You are connected to a VPN server to be anonymous and protected. But what are the best countries to connect to your VPN without fear of government surveillance?
Understanding how different countries handle your privacy can make or break the concept of a VPN. The governments of different countries set local laws for data protection and online freedom, and in some countries, these can be easily overridden.
When choosing a VPN you should be as sure as possible about the company you choose. And after you got a VPN next comes the choice of VPN server location.
This is where the question of the maximum speed of the VPN connection usually comes in, and most people choose a country of connection with this criterion alone.
But speed should not be your only consideration when choosing a country. Although virtual private networks try to preserve our online freedom, there are still authoritarian regimes in the world that monitor online activities performed using a VPN, which essentially defeats the purpose of using a VPN.
Contrary to our article "Which countries not to use with your VPN” we're going to present you with the safest VPN server connection sites today, based on assessments of local privacy laws, their complaint history, and surveys by well-known organizations.
Table of Contents
Getting the data
No conclusion can be reached without professional research and analysis, especially when it comes to censorship. The data was extracted from four well-known and authoritative organizations dealing with internet and press freedom.
Of course our involvement with the internet for years now and what has been aired by scandals, eavesdropping, rumors and other stories have played their part in choosing the best countries to connect to using a VPN.
The organizations we consulted are:
Freedom House
Freedom House is a non-profit organization funded by the US government. Founded in 1941, it is dedicated to the research and defense of democracy, freedom (including internet freedom) and human rights around the world.
Regarding internet freedom, Freedom House has already produced 12 reports since 2009. All users are free to check the report in any particular year (excluding 2010) titled " Internet Freedom Status ” on his official website.
The organization selects only 70 countries for its survey (Greece is not on their list), that is, about 2/3 of the countries do not participate in it.
The agency's official methodology for measuring a state's freedom is:
- Barriers to Access: Barriers that come from domestic infrastructure, the economy and political situation, cyber laws, ISP control, and the like.
- Content Limits : The restriction on visiting certain content, which includes but is not limited to (porn/torrent/political) websites, social media platforms, etc. This is also known as content filtering.
- Violations of users' rights : The government can monitor online behavior, restrict free speech rights on the web, or even punish users who express inappropriate opinions or simply report some "sensitive" truth.
In addition, it has one full list of countries sorted which concerns the freedoms of citizens and Greece is also there. It is interesting what it says about our country for 2023.
It ranks us 86th overall, so don't think you're living in a paradise of freedom.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) was founded in 1985, it claims to be the world's largest non-governmental organization (also known as an NGO) dedicated specifically to supporting the freedom of information of the media, whether from the point of view of information disseminators or of the recipient of information.
This non-profit organization based in Paris was originally founded by journalists and has made continuous efforts to defend their colleagues who are in danger and deprived of their freedom of expression.
Over the past two decades or so since 2002, RSF has published a series of reports “ (The World) Press Freedom Index ” to rank 180 countries and regions on the outlook for freedom of journalists. Although these reports are mainly based on journalists or say media freedom, to a large extent they are able to reflect the overall state of freedom of a country.
RSF does not explain how their scores of reports such as Freedom House are derived, as they mainly focus on the press aspect, however, apparently, some general criteria such as media independence, self-censorship, pluralism, infrastructure, transparency and the legislative framework should be their main criteria.
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Similar to RSF, CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) is also an NGO organization that aims to promote press freedom and help journalists gain better safety in their reporting.
CPJ annually publishes a list of the most censored countries but unfortunately its latest update it happened in 2019.
ONI (Opennet Initiative) consists of three institutions from the University of Toronto, Harvard University and the SecDev Group. They have worked together to investigate, analyze and expose internet filtering and surveillance practices around the world.
Unfortunately, ONI has discontinued its annual reports for over 10 years and counting recent maps are from 2011 or so.
Which country is best for your VPN connection?
The best countries for a VPN connection have strong data protection laws, excellent infrastructure, have at least 10 years of no-tracking history, and are not interested in restricting user access to content.
They do not track your online activities and do not participate in information-sharing alliances such as the 5-eyes, 6-eyes, 9-eyes and 14-eyes (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden).
Based on these criteria, let's take a look at the best countries for a VPN connection. The order is alphabetical.
British Virgin Islands
Data Protection Laws: Data Protection Act 2021, Common English Law.
Internet Freedom Rating: Is not mentioned
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
The British Virgin Islands is a good place to connect for privacy-focused users. Despite being a British Overseas Territory, the British Virgin Islands has its own legislation and code of laws. The Data Protection Act, introduced in 2021, requires companies to ask users for permission every time they process their data.
