How Encrypted Is NordVPN?

If you’re looking for a new VPN service, then choosing one with a good privacy record might be a consideration. NordVPN is a popular choice among users due to its strong encryption standards and lack of logging policy. If you’re wondering how encrypted NordVPN is, then this article will shed some light on the subject.

Security

NordVPN’s privacy policies are very clear about their stance on security, stating that they don’t “disclose your personal information to third parties”, as doing so “could put your security at risk”. This is a fairly common stance among VPN services, but the degree of protection provided by the service might not be apparent to the untrained eye. In order to ensure the privacy of their users, NordVPN deploys a variety of security measures to protect data as it traverses the internet.

These include things like 256-bit AES encryption, along with an integrated IPSec VPN protocol. AES is the most commonly used encryption algorithm in existence, providing confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity to data. It’s a pretty hard standard to beat, and NordVPN clearly knows how important security is, as evidenced by the level of effort they put in. Unfortunately for users, it doesn’t appear that this level of security is available to all countries. As we noted above, Germany is one of the few supported countries when it comes to security and privacy. However, in other parts of the world, including the UK, security may still be an issue.

It’s also worth noting that NordVPN does retain a clear record of its users’ activity. This is particularly problematic for those who use the service in Germany, as the country’s data protection laws require that companies like NordVPN keep such records for six months before they can be deleted. While this might not be a major issue for users in other supported countries, it could be a problem for those whose personal information is stored in Germany.

Speed

NordVPN provides a fast and reliable service, something that is apparent even if you’re using the service over a remote link. In our own tests, we consistently found that the service delivered an acceptable level of performance, and with some locations providing exceptional speeds, NordVPN seems to be optimized for use with online streaming.

Germany, for example, has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world, with the country often being referred to as the ‘netzbetreiberparadies’ (‘net provider paradise’) for its fast and expansive network. As a result, it’s no surprise that numerous German Netflix shows, for example, are delivered in high quality. Unfortunately, this also puts Germany, and by extension NordVPN, at the mercy of local laws and government regulations. Some German users have reported trouble accessing the Netflix content they want, thanks to strict copyright laws that restrict online content distribution. While these are just a handful of cases, it’s an example of the type of issues that could arise when using a VPN service in Germany.

Customer Support

NordVPN provides excellent customer support, with each staff member we spoke with acknowledging our queries within minutes and having answers to our questions. The account manager we spoke with was also knowledgeable, able to walk us through numerous options and help us choose the right plan for our specific requirements.

If you’ve tried their service and are satisfied with the results, then it’s worth considering making a purchase, as they offer one of the more appealing user experiences we’ve come across.

Logging Policy

One of the primary reasons why users might want to avoid VPN services with poor privacy records is the fear that their activity will be monitored and logged by the company. While some services, like ExpressVPN, attempt to keep as little data as possible, others, like NordVPN, disclose their users’ activity, stating that:

“We retain a record of your log-ins and the time spent on each one. This is for the purpose of ensuring the reliability of our service, preventing unauthorized access, and maintaining security.”

This level of transparency might not sit well with everyone, but at least it means that users know exactly what type of data they’re contributing. As we’ve established, Germany places a high value on privacy and security, so if these are important to you when choosing a VPN service, then NordVPN might be a good option.