VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are used for various reasons, one top reason being online privacy. If you live in a place where the government is allowed to track your online activities, then privacy is nonexistent. That is why using a good VPN will alleviate any worry of third parties keeping an eye on your online activity.

So, what does 14-eyes countries have to do with VPN? If you haven’t heard of that term before, keep reading. The 14-eyes countries are countries that have entered into the UK/USA Agreement which allows countries to share information about international communications between two parties. How can that be utilized? In the US, it is “illegal” for the government to spy on its citizens without warrants and lots of other legal proceedings. The UK doesn’t have any of those limitations. Under the agreement, this could allow the US to ask the UK authorities to look at different people’s online activity and see what they are up to.

While most of us have nothing to hide when it comes to online activities, we still want to know that using a VPN will keep our communications private. That means, when choosing a VPN client, you need to do a little research about the company. Are they part of the 14-eyes countries? Do they track and store client information?

Obviously, the USA and the UK are part of the agreement, but the other 12 countries are:

Italy
Canada
Australia
Denmark
France
Netherlands
Norway
Germany
Belgium
Sweden
Spain
New Zealand

Israel and Japan are said to be unofficially on the list and sources have confirmed that Singapore and South Korea are definitely included.

The VPN company you choose should have information on their website stating whether they store information or not. Make note of their registered business address. If you take online privacy seriously, select a VPN provider that’s based in a country not associated with the 14-eyes countries.

Here is a link to an article that’s a little over a year old. It lists the VPN legality of 31 countries and states whether or not they are part of the 14 eyes.

https://thebestvpn.com/5-9-14-eyes-countries/

Now, some countries ban VPN use along with encryption. You need to know your country’s online regulations and laws when it comes to VPN use. Here are a few links that might help you:

https://thebestvpn.com/are-vpns-legal-banned-countries/
https://www.gp-digital.org/world-map-of-encryption/

Two VPN providers that I would suggest are NordVPN and ExpressVPN. They are outside of the 14-eyes countries and two of the top VPN service providers.

-by Kena Mann, IT Manager