Private Internet Access

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access Logo 2021.svg
Developer(s)Kape Technologies
Initial releaseAugust 2010
Repositorygithub.com/pia-foss
Operating system
Available inEnglish
TypeVirtual private network
License
Websitewww.privateinternetaccess.com Edit this at Wikidata

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a personal VPN service. In 2018, former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès was named chief technology officer of PIA's parent company, London Trust Media.[4] In November 2019, Private Internet Access was acquired by Kape Technologies.[5]

Company[]

The CEO of Private Internet Access (and its parent company, London Trust Media, Inc.) is Ted Kim. The company was founded by Andrew Lee.[6][7] Lee started the company PIA because of the Relay chat that would allow users IP addresses to be revealed with ease.

On November 18, 2019, Private Internet Access announced that it would be merged into Kape Technologies, which operates three competing VPN services, , ExpressVPN and .[8] Some users objected to the acquisition, as Kape (under its former name, Crossrider) previously developed browser toolbars bundled with potentially unwanted programs.[5] The Company has been serving VPN for 10 years now, with 24/7 technical support and access worldwide. PIA prides itself on easy access and easy to use for people, as well has the cost is affordable compared to other VPN companies.

History[]

History of the company[]

  • Founded in 2010, Private Internet Access was formed under parent company London Trust Media and entrepreneur Andrew Lee.  The company was formed due to Lee’s interest to take privacy mainstream. From a “’hide yourself’ type of sense to a ‘don’t watch me’ form”.[9] The goal of the company is to create the “next VPN” and to do this they open-source their code for everyone to use. During their acquisition by Kape Technologies, PIA had to assure their users that privacy and security will remain the company’s top priority as they continue to work under Kape’s umbrella. However, due to Kape Technologies history, a good amount of faith in PIA was lost.[10] PIA now is available on all devices which allows VPN service to expand for customers.
  • Merging with Kape Technologies: After merging with Kape. Private Internet Access became one of many privacy software offered by the corporation. Along with Private Internet Access, Kape also offer’s Cyber ghost, Intego, Webselenese and Restoro.
  • Kape Technologies: Previously Crossrider, UK-based company, Kape Technologies changed their name in 2018 in order to go under a type of rebranding and “escape a strong association to the past activities of the company” [11] where they had issues with their previous image being associated with traffic manipulation. After purchasing various other VPN services, Kape Technologies purchased Private Internet Access in order to “aggressively expand their footprint in North America”
  • After Purchase: Since being bought by Kape Technologies, Private Internet Access has become one of the most popular VPN’s on the market, best known for their strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy. However, due to Kape’s previous ventures many customers have lost their trust in the company despite its services getting better. Andrew Lee, the founder, made a post on Reddit about how this was a move that may anger many of them but reassured their users that Private Internet Access’ mission is to continue the fight for privacy and security.
  • Despite being purchase by Kape Technologies, Private Internet Access remains as a popular VPN to be purchased by consumers due to their promise to not to record or maintain logs. However, many users feel slighted by the merger with Kape Technologies given the company’s previous background of practice of traffic manipulation and data huffing which has been investigated by the rest of technology sector. However, Private Internet Access still believes its mission has not changed since its original inception.

History of the product[]

  • VPNs are able to encrypt and hide what one browses and uses. This is able to certify that you are protected from third parties having access to your browser history and stops ISPs from monitoring what you browse in private.[12] Private Internet Access was originally created for this purpose and till this day is still a strong contender for one of the best VPNs on the market.[13] It is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market and for the price has been a staple in the industry. As of right now, the history of private security has been used to add another layer of security for the user and has stood the test of time.[13] With 10 years in the business PIA has been a company that allows the users to feel safe while they use their product.
  • With privacy and security being such a big factor in the world today, VPNs have been able to help keep users safe and private. Giving the security to users has the browse the internet, the option is in their hand. People can choose whether they want to have their data collected or not, because of companies like PIA and what they have been able to do with VPNs.

Features[]

Private Internet Access (PIA) has multiple features that help customers with online privacy and digital freedom. PIA VPN has some core benefits that they offer to their customers. One of the options that they offer is to hide or change the device's IP address, allowing users not to be tracked by advertisers and overcome geographical-based restrictions.[14] PIA prevents storage, collection, and selling of the user's browsing data by hiding the traffic data from your ISP or network administration. They also offer extra security protecting against certain online attacks due to the increasing hacking threats using modern encryption and safety standards.

