[dhaavi]

If you're up to trying something new, we've built a technology to replace consumer privacy VPNs: https://safing.io/spn/

Technical summary of the SPN (Safing Privacy Network):

- A Privacy Network aimed at use cases "between" VPN and Tor.

- Uses onion encryption over multiple hops just like Tor.

- Routes are chosen to cover most distance within the network to increase privacy.

- Exits are chosen near the destination server. This automatically geo-unblocks in many cases.

- Exclude apps and domains/entities from using SPN.

- Change routing algorithm and focus per app.

- Nodes are hosted by Safing (company behind Portmaster) and the community.

- Speeds are pretty decent (>100MBit/s).

[LoganDark]

Just so everyone knows: only Safing hosts exit nodes. Only relays (the intermediate hops) can come from the community.

[dhaavi]

Thanks for providing additional information to readers. However, this is not entirely correct. Let me clarify:

- Community nodes are used to diversify server ownership and strengthen the privacy of connections.

- Community nodes may technically act as entry, middle and/or exit nodes.

- Community nodes will never be used for unencrypted connections, only for encrypted connections. We are thinking about a concept of trusted partners, which will also be allowed to handle unencrypted connections - but this is currently not the case.

- We publish advisories [0], which are automatically applied by all clients. This gives us the ability to quickly react to changing situations. Currently, community nodes _are_ being selected as exit nodes, but not as entry nodes.

I hope this cleared things up. I am happy to go into more detail.

[0] https://github.com/safing/intel-data/blob/master/spn/main-in...