Many virtual private networks boast about zero-log policies, but independent third-party audits provide more peace of mind that they’re actually doing what they say. NordVPN is one of our top VPNs thanks to its blazing-fast speeds, excellent streaming support and solid privacy. Like most VPN providers, Nord promises that it doesn’t log your data while you’re connected to a server. But third-party audits speak louder than marketing.
To back up its claims, NordVPN passed a no-logs audit by Deloitte -- its fifth overall -- the company announced Tuesday.
Deloitte verifies NordVPN's no-log claims in its fifth audit
A VPN hides your browsing activity from your internet provider, but does so by routing your traffic through an encrypted server. Since your data takes a detour through a server, you’re basically performing a trust fall with your VPN provider. While many VPN companies, including Nord, brag about their stringent no-logs policies, you can and probably should be skeptical. Independent audits from reputable third parties can offer much-needed verification, backing up these claims.
Deloitte performed its assessment of NordVPN’s infrastructure at the end of 2024, following up audits in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023, making this Nord’s fifth no-logs audit. In its assessment, Deloitte found no evidence of logging. I appreciate Nord’s ongoing commitment to yearly audits, a trend I hope continues.
The audit consisted of interviews with NordVPN employees, server infrastructure inspection and a review of Nord’s privacy infrastructure. The full audit report is available for NordVPN subscribers in the account control panel. If you’re not currently a NordVPN customer, you can take advantage of its seven-day free trial on Android, or a 30-day money-back guarantee.
“To maintain [customers’] trust, we not only strive each year to innovate and develop world-leading cybersecurity products, but we also fully commit to our promise not to monitor or record our users’ online traffic," NordVPN CTO Marijus Briedis said in a press release. "Having this assurance reaffirmed by independent, globally respected researchers for the fifth time demonstrates that privacy isn’t just a buzzword at NordVPN -- it’s in our DNA.”
Still, as crucial as VPN audits are, they don’t offer a complete picture of what’s going on. You can think of this like a woodland creature walking by a trail cam: You get a snapshot of the animal at a single point in time, but you don’t know what the critter is doing the rest of the day. Similarly, VPN audits typically only look at a brief moment out of the entire year. Although VPN audits aren’t perfect, they’re important trust signals, and better than no audit at all.
Thankfully, there are additional privacy precautions that VPN providers can take, like using RAM-only servers. NordVPN relies on RAM-only servers, which reboot after each VPN session, meaning there’s theoretically no data stored. Rivals, including Surfshark and ExpressVPN, also utilize RAM-only server stacks.
NordVPN bolsters its privacy suite with new protocols and postquantum protection
In January, Nord rolled out a new privacy-focused VPN protocol, called NordWhisper, which aims to bypass virtual private network blocks. NordWhisper offers obfuscation, which tries to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN by masquerading as standard web traffic. If you’re trying to use a VPN in an environment that doesn’t play nicely with them -- like in certain countries or on school Wi-Fi -- NordWhisper may slip through firewalls.
Nord also rolled out postquantum protection to many of its platforms, including Windows, Android and Linux, with MacOS and iOS/iPadOS to follow. With increasingly powerful computers comes a heightened risk of data breaches from quantum computers. Postquantum protection strives to guard against these modern-day threats.
In 2024, Nord moved away from a warrant canary to publishing regular transparency reports, a move I appreciated, and that goes hand in hand with its other privacy initiatives.
For more on VPNs, check out the best VPNs on the market, learn what common VPN terms mean and find out how to use a VPN on various platforms.
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