Highly effective software to hide your IP address and appear as if you're browsing from a different country or region from where you are, effectively skirting local censorship and protecting privacy.
In terms of VPN services, this site rarely promotes the plethora of different services available. With PIA, that's a little bit different due to the very good value and ease-of-use the app provides.
To start, you are required to have an account with Private Internet Access in order to use the application. Without getting into the price, the actual application is rather ease to use and setup.
Get an IP address from many different countries
Sitting quietly in the system tray, you can use the program to activate the VPN, or Virtual Private Network. From a very long list of servers from across the planet, a quick connect to one of these servers enables you to appear as if you're sitting in one of the many supported countries. From the United States to the United Kingdom and from China to Singapore.
Connecting to one of the VPN servers offered allows you to experience the Internet as if you were in that country. So from censorship in China to freedom in the United States. All is more or less possible.
Access the PIA VPN from your PC or cell phone
With that said, the program can be installed on Windows and your mobile device such as Android or iPhone; just download the app from the respective store and input your username and password.
All in all, Private Internet Access for Windows is a very handy VPN application to have in the event you would like to hide your real IP address and avoid censorship. Highly recommended.
Features of Private Internet Access
- Ad Blocker: Blocks annoying advertisements and pop-ups.
- Automatic Wi-Fi Security: Wi-Fi security protects users from malicious networks.
- Browser Extension: Extension allows users to access the VPN directly from the web browser.
- Fast speeds: Has fast connection speeds for all its users.
- Global server coverage: More than 3,300 servers in 33 countries.
- Kill switch: PIA's network kill switch ensures no data is leaked when the VPN is disconnected.
- No-IPv6 Leak Protection: PIA's No-IPv6 Leak Protection stops malicious users from tracking user IP addresses.
- P2P Support: Supports peer-to-peer connections for secure file transfers.
- SOCKS5 Proxy: Allows users to securely browse the Internet.
- Security: Uses military-grade encryption to protect user data.
- Split Tunneling: Split Tunneling allows users to selectively route apps through the VPN.
- Unlimited Bandwidth: Offers unlimited bandwidth for all users.
- Zero-Logging Policy: Does not log user activity or metadata.
Compatibility and License
Private Internet Access is provided under a freeware license on Windows from VPN and proxy software with no restrictions on usage. Download and installation of this PC software is free and 3.5.7 is the latest version last time we checked.
What version of Windows can Private Internet Access run on?
Private Internet Access can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.
Other operating systems: The latest Private Internet Access version from 2024 is also available for Mac.
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