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The Best VPN for Canada

What’s worse, in their fight against terrorism, they infringe on personal privacy, and any information they find is shared with other members of the five eyes coalition.

For every person in Canada who uses the internet, they need to begin looking for the right service.

Or, as they say on the other side of the country, here is “comment Choisir le Meilleur VPN.”


Best Canada VPN

1. ExpressVPN

Several VPNs are located in Canada, this isn’t safe, and ExpressVPN is far away from this by being based in the British Virgin Islands. It is under no 5-eyes jurisdiction, so user data will never be handed over.

The service uses best-in-class security such as 256-bit AES encryption, 4,096-bit RSA keys, SHA256 authentication, and perfect forward secrecy. For most users, their concerns will be bypassing geo-restrictions.

Amazon streaming, access to US Netflix, and the BBC iPlayer are very well catered for by ExpressVPN; canada-based users can easily change servers and country to access any streaming service they wish.

Torrenting may be frowned upon, so using the most secure and fastest VPN on the market means you can anonymously carry out your P2P activity.

Device support is fantastic with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, Linux, BlackBerry, Kindle Fire, game consoles, routers, and many more. It now offers 5 simultaneous connections for each account.

Pros

  • Large 3000+ optimized server network
  • Industry-leading 24/7 live chat support
  • No usage log retaining
  • Best 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • The monthly plan can work out expensive
  • No ad-blocking feature

Best Canadian VPN overall for streaming, downloading, and privacy.


2. NordVPN

For users who want to maintain their privacy, there is no other anonymous VPN as NordVPN, Canada located users have a killswitch, double-hop feature, and TOR over VPN.

There are plenty of servers in Canada, which help deliver good speeds for streaming and torrenting. US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other streaming services are easily accessed.

It maintains a strict zero-logging policy, and the company is located outside any 5-eyes jurisdiction.

With a network numbering over 5,000 servers, it is well placed to cover most areas. There is a double VPN feature, and it uses some of the best 256-bit military-grade encryption.

Speeds are good, and with six device connections, all the family can surf anonymously. Device support is good with apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and others.

Pros

  • High levels of security and privacy
  • Good zero-logging policy
  • Large server network
  • Torrent friendly servers

Cons

  • Monthly billing expensive
  • Slow speeds on some servers

Best VPN Canada users can choose for overall privacy and anonymity by masking their Bell IP address.


3. IPVanish

IPVanish offers a generous amount of device connections with 10 simultaneous. Device support is ideal with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS; even Fire TV apps are on offer.

With 1200 servers in 60 countries, it offers decent coverage. This makes it a suitable choice for bypassing geo-restrictions when accessing BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Security is taken care of by using OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2 protocols, and there’s no data logging of internet activities. On the speed front, it is above average, yet not as fast as the best VPNs.

Pros

  • Easy to use clients
  • A high number of simultaneous connections
  • Unlimited P2P and torrenting bandwidth
  • Forced 256-bit encryption

Cons

  • Windows client has some issues
  • Some past company issues

When choosing IPVanish, Canada users have the best all-around value on a self-owned network.


4. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is another VPN that sits comfortably as a crowd favorite, although this may be for newer users.

It makes things a one-click event for streaming or torrenting from the simple interface. It bypasses the geo-restrictions for Netflix, iPlayer, and others.

Torrenting is just as easy with the click of one button for the app to select an anonymous server.

Security is top level with 256-bit AES encryption and SHA256 authentication. DNS leak protection is included, as is a kill switch that stops your IP address from being exposed.

Device support allows five connections to Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, among others. At the same time, it is located outside any 5-eyes jurisdiction in Romania. The VPN is now owned by an Israeli company registered in the UK (the UK is a 5-eyes founder).

There is a strict zero-logging policy, and user registration details are not retained.

Pros

  • An affordable choice for new Canadian users
  • Easy to use apps
  • Decent server speeds
  • Included ad-blocking feature

Cons

  • Below average customer support
  • Some privacy concerns

Top VPN that balances usability, performance, and security for new users


5. PrivateVPN

This VPN is quite new but was found to be a decent option for Canadian users. App support isn’t the largest, yet it covers the main devices such as Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, among others.

