Privacy & Security

Smart TVs are essentially televisions that can watch you. Their surge in popularity, along with smart speakers, means corporations (and anyone that can hack these devices) have another window through which they can view your private activity. The data collection that typifies the Internet is spilling over into your offline life — and invading your […]

This post was updated on November 1, 2019. Fitness and health apps are designed to help you record and quantify how much you exercise, what prescription drugs you take, even what birth control methods you use. While these apps can help improve your health, they can also put your privacy at risk. In the worst […]

More and more people are taking their online privacy seriously. Facebook, Google, Amazon, and numerous other online platforms are rightfully receiving criticism for the amount of personal data they collect and monetize. However, they are not the only monopolistic corporations you should be concerned about.  ISPs can monitor which websites you visit and the right […]

The Internet made it possible for workers in the service economy to do their jobs from any place that has a fast broadband connection. But the Internet also opens up new avenues for criminals and surveillance. If you’re a digital nomad, are thinking of becoming one, or simply work remotely from time to time, it’s […]

If you’re traveling abroad this summer, you’ll probably have a full agenda of sun and sightseeing. But if you get bored and flip on Netflix or Hulu, you might find yourself unable to catch your favorite shows or movies. And if you’re using a VPN to protect your Internet connection, you may not be able […]

Living abroad can be an adventure, but it also presents unique online privacy obstacles. A VPN can help expats stay in touch with their family and avoid Internet censorship. In the age of the “digital nomad” more and more people are moving abroad. Living in a new country can be both exciting and complicated. One […]

The Internet is one of the few places where information can spread freely, which might explain why authoritarian governments are blocking it more often. We look at some of the countries that have suffered Internet blackouts this year. This article was updated on July 10, 2019, to reflect recent events in Sudan. It is still […]

We explain what a VPN protocol is and what it does. We also compare the strengths and weaknesses of the most common protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, PPTP, and L2TP. Before you trust a VPN to protect your Internet activity, you need to make sure they’ve put in place the necessary safeguards. Evaluating the more […]

Most websites now use HTTPS to encrypt your connection and add an additional layer of protection to your data. But if you are on public WiFi, using HTTPS without a VPN means that some of your data will still be vulnerable. Edit: An earlier version of this blog post could have been misunderstood as implying […]