Still looking for a VPN provider?
Perhaps this might help you in your search for a VPN provider...
https://thatoneprivacysite.net
I cannot vouch for the accuracy or authenticity of the comparison data shown, nor that of the VPN providers, but certainly the thinking behind it appears to be sound.
Some words about TOR, the TOR Browser and the dark web
TOR TOR and the dark web are not one and the same thing. I'm sure you know this, but for the benefit of others who may not...
TOR is a way of obfuscating your real IP address (which is likely to identify you), and therefore your real location, by effectively bouncing your data off several different locations (nodes) before "exiting" the TOR network onto the regular Internet.
For instance, a typical transaction might look like this:
You -> TOR entry node (France) -> TOR relay node (Malaysia) -> TOR exit node (Guatemala) -> BBC web site
The server or system you are trying to reach, in this case the BBC, can only see the IP address of the TOR exit node and therefore your privacy is protected. As far as the BBC are concerned you appear to be a user in Guatemala (the location of the exit node).
Everything on the TOR network itself is encrypted, but may not be encrypted between the exit node and the system you are connecting to - unless you have chosen to use a secure protocol, such as
HTTPS (SSL/TLS). It is possible for the TOR network to be compromised by "poisoned" nodes and it would be naive not to assume that some TOR relays and exit nodes are operated by various state actors.
TOR Browser The
TOR Browser (which is separate to TOR and is something that everyone should consider using) is a Firefox clone with privacy features turned on, some privacy enhancing plug-ins pre-configured (such as
HTTPS Everywhere) and a TOR client built in. It permits regular web browsing but will bounce your traffic through the TOR network, giving you a very high degree of privacy. It also permits browsing of the dark web (these are sites with a .onion domain name).
Dark web The dark web is a collection of web services that require special tools or protocols in order to gain access, i.e. not Internet Explorer or Chrome. The physical location and identity of both servers and users is hidden and there are many reasons that this may be desirable.
It is true that some unpleasant characters inhabit the dark web but they inhabit the regular Internet and our society also. There will always be some people who use tools for illicit purposes, but that should not make the tools themselves illicit. It should not be inferred that everyone on the dark web is a criminal or is up to no good - yet this is very much what the media would like people to think.
Facebook is available on the dark web - how many times have you read that in the media? Probably none. The more people who use dark web services (I don't mean illegal ones) the better.
Finally, it has been
documented that the use of TOR or even simply searching for privacy enhancing software will put you on a list. But then now we're all on a list, so one more doesn't make any difference, right?
