What is a no-log VPN?

The main purpose of a VPN is to prevent the ISPs (Internet service provider), any website or entity, from keeping track of websites the user visits. VPNs are also supposed to prevent anyone from seeing how you spend your time online. If you are interested in the topic of online privacy, you have probably heard about the fact that websites along with your ISP keep records of all connections made from your IP Address. Every time you visit a web page, your ISP as well as the website make a note of that connection and the log is created. The log records your IP Address, the time of your visit to the website, and the duration of your connection. This means that when you are browsing without a VPN, your online activity is pretty much exposed to at least two other parties. 

Making sure that there are no logs leading to your IP Address is one of the main selling points for VPNs, So how exactly can VPNs help you avoid logs?

Why are logs important for online security?

If you have read the definition above, you might think that the logs are relatively harmless and can’t do much in terms of intruding on your privacy. In reality, they are marketers’ favorite way to gather information about you and use it to market various products. Logs can also be used to determine some of our browsing habits, especially if you don't keep track of your browser cookies. You can also easily determine the location of the IP address through logs, which could create a whole new set of problems. 

To put it shortly, as long as the websites or your ISP keep logs on you, your online identity is not private. ISPs or websites can sell that valuable information to a third party, putting your privacy and online safety at risk. The problem is that a lot of people do not know how easy it is for third parties to access your personal information and then use it without your permission, be that to advertise their products or find out personal information about you. 

One way to resolve this issue is through using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) but are the VPNs enough to make sure you’re safe out there?

How VPNs provide online privacy

Firstly, let's define the term VPN in further detail. Virtual Private Networks connect the user to one of its servers, disguising the client’s IP address. When a website you’re visiting or your ISP tries to see your IP address, they will only see the VPN server, meaning that you can remain anonymous and retain your privacy when browsing. 

While browsing without a VPN, your ISP sees exactly which services you are accessing, when you are using a VPN, your ISP only sees that you have connected to VPN and nothing more. Although, some people are skeptical about the many claims that VPN providers make regarding their services regarding anonymity and their no-logs policy. Skeptics might argue that some of those VPN companies might actually disclose the logs to third parties, which is something that has definitely happened before. This is why it’s crucial to do your research and read reviews before you decide on which VPN to use. While it might seem like any VPN is better than none, when you take a closer look at the log issue, it's evident that there is much more that we as consumers need to think about. 

One way to know for sure, whether or not a specific company can be trusted with logs, is to take a closer look at their log policy. BlufVPN has a strict no-log policy, meaning that they do not keep logs in their system. Even if the third party was to approach the company, they would have nothing to offer or say, since they also don't know what the client is doing online. In a perfect world, all VPNs would adopt the same approach, but in reality, a lot of these companies are more than willing to sell the data and betray their clients.  

How can VPNs get away with not keeping logs?

Now you may be thinking, how can a VPN not keep any records on the websites that their clients visit? And you would have a point. VPNs do need to keep records, but they don’t have to be nearly as intrusive as the regular logs. Instead, they can keep track of the essential information without compromising the anonymity of their users. 

Some VPNs distinguish between a connection log and an activity log. The connection log only concerns the connections that the private server made, meaning that your IP address will not be a part of that log. The activity log keeps track of when the client connected with the VPN server and for how long. Depending on the VPN provider, some will keep both kinds of logs, while others will only keep the connection log. Even if a VPN keeps track of both, your identity will still remain anonymous. But even with this information in mind, it's important to choose a VPN that will keep you anonymous no matter the circumstances, so choose carefully!

How to choose the best VPN option

The importance of having a VPN is becoming more and more apparent, with so many public cases of data breaches and cases of non-consensual third-party involvements in online spaces. 

But as we highlighted above, not all VPNs are created equal. Some might sell you a facade of privacy but they might be more than willing to hand over your personal information to third parties. While having a VPN is a smart choice for anyone who uses the internet, it’s crucial that you choose a VPN that can be trusted, the one that will not keep logs or sell your private data to a third party without your consent. BlufVPN is transparent about its no-log policies, has rock-solid encryption, and will always hide your location. Even if someone tries to pinpoint where you are browsing from, they will only be able to locate the VPN IP address, the same address used by thousands of other BlufVPN users.

Only trust VPNs that are transparent about their log policies and are not interested in selling your data to advertisers.