Does NordVPN keep logs?
NordVPN has rightfully earned its place in our list of the best VPN services available. That’s because it has a vast network of more than 5,000 servers in 50 exotic countries, supports up to six simultaneous connections and offers native apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. NordVPN also supports a number of VPN protocols including OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, and Wireguard.
However, one of the biggest differences between NordVPN and the competition is the fact that the company does not keep logs of its users. While some VPN companies claim not to keep tabs of their users’ online activities including what sites they visit, what they download and more, these claims are often difficult to verify.
However, that’s not the case with NordVPN, which in 2018 hired an independent auditor to review its servers and code – we’ll go into more detail on this later.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at NordVPN’s no-logs policy, its independent security audit, and even cover some additional service features designed to help protect your privacy online.
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No-logs policy
The no-logs policy is one of the features that many customers look for when deciding on a VPN service.
When you go online without a VPN, all your online traffic goes through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and they can see everything you do online as well as track your behavior. Sometimes your ISP delivers your online data to advertisers, government agencies, or other third parties.
When you connect to a VPN server on the other hand, your ISP will not be able to see what you are doing online. But your VPN provider will still be able to which is why no-logs policies are important.
When shopping for a VPN deal, privacy-conscious customers should pay careful attention to the types of data the service collects, the third-party support or tracking tools used, the country in which the service operates and the payment options available.
In its privacy policy on the NordVPN website, the company goes into detail about the no-logs policy and explains that the company is based in a country that does not require user data to be stored, saying:
NordVPN guarantees a strict no-logs policy for NordVPN services, which means that your activities using NordVPN services are provided through an automated technical process, and are not monitored, logged, logged, stored or passed to any third party. We do not store connection time stamps, session information, bandwidth used, traffic logs, IP addresses or other data. From the moment a NordVPN.com user turns on NordVPN.com, their internet data becomes encrypted. Any internet traffic coming from the user’s device is no longer visible to the ISP, third party snoopers or cybercriminals. Furthermore, NordVPN has a strict no-logs policy when it comes to seeing a user’s online activity: NordVPN is located in Panama, which does not require data storage.”
NordVPN’s privacy policy covers not only general logging of its customers’ online activities, but also session logging details such as logging a user’s incoming IP address when connecting to the service. Other VPN providers claim that they don’t keep any logs of their users’ online activity but still log some session details that still reveal where you were when you were connected to their VPN and how long you used the service.
Independent audits
Less well-known VPN providers often claim that they keep no logs of their users as a selling point for why you should choose their service over the competition. However, as mentioned earlier, these claims are often difficult to verify. This is the reason why more and more VPN companies are making the decision to put themselves and their services through public audits.
Between October and November of 2018, NordVPN hired PricewaterhouseCoopers to perform an independent audit of its infrastructure and services as well as verify the accuracy of its logging policy description. You can find more details in this blog post, but the long and the short is that the company now has more evidence to support the no-logging claims. NordVPN also plans to review its services regularly in the future to ensure that its customers know exactly what kind of service they are getting when they sign up.
In fact, last year the company invited security research group VerSprite, which specializes in software vulnerabilities, to examine its applications. The researchers simulated the malicious attacks on all of the company’s apps to see which ones were vulnerable. In total, VerSprite discovered 7 low-level vulnerabilities, 6 medium-level vulnerabilities, and 4 high-level vulnerabilities that were all patched by NordVPN.
Additional privacy features
NordVPN does not keep any logs of its users and the company also offers a number of additional features to help protect the privacy of its users online.
NordVPN’s kill switch, for example, helps protect your sensitive data from leaking online if your VPN connection drops. When enabled, a kill switch protects your IP address and online activity from being compromised, and this helps keep your identity confidential and secure online.
NordVPN also offers a variety of different server types including dual VPN and Onion over VPN. A dual VPN sends your internet traffic through two different servers to encrypt your data twice while Onion over VPN sends your traffic through one of NordVPN’s servers and then passes it through the Onion network before it reaches the internet. Although most users won’t need the extra protection that these two types of servers provide, it’s still a good idea to have it especially if you’re working with sensitive material online.
NordVPN also accepts a number of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Monero, and Dash. Users with a crypto wallet can sign up and pay for the company’s VPN service completely anonymously and still have access to the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Finally, NordVPN is based in Panama, meaning that the company is not legally obligated to collect personal data of its users. VPNs located in the European Union or the United States are legally required to store this type of data on their users but fortunately, NordVPN is not.
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