giganews blog

Corporate culture, personal experiences, and unique observations about Giganews, Usenet, Newsgroups, and Usenet related technologies.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Recap: Golden Frog Debunks 7 Myths About VPN Logging and Online Anonymity


We are proud to be partnered with a company focused on transparency and honesty in the VPN industry. Last week Golden Frog debunked 7 myths about online anonymity and VPN logging in their article, I am Anonymous When I Use a VPN - 7 Myths Debunked.

The "7 Myths" article addresses a disturbing trend in the VPN industry over the past year. More and more VPN providers are perpetuating the myth of an "anonymous" or "no logging" VPN service while providing minimal or zero transparency about how they actually handle users' data. This has diverted privacy conscious VPN users to focus on the false promise of anonymity instead of focusing on what really matters when choosing a VPN provider: transparency, trust, ease of use, performance and reliability.

Learn the truth about each of these myths:
For other insightful discussions on online privacy and security check out Golden Frog's "Take Back Your Internet" policy microsite.

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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Golden Frog Discusses The FCC Revolving Door vs. The Open Internet - Make Your Voice Heard

We highly recommend that Giganews members view "The FCC Revolving Door vs. The Open Internet" for a detailed look at how the revolving door has hurt the free and Open Internet. The FCC has extended the deadline for people to leave comments on their site to Friday, July 18th. Make your voice heard and show the FCC bureaucrats that the public's will to preserve the Open Internet is stronger than the corporate ties the revolving door has facilitated.



In May of 2014, the FCC made a historic decision to advance rules that will kill the "Open Internet" as we know it. Despite public outcry nationwide, Tom Wheeler, current chairman of the FCC, and his democratic commissioners betrayed Net Neutrality rhetoric, and instead approved the consideration for rules that would create a "two-tiered Internet." that will:
  • stifle innovation by putting startups with less funding at a competitive disadvantage because they can't afford to pay for faster access
  • increased costs because companies will pass along new costs for "premium traffic" to consumers
  • decreased privacy because ISPs will snoop on user traffic so they can prioritize "premium" traffic over "regular" traffic
Though this ruling is disturbing and paints a grim picture of the future of the Internet, it doesn't come as a surprise. The FCC has a long history of employing former cable and telecom lobbyists and executives. This "revolving door" phenomenon has posed significant conflicts of interest in the past, from the controversial changes enacted to media ownership rules in 2003, the Comcast - NBC merger in 2011, and now this most recent Net Neutrality debacle.

The FCC has asked Internet users to weigh in on Net Neutrality by posting to the comments section on the FCC website, http://www.fcc.gov/comments. There have been over 800,000 comments, an overwhelming number that even caused the site to crash on July 15th. Continue to leave comments through July 18th and pressure the FCC to protect the Open Internet. Make your voice heard!

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Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Golden Frog Debunks 7 Myths About VPN Logging and Online Anonymity


I am Anonymous When I Use a VPN - 7 Myths Debunked is Golden Frog's latest article featured on their "Take Back Your Internet" policy microsite. The "7 Myths" article addresses a disturbing trend in the VPN industry over the past year. More and more VPN providers are perpetuating the myth of an “anonymous” or “no logging” VPN service while providing minimal or zero transparency about how they actually handle users' data. This has diverted privacy conscious VPN users to focus on the false promise of anonymity instead of focusing on what really matters when choosing a VPN provider: transparency, trust, ease of use, performance and reliability. Understanding these myths is important for Giganews members with VyprVPN and anyone considering using a VPN service.

Over the next week Golden Frog is going to reveal the reality behind these 7 myths:
  • Myth #1: I can be anonymous on the Internet.
  • Myth #2: - July 10th Anonymity and Privacy are the same.
  • Myth #3: - July 11th When my VPN Provider advertises an "anonymous" service, that means they don't log any identifying information about me.
  • Myth #4: - July 14th When my VPN Provider's privacy policy says they "don't log," that means I am anonymous.
  • Myth #5: - July 15th Even if my VPN Provider uses Hosted or Cloud based VPN servers I can still be anonymous.
  • Myth #6: - July 16th Even if my VPN Provider doesn't own and operate the network I can still be anonymous.
  • Myth #7: - July 17th Any VPN logging is bad.
Golden Frog has done an excellent job dispelling these common myths and starting a transparent and frank discussion about privacy in the VPN industry. Learn the truth about online anonymity today starting with Myth #1, "I can be anonymous on the Internet."

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