PIA also offers an advanced VPN that provide other features including the general features that the basic package provides. Some of the additional features include using only trusted world class protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard to keep the user’s data safe.[15] Another feature they have is that the user can configure the VPN to automatically connect and disconnect based on specific networks or network types.[16] They also offer settings that the user can customize like DNS settings, port forwarding, proxies, remote ports and additional settings.[17] An additional feature is that PIA Advanced VPN has a built in ad blocking that blocks trackers, ads and bad sites.[18] PIA also offers a secure kill-switch that provides data protection when the PIA VPN connection goes down.[19] Split tunneling is another feature that the advanced PIA offers which helps users conserve bandwidth and stream foreign content without a foreign IP address.[20]

The company PIA also takes pride in making sure that there is privacy and does not give out information or logs to anyone. PIA is very transparent with their customers sending updates about requests they get.[21] On March, 2018, PIA VPN released its open source, allowing their source code publicly available and letting anyone verify or test their code.[22] PIA also works on most operating systems like Windows, Android, IOS, Linux, MacOS and also routers.[23] Users can get their very own IP address and an anonymous IP address only the user can access. A very own IP address can help the user have an easier time switching accounts by avoiding the potential security warnings and having a smoother browsing experience by having lesser CAPTCHAs pop up.[24] They offer a 24/7 live support line and unlimited bandwidth with high speed network.[25] PIA VPN also offers IoT protection that allows the user to connect IoT devices using the dedicated IP address and restrict any unauthorized IP addresses.[26]

Reception[]

Private Internet access has received a number of positive reviews from various websites.

In a 2021 review from techradar, Private Internet Access was given a four out five star rating. Described as being “ A likeable VPN which gives you plenty for your money.”[27] According to the review, its most notable features include removing restrictions from streaming services such as: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney +.

Private Internet Access has received positive ratings from various websites. The reviews states that their most notable feature is its ability to prioritize their customer’s privacy and safety. It is also favored by bit torrent users because of PIA having a strict no log policy. It has also been criticized for the speed of the PIA security protocol as it tends to slow down and does not remain consistent on all servers.[28] The strict no log policy is also considered unfavorable to some users due to the lack of innovation.

PIA also received a positive review from TomsGuide, highlighting the effectiveness of their ability to protect privacy. TomsGuide has also criticized the speed of the security.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "desktop/LICENSE.txt at master · pia-foss/desktop". GitHub. 2019-12-17. Archived from the original on 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  2. ^ "android/LICENSE at master · pia-foss/android". GitHub. 2020-05-22. Archived from the original on 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  3. ^ "vpn-ios/LICENSE at master · pia-foss/vpn-ios". GitHub. 2018-04-11. Archived from the original on 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  4. ^ Goldman, Joshua. "Former Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange CEO Karpeles lands new job". CNET. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  5. ^ a b Van Der Sar, Ernesto (24 November 2019). "Private Internet Access to Be Acquired by Kape". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  6. ^ "The fresh prince of South Korea is real, and he's American". South China Morning Post. December 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "How one small American VPN company is trying to stand up for privacy". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  8. ^ Lee, Andrew (18 November 2019). "Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes ("The War of All Against All")". Private Internet Access Blog. Retrieved 2019-12-18.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "The Fight for Control: Andrew Lee on Open-Sourcing PIA | Linux Journal". www.linuxjournal.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  10. ^ "Private Internet Access to Be Acquired by Kape * TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  11. ^ Hodge, Rae. "What is Kape Technologies? What you need to know about the parent company of CyberGhost VPN". CNET. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  12. ^ "Private Internet Access Review 2021: Over 3,000 Servers in 33 Countries". Security.org. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  13. ^ a b "Private Internet Access VPN Review". PCMAG. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  14. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  15. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  16. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  17. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  18. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  19. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  20. ^ "What is VPN Split Tunneling?". Fortinet. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  21. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  22. ^ news, Greg Absolutely great; ago, will keep me coming back as a supporter of PIA 4 years (2018-03-15). "Private Internet Access goes Open Source". PIA VPN Blog. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  23. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  24. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  25. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  26. ^ Inc, Private Internet Access. "VPN Features and Use Cases | Private Internet Access". www.privateinternetaccess.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  27. ^ Williams, Mike (2021-05-12). "Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  28. ^ "Private Internet Access (PIA) Review - Can You Trust It?". RestorePrivacy. Retrieved 2021-12-03.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""