Based in Sweden, it doesn’t fall under any 5-eyes, yet there are some data retention laws, though this shouldn’t worry users. Sweden takes privacy very seriously, and they do have a zero-logging policy.

Encryption standards are high, and users can choose between the TAP and TUN interface with OpenVPN. TAP makes use of 128-bit AES, and TUN uses 256-bit. The latter being more secure. PrivateVPN also allows six simultaneous connections.

Users also get a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and perfect forward secrecy. Streaming allowed access to mainstreaming services such as Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix. Torrenting is well supported with unlimited P2P file sharing with 100% anonymity.

Pros

  • High levels of security
  • Decent speeds
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Affordable for Canadian users

Cons

  • Small network
  • Inconsistent zero-logging policy

An affordable newcomer that offers decent features, security, and almost perfect uptime


Are VPN’s Legal in Canada?

As it stands, the use of VPNs in Canada is 100% legal.


Why Do You Need a VPN in Canada?

One of the primary reasons for any Canadian user to begin using a VPN is online surveillance.

In 2015, the Canadian Governments Anti-Terrorism Act was enforced. This allows intelligence agencies to gather and share data in the same way as the NSA in the US.

Canada is a part of the 5-eyes alliance. Joining the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand are the main countries that pass the user information.

If there are any suspects in one country, then they will be known in any of these countries.

While this may appear acceptable for the fight against terrorism, it isn’t merely suspected that they are under surveillance.

These agencies gather information on everyone’s online activities, especially reporters, immigrants, activists, or Muslims.

The C-51 bill doesn’t just carry out surveillance on citizens. Foreigners are targeted in equal measure.

The extent of the law allows these agencies to gather information on vacation plans, business tax records, among others.

Bill 74 was another where the Quebec government can force ISP’s to block gambling websites that the local government does not operate in the province. This, in itself, falls in the category of web censorship.

Another is Bill C-12. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) allows companies more freedom in sharing their customer’s information with any policing services.

Adding to this, these companies are under a “gag order” and cannot inform their customers; their data has been shared.


How About a Free VPN for Canada?

Many users may think a free VPN is a good solution. However, many of these track user activities more than tracking cookies.

This information is either sold to marketing companies, or the free VPN Canada-based users choose targets them with ads.

Other than this, if users look to see “Is Hulu available in Canada?” and they find it isn’t, they may want a free VPN for bypassing geo-restrictions.

For one, few free VPNs can bypass geo-restrictions on services such as Hulu, Netflix, and even the BBC iPlayer.

Second, there are hardly any free VPN providers, which offer enough bandwidth to watch more than one episode of any top TV show.


Say Goodbye to Fair Play Canada

There are two sections covered here. This is thanks to Canada’s largest communication companies, such as Quebecor and the Rogers Network.

These have signed up with many large content creators and unions across Canada to stop illegally downloading and streaming free movies, TV shows, and sporting events.

Is streaming illegal in Canada? With the application they submitted to the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) to block any sites that allow access to pirated or copyrighted content, it will be.

Fair Play Canada is prompting the CRTC to recognize all internet sites associated with goods.

With streaming under the spotlight, “Is torrenting illegal in Canada?” The Copyright Modernization Act deals with individuals who torrent copyrighted content.

This law informs ISP’s to send notices to the downloaders. This information is stored for 6-months. Fines of up to $5,000 can be imposed on offenders.

Torrenting legal content will be legal, yet any user should take precautions.


Finally

Canada is quickly and quietly falling in line with plenty of other countries that appear to be censoring the internet and eroding at net neutrality.

The only way internet users can stop this and safely and securely is to use a VPN.

While other countries are doing the same, a VPN does enable users to go about their online activities as they wish, and best of all, without being spied on.

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Streamr Go

StreamrGo is always about privacy, specifically protecting your privacy online by increasing security and better standard privacy practices.