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Hi Clapton,

A bit overdue but here are my answers to your questions:

1 - Can we trust all these so called VPN type claims that are built into all these other big corporate companies products,companies that are not security companies to begin with. Are they really true VPN protection as they claim or is big brother still watching us despite his claims of not doing so?

Flandrei – It’s impossible to offer an answer that applies generally. The truth is that we need to due our homework for each provider. There’s obvious things we can research, such as company reputation, past or present shady activities, experience in the field, price (you know what they say for free products, if you’re not the customer you’re the product), transparency. My colleagues have compiled a very thorough list of criteria to consider when evaluating a VPN provider and I strongly encourage you to check it out on our blog - What makes a VPN trustworthy . While the list is quite exhaustive, it still can’t guarantee that you’ll choose a trustworthy provider but will probably get you to 99%, so you’ll still have to take a leap of faith for the remaining 1%.

2 - Is there such a thing as too much VPN protection ? if your already surfing with products that claims VPN protection (say firefox and DuckDuckGo as an example) would also Using Bitdefenders VPN conflict with those and or others ? or is it a case of the more VPN you have the better ?

Flandrei – DuckDuckGo is not actually a VPN so I  don’t expect to see any conflict, however Firefox has recently added their own VPN into their portfolio (based on Mullvad). Normally I’d recommend using only one VPN at the same time. On mobile devices the operating system does not allow the usage of multiple VPNs simultaneously. On Windows in theory it may work, but you’ll probably see a performance degradation so you’re actually better off sticking with just one VPN. Moreover, there isn’t much added benefit of using 2 VPNs at the same time as the encryption provided by a reliable and trustworthy VPN is powerful enough to resist any brute force attacks. Note, however that all browser extensions that claim privacy will only cover your browser traffic and not your entire device traffic.

3 - though Bitdefender VPN protects us from others seeing our IP address, does Bitdefender itself store/keep records of our surfing.

Flandrei – No, absolutely not. We only collect product telemetry data required to improve our service or address potential issues, as well as data that is required to establish the connection to the VPN node.

4 - and lastly the most basic question in case its forgotten to be asked, what is a VPN actually protecting ?..

• Is it protecting just our computers IP address from just the sites we visit.
• Is it protecting our IP address from all the internet including firefox and internet explorer software too? ...
• does it protect our geo physical location in the world or just our internet IP address..
• At what point in the chain does Bitdefenders VPN begin to protect us? before or after we turn on say for example internet explorer or firefox..

Flandrei - One of the main purposes of (probably) all security and privacy apps is to protect your data. While this is definitely an over-simplification, here’s my view:

Your data is

-       Located on your devices – this is where an endpoint security solution (what most still refer to as antivirus) is king. It safeguards your data from threats trying to enter your device and even threats already present on the device.

-       Stored with third-parties that you’ve allowed explicitly – An array of services are useful but they probably don’t cover all the gaps: from Password managers and MFA tools that ensure your logins are safe, to digital footprint services that help you identify third-parties that hold your data and, with the support of legislation such as GDPR, can offer you a certain sense of control.

-       Stored with third-parties that have obtained your data from other providers, with or without your consent –Difficult to identify especially when you don’t have a customer account with them. Few services occupy this space and with limited efficiency. Prevention is key here, with anti-trackers at the forefront.

-       In transit between your devices and third-parties –As long as you’re connected to the Internet your device is transmitting data, regardless of what (or even if you’re using any) apps. This is where the VPN is most useful. The encryption it provides ensures that nobody can intercept your traffic and steal potentially sensitive data you’re transmitting.

-       In transit between third-parties – Happening behind the scene, almost impossible for us, as end-users, to influence the security of these transfers. 

Hope these help!

Thank you,

Flandrei