# VPN Provider

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Your </span>[Internet Service Provider](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_service_provider)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> has the power to see information about the websites and data services you access while using their modem. While they cannot see the data being transmitted, they can see the servers you connect to. This is often used to </span>[build user profiles](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-staff-report-finds-many-internet-service-providers-collect-troves-personal-data-users-have-few)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> for </span>[targeted advertising](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/basics/common-threats/#surveillance-as-a-business-model)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> or enforcing copyright law on peer-to-peer traffic.</span>

## Aggregation

We can lessen this by creating a private, encrypted tunnel to a VPN server connected elsewhere in the world. This will not provide total anonymity, but it can help obscure your traffic and make it harder to tell your traffic from other clients.

<div drawio-diagram="828"><img src="https://hub.subspace.services/uploads/images/drawio/2025-04/drawing-3-1744160305.png" alt=""/></div>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Behind a </span>[Virtual Private Network](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network), your ISP can see that you've connected to a remote server but the traffic between is encrypted. Your web data is aggregated with other users to make your traffic less traceable back to you. This can also channel your Internet traffic to a specific geographic region.

<div drawio-diagram="829"><img src="https://hub.subspace.services/uploads/images/drawio/2025-04/drawing-3-1744160329.png" alt=""/></div>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you're looking for additional privacy from your internet service provider – such as downloading files with </span>[qBittorrent](https://hub.subspace.services/books/qbittorrent "qBittorrent")<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> or obscuring your </span>[AdGuard Home](https://hub.subspace.services/books/adguard-home "AdGuard Home")<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> lookups – then a VPN service could be an option. </span>[Gluetun](https://hub.subspace.services/books/gluetun "Gluetun •")<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> can connect individual containers to your VPN allowing you to circumvent geo-restrictions by changing your location – such as a </span>[MeTube](https://hub.subspace.services/books/metube "MeTube")<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> server that can access Swedish internet content.</span>

<p class="callout info"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Learn more about the </span>[advantages of using a VPN provider](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/basics/vpn-overview/)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p>

## Privacy Assurance

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Not all VPNs are created equal and they have the same opportunities to snoop on your data just like your ISP. They may store logs and </span>[submit them to law enforcement agencies](https://www.theregister.com/2011/09/26/hidemyass_lulzsec_controversy/)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> when asked. If they don't follow industry practice, they may have their databases </span>[hacked](https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/21/nordvpn-confirms-it-was-hacked/)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Some providers have been implicated in data collections for </span>[government surveillance purposes](https://www.mintpressnews.com/exposed-how-israeli-spies-control-your-vpn/288259/)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. Others </span>[use your data to build user profiles they can sell to brokers](https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/60-percent-of-free-vpns-could-be-selling-your-data-by-2025)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span>

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</td><td>[![Untitled-1.png](https://hub.subspace.services/uploads/images/gallery/2025-04/scaled-1680-/untitled-1.png)](https://hub.subspace.services/uploads/images/gallery/2025-04/scaled-1680-/untitled-1.png)

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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">VPN providers can, however, volunteer for third-party audits to ensure consumer privacy and build community trust. </span>[Privacy Guides](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a non-profit that educates about personal privacy and independently reviews service providers. They recommend </span>[Proton VPN](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/#proton-vpn)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span>[Mullvad](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/#mullvad)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span>[IVPN](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/#ivpn)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> services.</span>