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Jurisdiction and ownership
ADJACENT DECISION HUB
Compare privacy claims, independent audits, protocol support, device limits and performance without treating a VPN as anonymity.
BEFORE YOU COMPARE
Jurisdiction and ownership
Published audit scope and date
Logging policy
Protocol and kill-switch support
Device and router coverage
Country legality and network blocking
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RELATED GUIDANCE
A VPN hides your traffic from your local network and ISP, but it does not make you anonymous online, does not protect against malware, and the provider itself can see your traffic unless independently audited otherwise.
Check the audit's date, scope (which systems were actually examined) and whether it's a one-time snapshot or a recurring commitment -- a single old audit says less than a current, narrowly-scoped one implies.
Some countries restrict or block VPN use entirely -- research the specific destination's current legal status before relying on a VPN there, not just its general reputation.
COMMON QUESTIONS
No. A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your traffic from your local network, but websites can still track you through cookies, browser fingerprinting and account logins regardless of VPN use.