But that’s only if you use the TOR-over-VPN method by connecting to the TOR network after first connecting to a VPN server.įor that to work, your VPN also needs to be TOR-compatible. There are issues with using TOR, but in the absence of a Double VPN feature, it’s a fairly good substitute. Long story short, it helps obfuscate our location and partially encrypt our connection. One of the browsers we have installed is The Onion Router (TOR), which creates a proxy connection and routes internet use through 3 remote servers. We couldn’t find any information as to whether the feature is also available for mobile users, unfortunately.įinally, PIA also uses its own DNS servers and blocks IPv6 to implement DNS leak protection. We’d prefer to see an option for excluding websites instead (unless, like us, you have more than one browser installed, in which case you can create an exception for one and use it to access websites you don’t want to run through the VPN connection).Īs a general rule, the split tunnel feature should only be used by advanced VPN users. If you do have any apps you want to bypass the VPN (even when connected to a PIA server), you can create an exception with the split tunnel feature. We strongly recommend using the “Always” setting to make sure you never use an unsecured connection. Always – even if your VPN app is closed, your device will be unable to connect to the internet.Auto – as long as your VPN is on, the kill switch will prevent your device from connecting to the internet if the connection to the VPN server is interrupted.Off – if your connection to the VPN server is interrupted, your device will still exchange data with the internet via an unsecured connection.PIA also does well when it comes to the implementation of other important security features.įor starters, the kill switch offers 3 settings: Kill Switch, Split Tunneling, DNS Leak Protection Never use L2TP or PPTP, as these are highly unsecure. IPSec should be your begrudging second-choice (we’d prefer IKEv2). We strongly recommend only using OpenVPN. We can also confirm PIA uses OpenVPN, IPSec, L2TP, WireGuard, and PPTP are available to all users (iOS users were originally limited to IPSec). We’re glad to see this, as it’s considered the most secure encryption standard currently available and is used by the military as well. Now we finally get to a few areas where the acquisition isn’t likely to have any effect: the encryption and VPN protocols PIA uses.Īs far as encryption is concerned, PIA has been using 256-AES GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard, Galois-Counter Mode) since March 2019. Military-Grade Encryption and the Best VPN Protocols But a 2016 FBI subpoena regarding a fake bomb threat and a 2018 FBI subpoena regarding a news outlet hacking case proved PIA’s privacy policy can be trusted.įor the time being, we’re willing to agree with PIA in making an exception to our “no 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes, or 14 Eyes VPN providers” rule. PIA hasn’t been independently audited to prove their actions match their words. None of this is out of the ordinary and it’s practically impossible to run a website or online service without this kind of information. Plenty of VPN providers promise not to keep logs, but their actual policy and/or actions prove otherwise.īut PIA’s Privacy Policy is actually very favorable and they do have a proven track record: Let’s find out if PIA is one of those exceptions. We rarely recommend VPNs based in a 5-Eyes jurisdiction, though exceptions are made. Getting into the usual nitty-gritty of our reviews, let’s open with the fact that PIA is based in one of the worst countries for online privacy: the US, or Denver, Colorado to be specific.
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