expressvpn.com
There is no disputing the fact that the advent of the internet has resulted in a lot of improvements in our everyday lives. Obviously, I'm not here to speak for everyone in the world, but I for one can hardly remember how I ever got through life without it. Nowadays, I use it for just about everything. Getting from point A to point B; finding information (no need to remember facts anymore); shopping; even ordering food. How did we even survive pre-internet?
Despite all the benefits of the internet, it also has its downsides. For every website that makes life easier, there are at least two people lurking in the shadows of our wifi connections, waiting to find and exploit our sensitive information. This means credit card numbers, addresses, pictures, videos, anything transmitted or accessed on a public wifi network is fair game for sadistic individuals that know what they're doing.
While it's not just the occasional rogue hacker who you have to worry about when it comes to your data, even the more reputable companies that you need in order to access the internet can act in bad faith. That's right, I'm talking about your Internet Service Provider (ISP). A shockingly high number of them access, mine, and sell your data to third-party companies. You know, so they can thentarget you in their own way, with personalized advertisements and who knows what else.
Depending on where you live, you may be vulnerable to the government spying on your online activity. Most nations do this in the name of "safety," but there is no arguing the fact that it is invasive and Orwellian. And if you are living in a particularly oppressive country, forget about it - most of the internet will not be available to you anyway. Censorship is a favorite tool of oppression, after all.
There is some good news that I have for you. Though, hope is not entirely lost. Whether you are worried about being spied on by an amateur hacker, your government, or you want to get around national censorship firewalls, a VPN can do the trick. The first thing to safeguard your privacy is to know what makes you vulnerable.
If you spend a lot of time in coffee shops or traveling, it's important to use a VPN to protect your online privacy. A public wifi connection is the least secure way to connect to the internet, and anyone can easily spy on what you're doing over it. So, if this describes you, using a VPN is especially important. However, even if you only use the internet at home, that doesn't protect you from more advanced hackers. And nothing but a VPN (or the Tor dark web browser) can protect you from most governments.
History
VPNs offer a way to create a truly private connection to the internet, specifically for your IP address. This can be helpful if you're using an unsafe or public connection and want to keep your data private. A more descriptive way to look at it might be as a tunnel of private internet access that is hidden below the usual traffic on your network.
By digging under the ground, you can hide from any surveillance devices. This is perfect privacy, as no one knows what you are doing below the surface.
It was a low-level Microsoft employee, believe it or not, that invented the first-ever peer-to-peer tunneling protocol software in 1996. This software is widely considered to be the necessary precursor to the VPN technology that we know and love today. Slightly different (and much more complicated) than contemporary VPNs, if it wasn't for PPTP we wouldn't have the constant influx of VPN technologies we have today safeguarding our privacy.
Express VPN is one of the most critically acclaimed VPNs on the market. It has over 3,000 servers in over 160 locations and 94 separate countries, and both Tech Radar and Comparitech named Express VPN their editor's choice for a VPN service in 2018.
Design
As with most VPN programs and apps, there isn't a whole lot of design involved. This is because the VPN itself doesn't require you to use it a whole lot. All you really have to do is open the program, select your location from a list, and turn the power button on to activate your total privacy and censorship evasion. It's as simple as that.
That being said, ExpressVPN is one of the easiest ones on the market to use. Hence, it's name comes from "express" meaning "quick and easy"?all you have to do is open the app, click "on," and begin browsing as you normally would, only with less anxiety because the service is excellent at masking your IP address and, thus, the data it transmits!
Content
The company offers a variety of VPN services, including express VPN.
I had a great time at the party.
I had a lot of fun at the party.
ExpressVPN also offers a range of other services, such as browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, ExpressVPN routers, and plenty of informative tools and resources to test your privacy and learn more about VPNs. They also have a regularly updated blog to keep you up to date on the latest in privacy tech.
Pricing and Plans
ExpressVPN is one of the most effective and secure VPNs on the market, with prices that are also some of the fairest. They have a variety of payment options (including credit card, Pay Pal, Bitcoin, Union Pay, Web Money, Mint), so you can choose what's best for you. Today I'll give you a rundown of their prices in US dollars.
If you're willing to commit to a full year subscription of Express VPN, it will cost you $8.32/month. This is cheaper than the prices of comparable VPN services out there, and pretty on par with the top 5 (including Nord, Ghost, Windscribe, etc.).
If you're not willing or able to commit to a subscription that lasts for 6 months, Express VPN also offers a monthly payment plan for $9.99/month. This plan is a little bit on the pricey side, but there are similar VPNs that offer the same payment plan for less money.
Express VPN offers a minimally committal monthly payment plan that lets you pay as you go for $12.95, recurring until canceled. So, perhaps Express VPN isn't the cheapest. But it is one of the highest-rated providers, so that is certainly important to keep in mind.
Suggestions that I have for Windscribe VPN
I think ExpressVPN's prices could be lower. They're a little more expensive than I would prefer, and it would be nice to see them go down a bit. Or, at the very least, it would be nice to see ExpressVPN offer a free trial period of some sort before deciding to commit to a yearly or biannually commitment, or have to drop at least $13 to try it out for a month.
Conclusion
If you don't have a VPN, now is the time to get one. ExpressVPN is a great service that can help protect your privacy.