Since the British Virgin Islands does not have a foreign intelligence agency, it is not part of any global data-sharing alliance like the UK. The country also has no data retention laws, meaning that VPN services in the country are not required to store logs.
Switzerland
Data Protection Laws: Article 13 of the Swiss Constitution, Federal Data Protection Act (FDPA).
Internet Freedom Rating: 96/100 (Freedom House Index).
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
Switzerland has often been hailed as the bastion of data security. The country has strong privacy laws that are better than any other country in the world. These laws require companies to ask users for permission before they can store or process personal data. Any data collected without users' consent is illegal and can result in huge fines.
As Switzerland is not a member of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA), it is not bound to comply with the EU legislation, such as the Data Retention Directive. In addition, the country is not part of the five, nine or 14-eyes alliances, so it does not need to share user data with other intelligence organizations.
Switzerland is also one of the few countries that protects torrenting by law. You can download and consume any content as long as you don't make a profit from it. This makes Swiss server locations the safest for torrenting.
In addition to privacy, the country also has an advanced Internet infrastructure that guarantees excellent speeds for both mobile and fixed broadband connections.
Εσθονία
Data Protection Laws: General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) ("GDPR"). "Law on the Protection of Personal Data" which entered into force on January 15, 2019.
Internet Freedom Rating: 93/100 (Freedom House Index).
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
Internet freedom is generally strong in Estonia. Protections for user rights are strong and the Estonian government places few limits on online content, but some Russian websites have been blocked since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
From time to time, social media content is removed. Between January and December 2021, Facebook restricted access to 91 articles that violated Estonian law.
Please note, EU data retention rules apply. In December 2021, the EU Directive on Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Single Market was adopted into Estonian law.
The directive, among other things, establishes subsidiary copyright rights for digital publishers and makes "online content sharing service providers" partly liable for copyright infringements on their platforms.
Iceland
Data Protection Laws: Data Protection Authority, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Equal Access Act.
Internet Freedom Rating: 95/100 (Freedom House Index).
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
Iceland is a European country where users enjoy near-universal connectivity and strong data protection with minimal restrictions. Censorship is prohibited by law as the Equal Access Act ensures unrestricted internet access to all citizens.
Although Iceland has strict data privacy laws, the country still requires VPN providers to keep logs for up to six months. However, there is no need to worry as the law is only used in matters of public safety.
Please note, EU data retention rules apply.
Νορβηγία
Data Protection Laws: Personal Data Processing Law of 15 June 2018, which implements the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (“GDPR”).
Freedom of Expression Score: 100/100 (Freedom House Index).
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
Norway is one of the most powerful democracies in the world. Civil liberties are respected, with independent media and civil society actors holding the government to account. Racism is only a flaw in a small portion of the population.
Censorship in Norway is prohibited by law and in fact in terms of the internet it is a pioneer since the Norwegian DPA even temporarily banned behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
Norway is not a member of the European Union (EU), although it is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), it is not bound to comply with EU law.
Panama
Data Protection Laws: Executive Decree 285|2021, Law No. 81|2019.
Freedom of Expression Score: 83/100 (Freedom House Index).
It belongs to the 14-Eyes countries: No.
Panama has several laws that protect users' right to privacy online. Law no. 81, supplemented by Executive Order 281 (along with the Data Protection Act), regulates the protection of personal data and prohibits companies from collecting data without consent.
There are also no data retention laws in Panama, making it a great place for a zero-logging VPN.
Since VPN providers don't need to store logs, you can safely connect to a server in Panama without worrying about your data falling into the wrong hands.
However, if you're looking for a torrenting-friendly country, we recommend looking elsewhere. Sharing copyrighted content is illegal in Panama and can result in fines and legal action.
Personal data is protected by the Data Protection Authority rule no. 811, enacted in 2019. Since the country is part of the EAA, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) apply there to protect online privacy.
Choosing the best VPN server location
VPN services are meant to bypass geo-restrictions and protect digital privacy. But your VPN protection will be greatly reduced if you connect to the wrong server location.
All of the countries listed have strong data protection laws and advanced internet infrastructure.
They provide unrestricted access to the internet and prohibit censorship by law. Connecting to a server in these countries will ensure that your data is safe and away from malicious third parties.
If Greece was also on this list, we wouldn't need a VPN hahaha.... But as friend Dimitris also said on 27/08/2023 and I am not wronging him, there are also those countries that say they are above free speech and underground that undermines their democratic right!! After 1985 and after, we will never be the same for what politicians say!!! I believe that thinking people will have Doubt, please someone change that.