VPN Selection Criteria

For privacy-focused VPN selection: independently audited no-logs policy, jurisdiction outside surveillance alliances, open source clients, modern protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN), kill switch, no mandatory personal information for signup.

Top Privacy VPNs

Mullvad: Swedish, no-account signup (anonymous ID), accepts cash/crypto, independently audited, WireGuard and OpenVPN. €5/mo flat. Best for anonymity.

ProtonVPN: Swiss, free tier available, integrated with ProtonMail, Secure Core (double-hop), open source. From free to $10/mo. Best for ecosystem integration.

IVPN: Gibraltar, no-account option, independently audited, transparent. From $6/mo. Best for transparency.

AirVPN: Italian, supports Tor over VPN, advanced configuration. From €4/mo. Best for technical users.

VPN Limitations

VPNs protect against ISP surveillance and casual network attacks. They do NOT provide anonymity from websites you log into, protection from malware, or absolute anonymity (your VPN provider can see your traffic).

For dead man's switch usage: a VPN adds a privacy layer when checking in to ZeroLatch, preventing your ISP from knowing you use the service.