Enough is enough. It's time for Americans to fight back and reclaim their Internet independence!
USA Internet Privacy is Going, Going, Gone.
On April 3, 2021, US President Donald Trump repealed the Obama-era broadband privacy rules, a victory for Internet service providers (ISPs) and a blow to users’ ability to control their sensitive data.
The newly signed bill effectively allows ISPs to sell information about their customers’ online activities and web browsing habits.
And just like that, the Internet got a little less private.
The ruling that’s being repealed – known as “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunication Services” – would have required that your ISP, or Internet service provider, notify you before using your data to market or advertise.
Now that it’s overturned, ISPs will not only be able to use your web and search history for their own marketing purposes, they’ll also be able to sell it to other companies.
Why is This Happening?
Lawmakers in favor of the move, including the FCC head Ajit Pai, claim that relaxing the regulations on ISPs will allow all companies, big and small, to compete online on equal footing.
As it was, sites like Google and Facebook were still able to collect and use your search, browsing, and other activity and preferences for their own marketing initiatives, as well as sell that info to other companies. They collect this data every time you do a search on Google or like a page on Facebook, for instance.
In fact, buying ads on these sites is one of the most effective and lucrative activities for both parties, since it allows advertisers to reach tons of targeted, potential customers and Google/Facebook to make a ton of money.
But while this law will theoretically even the playing field, many think it’s more damaging than that. That’s because ISPs have access to much more of your data than individual sites - like Google and Facebook - or even services do, and it’s a lot harder to keep it out of their hands.
Don’t want Google to get access to your search history? Than simply use another search engine, like DuckDuckGo.
Want Comcast/AT&T/TimeWarner, etc out of your business? Well, that’s a little harder. Because without an Internet service provider… well, you have no Internet at all.
While you can choose to simply not use certain sites, it’s a lot tougher to avoid using an ISP entirely.
Best VPN Server in the USA
Fortunately, it's possible to avoid data collection by your ISP by using something called a virtual private network, or VPN. This will encrypt your online activity, so your ISP can't see what you're doing.
Of course, this isn't foolproof, but it will greatly increase your privacy.
Our favorite VPN for these purposes is PureVPN. Just keep in mind that, if you want to access American-specific websites and content, you'll want to use a VPN server in the US. This will also keep your internet speeds fast, since your traffic doesn't have to travel as far.
But what are the best VPN servers to use in the US?
The answer is: it depends. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a server to use:
1. Most VPN providers, including PureVPN, are capable of choosing a suitable server for you. Just select the United States as the location you want to connect to and it'll add you to an appropriate server automatically.
2. If you'd like to choose your own, first consider servers that are closer to you. For instance, if you live in California, your top choice should be a server that's also in California. Ex. Los Angeles.
If you don't have a server in your state or they're simply unavailable/slow at the moment, choose the next closest option. For example, users in California could try a server in Seattle, Phoenix, or Salt Lake City.
3. Server load is another factor to take into account. VPN users share servers, but not all servers are equally popular. In general, a server that has, say, 100 people using it will be a little slower than a server with 20 people using it.
Not all VPN services will give you this information, but they usually will let you choose between the various servers available for a specific city. So, if Los Angeles 1 is slow, you can try Los Angeles 2 or 3, etc.
4. The type of encryption on the server can also play a role. These days, the fastest servers are usually Wireguard servers. If your VPN provider has Wireguard servers, that should be your first choice.
Unfortunately, we can't recommend a specific server as the "best" without knowing your situation: where you live, what VPN you use, etc.
But it's actually not that complicated. Most people will be fine with the server that their VPN selects for them. If that fails, just choose the one closest to you.
Conclusion: Best VPN Server in USA?
As you can see, your online activity isn't safe if you live in the US. Everyone from your internet service provider to tech companies are trying to collect your data and then sell it to the highest bidder.
But it's possible to protect yourself with a reliable VPN, like PureVPN. And finding the best VPN server in the US isn't hard. Typically, it's the one closest to you, but most servers in the US will serve you just fine, so don't overthink it.