NymVPN, from startup Nym Technologies, has just released the beta version of what it claims to be the “world’s most private VPN.”
It achieves this in a number of ways, including independent multi-hop routing of all connections, decentralized blockchain technology, anonymous payments, open-source code, among other things.
At signup, NymVPN uses what’s known as zero-knowledge identity verification technology to allow users to register for the service without ever disclosing any personal information. Essentially, a Nym blockchain issuing authority provides you with anonymous credentials that you can then use to redeem for service usage.
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This same blockchain technology what runs the VPN itself. Nym is part of a decentralized five-hop mixnet, which “splits and encrypts your data into smaller packets, which are mixed, rebuilt, and decrypted on the receiving side.” This decentralized mixnet system promises to be a much more effective way to obfuscate personal data than the standard encrypted VPN tunnels of other services.
NymVPN also offers a choice between “Fast” and “Anonymous” modes. Fast mode optimizes the connection for speed and reroutes traffic through a decentralized network running on two-hop servers, whereas Anonymous mode cranks privacy to the max and reroutes traffic through the full five-hop mixnet with added network noise.
In a blog post, Nym says: “Unfortunately, the large majority of VPNs, despite their name and promises, do not actually protect our privacy. All advanced data tracking systems need to do is analyze data coming in and out of a VPN’s centralized servers to determine who is doing what… NymVPN is here to change all that with a new kind of network.”
Now in beta, NymVPN is currently free to try by anyone. All you need to do is sign up on its website with an email address to receive access. It’s currently available for Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux.
