the nature of my work (I am not telling you anything about it ), my company requires that I use VPNs for certain activities. I use one that is tagged here as being privacy-focused and cheap - Windscribe. The second one that my boss provides is Surfshark, which is non-privacy focused according to the OP. I am very satisfied with both, and they get the job done. Windscribe is my main VPN, though, and seems faster. Surfshark offers servers from more countries.

I'd suggest regularly bumping this thread if you want people to read this (like once a week or so). Those who want to use VPN will actively ask for reviews/read previous posts anyway. Even if you can incentivize people it will just give you more trouble later on. Not to mention some reputable members do post their experience/suggestions regularly already. If anything doing something like that is likely going to invite spammers to your thread.

Nope, still not allowed (unless you're giving away Bitcoin, or not asking people to post for it).

They can just try Mullvad at any price: when making a Bitcoin transaction and getting a small amount of change (say 1000 sat, close to the dust limit and barely worth sending), use "send to many" instead and send that change to fund a new Mullvad account. That dust gets them 42 hours of Mullvad access, and should be more than enough to test it.

Thanks for warning. So, I should post giveaways in games sections in case I decide to do one.

Good point! Thanks again!

Be careful not to turn this into a giveaway thread, that's not allowed.

If this would come back bite you in the ass, that means the VPN kept logs. So first of all, it shouldn't be possible to come back to you. But even if it's traced back that you paid for the subscription, and note that I'm not a lawyer, I see no reason why you'd be liable for someone else's actions. Just like their ISP isn't liable, just like the VPN service isn't liable.

There are definitely more experienced people than me in privacy on bitcointalk, so I have a question for you: There are people who haven't tried VPN and want to try, or let's say, I want people to make this topic more active and every week/month I'll reward the ones who publish most genuine, helpful and informative guides/articles in this thread.
If I buy and give away Mullvad or IVPN's monthly VPN service to people there and someone does something illegal (not me, definitely), can that giveaway turn into a problem for me?

Tor doesn't really work if you quickly want to download a few (Fork) chains. I've used a VPN for this, but didn't need port forwarding. If you'd like to be an uploading node, a VPN with port forwarding contributes much more than a Tor node. I prefer a server for that though.

Of course region locks are designed for profit maximization. You can't really blame them: if Americans can afford $10 and Turks $1, it's worth allowing the Turks as long as it pays for hosting plus some profit. But if they'd charge Americans $1 too, they wouldn't have enough budget to run their company.
But you also can't really blame the users when they use a VPN.

You are right, Bitcoin Core clients don't need VPNs with port forwarding option. Besides Bittorrent users, gamers use port forwarding to host game servers or enhance their performance when playing online. Also, those who host Plex Media Servers and overall, do p2p things, need port forwarding service.
But that feature is definitely not necessary for us and we can continue life without that

You are right! There is no point to block content in certain countries if you can legally use VPN and stream whatever you want. It makes me to believe that there is a space created intentionally to milk some additional money. It's a problem if you use VPN to buy cheap Turkish subscription but it's okay if you buy American or EU expensive one

It's part of the EU.

Who else uses port forwarding though, besides Bittorrent users?

Obviously not Bitcoin Core clients, because you shouldn't be running it through a VPN anyway, but rather through Tor.


The fact that we're at the point where you have to use VPNs to access region-locked content on streaming platforms[1] shows that the whole business model of that industry is broken and makes for a very frustrating experience for users.

[1]: and even that is not a "god mode" as some franchises keep their movies off of rival platforms, such as Star Wars.


Sweden is part of the EU, right? Or just the EEA?

Thank you for your words and description regarding what port forwarding is. What I envision happening next is that probably ProtonVPN will also announce that they'll drop port forwarding. I suppose there will be another great influx of users - mainly looking for port forwarding option - to another VPN provider that has a good privacy stance - in this case ProtonVPN - which will eventually force Proton team to also drop it to prevent further abuse (as it was one of the main reasons that made both Mullvad and IVPN drop it).

Thanks for regularly updating this thread with some news. And I really, really like the style of your posts.

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For those who are lost in vain and don't understand what port forwarding is, calm down, nothing changes for you if you don't set up Plex Media Server, haven't been seeding torrents or if you don't set up virtual private network at your home to access it from a remote location.
Port forwarding bypasses the NAT firewall and allows external sources to access your device easily. It improves your internet speed and increases download time but it comes with the cost and the price is security because open ports, if not constantly occupied, make it easier for hackers to successfully attack you.

Most of the time, port forwarding is very useful in P2P file sharing. To directly answer your question, when you seed torrents, people who want to download from you have to access your torrent files through an open port on your network. As Mullvad and IVPN say, they removed port forwarding because some users were using it for hosting and sharing of illegal materials.
This is just an excuse to remove port forwarding features, an excuse similar to why you are asked to upload KYC documents on centralized exchanges.

If you are more interested in Port Forwarding, you can check some good articles:
Port forwarding: What it is and how to set it up - This article is focused on why you shouldn't use port forwarding.
VPN Port Forwarding - Neutral article.
What is NAT Firewall.
Supercharge peer-to-peer speeds with port forwarding.

Heads up - As it was expected, IVPN has now followed the lead and will be gradually removing the port forwarding feature from their Pro plan[1]:
This decision was also motivated by the fact that they got a big influx of users after Mullvad decision and some of those users that were abusing the service in Mullvad probably went on to IVPN to continue their behaviour. They are also issuing a refund on a pro rata basis if this change deeply affects their clients usage of the service[2].

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[1]https://www.ivpn.net/blog/gradual-removal-of-port-forwarding
[2]https://safereddit.com/r/IVPN/comments/13uun18/comment/jm6fo23/