Nearly half of Americans use a virtual private network (VPN), and despite that—or perhaps because of it—companies, organizations, and governments are increasingly working to block those who use VPNs from accessing their websites.
The game of cat and mouse isn’t cute. It’s bulls**t. Privacy is a human right, and while companies can argue that it’s their platforms and websites, so it’s their rules, the idea about rights is that companies (among others) don’t get to decide when, where, and how rights are permissible.
Mullvad, maker of one of my favorite VPNs, has released a new technology called QUIC obfuscation to make it more difficult for VPN blockers to detect that you’re using Mullvad VPN and block you from accessing a website or service.
a good vpn gets even better
Mullvad VPN is one of the few VPNs I recommend. In my guide to the Best VPNs, I called Mullvad the best VPN for anonymous sign-up. You don’t need to input an email address, phone number, or any personal information. To create an account, just click a button to generate a random account number.
QUIC obfuscation “tunnels WireGuard traffic, making it harder for firewalls to detect and block it,” as Mullvad puts it. The specifics of how it works get very technical. You can check out Mullvad’s post about it here, if you’re curious.
For five euros per month ($5.85), you can pay in Bitcoin or Monero cryptocurrencies, if you prefer that to PayPal or a credit or debit card (which are other possibilities). You can even send cash if you want anonymity without boarding the rollercoaster of cryptocurrencies.
Mullvad has also shown good faith by releasing the results of its independently requested audit, and it doesn’t log user information. I’m no less skeptical about security software than I am about other types of software. Sketchy VPNs are out there in large numbers.
I’ve used and tested Mullvad VPN, and given its level of transparency and openness, I feel secure enough to recommend that it’s worth your five euros per month and that you can trust it with your digital privacy. After all, I trust it with mine.
The post Hey, QUIC! Check Out This New VPN Feature to Avoid VPN Blocks. appeared first on VICE.
