To continue breaking down the myths surrounding VPNs and how VPN companies operate, let’s talk about logging. A popular misconception is that there is no such thing as a “no logging policy” that truly protects a user’s browsing history.
What Kinds of Logs Are There?
To break down this myth, we first have to clarify what types of logs exist in the world of IT and VPNs.
Activity logs are the most common, and it’s what most users think of when logging is brought up. Activity logs contain a detailed history of what the user did during a particular session. They will list which user connected to which service, the websites they went to, the searches they performed, what files were downloaded, and so on. If this type of information is logged, a user’s privacy is compromised because an attacker can retrace each step they took and construct an accurate picture of everything their target did during the specified time. These types of logs are often used in forensic investigations to recover the exact details of the subject’s online activity.
Metadata logs are a different type of record, in that they contain information about the session itself, but they do not reveal the contents of the session or the user’s detailed activity. A metadata log might contain the source IP of a connection, what server the connection was routed to, how long the session remained open, or the total amount of bandwidth consumed by that session. In the same way that metadata about a file might tell you its size and format, metadata about a VPN session tells you about the session itself, not its contents. While less sensitive than full activity logs, metadata logs still contain some high-level information about the user’s session, and privacy-minded users would take issue with even their metadata being recorded.
What Information Does Hide.me Log on Its Systems?
The good news is that Hide.me does not store either of these types of logs. Technical users might wonder how this is possible, or question the validity of our No Logging policy because something has to be logged when you connect to different systems. While it’s true that networking equipment is configured by default to create and store different levels of logging details, our infrastructure has been customized to disable all logging features. Connection data is only retained in volatile memory for the duration of the session in order for it to remain open, and is then promptly dumped or overwritten by the next session after closure.
Users from Western countries might wonder how Hide.me is able to operate within the bounds of the law or fulfill government subpoenas without logging any kind of user activity. The answer to that is simple: We are strategically headquartered in Malaysia, and the Malaysian government does not have regulations on data retention, so we are not legally required to store any user data. So to keep costs low and uphold our commitment to our users’ privacy, we don’t have any logging infrastructure.
In summary, many users are hesitant to trust a VPN provider that claims to not log any kind of user activity, but the truth is that Hide.me stands behind that claim by having a true No Logging policy. Gain peace of mind about your online browsing by using a VPN service where your activity could never be traced or discovered.
We love bringing you this content and hope it helps keep you safe and secure online. Feel free to share it with your friends, too.
Here at hide.me we are all about internet freedom, and we are happy to be in a position to bring that to everyone. That is why we give you a 30-day money-back guarantee on our Premium plan. No questions asked and no logs recorded.
If you have any questions, please feel to contact our 24/7 support team either at support@hide.me or via live chat.
