Is Australia the New US? Data Retention Made Legal

Phone services and ISPs are required to keep the metadata of their users’ internet activities. The move was made to deter illegal downloads but has resulted in putting the everyday Australian’s online privacy at risk.

Faced with the immovable challenge of data surveillance and privacy intrusion, civil and online rights groups in Australia have begun to advocate the use of encryption and tunneling tools, leading to an increase in demand for Australia Vpn.

Connecting to an Australia VPN server will encrypt your data and route the encrypted data through a private tunnel. Simply switch to an Australian server and continue with your internet session if you come across times when you will be required to have an Australian IP address.

5 Best Australian VPN Services

Audios Streaming and Torrenting Websites!

In one of the most controversial moves, the Australian senate has finally decided to answer the prayers and requests of the rights holders of TV shows and movies who have been begging for an action against the illegal streaming and torrenting websites for ages now.

Malcolm Turnbull, the Communications Minister, is said to be the mastermind of the Copyrights Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015. The bill was passed after vigorous support by the Coalition and the Labor’s party with 37-13 votes in favor of the bill.

The bill will see websites like Kickass Torrents and The Pirate Bay going down on their knees with the users most likely to be at the receiving end. Since the illegal downloading (in simple words, torrenting) is going to be curbed, the users will be deprived of downloading their favorite TV shows and movies through torrents.

The VPNs however, are effective while downloading and streaming the movies and TV shows since they hide all your activities and replace your IP with a pseudo IP address. The VPNs are a good option to safely and securely download and stream the TV shows and movies.

PureVPN

PureVPN has around 500+ servers spread out across 140+ countries. But the part that concerns this Australia VPN review is that PureVPN has 6 servers in Australia, 100+ in the US and 60+ in the UK. Not too shabby! Is it?

The VPN service provider offers PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP and OpenVPN protocols combined with AES 256-bit encryption for the Australian users to ensure the sense of security still prevails in the Australian region. It is definitely one of the best VPN providers for the users that are looking for online security. PureVPN offers VPN software for Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone.

IPVanish

IPVanish offers around 180+ servers spread across 60+countries. More specifically, IPVanish has 4+ servers in Australia, 35+ in the US, and around 6+ in the UK.

IPVanish offers OpenVPN, L2TP, and PPTP protocols support and makes sure your data is safe from being retained by the Australian government and the ISPs. IPVanish’s VPN software is available Windows, Mac, iOS and Android users.

IPVanish offers 1, 3 and 12 month plans for $10.00, $26.99, and $77.99 respectively. Thereby, the 3 month plan comes to a monthly average of $9.00, and the 12 month plan comes to a monthly average of $4.87. Not so bad when you consider the 30 day money back guarantee.

ExpressVPN

With 95+ servers located in around 75+ countries, ExpressVPN is one of the premier VPN services on the internet. ExpressVPN provides a very reliable and user-friendly VPN service that not only makes ExpressVPN ideal for new users of VPN, but also simplifies matters for regular VPN users.

Since the ISPs are instructed to keep a track record of all your activities in Australia, ExpressVPN comes in handy because it encrypts your traffic with military grade AES-256 bit encryption and tunnels it with L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and OpenVPN and SSTP protocols making it virtually impossible for the agencies to retain your data.

The software is highly compatible and works on just about every mainstream internet enabled device and operating system. In addition, there are detailed tutorials and setup guides available on the website for anybody who wants to learn more about what VPN can do for you.

ExpressVPN offers an all-in-one package that is available in 1, 6 and 12 month pricing plans. So you can pick the one that suits your needs best. The 1 month pricing plan is available for a flat rate of $12.95, while the 6 month pricing plan is available for $9.99 per month (coming to a total of 59.94), and the 12 month pricing plan for $8.32 per month (coming to a total of $99.84).

HideMyAss

HideMyAss has around 800+ servers spread out across 181+ countries across the globe, and offers the industry standard OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP protocols. VPN software is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone users.

Most importantly, HideMyAss has 6 servers in Australia, 288 servers in the US, and around 75 servers in the UK. Quite outstanding really! HideMyAss is the people’s champion when it comes to protect your sensitive data from the likes of Australian government and the local ISPs and Telcos.

HideMyAss offers 1, 6 and 12 month plans for $11.52, $49.99, and $78.66 respectively. Thereby, the 6 month plan comes to a monthly average of $8.33, and the 12 month plan comes to a monthly average of $6.56. Not so bad when you consider the 30 day money back guarantee.

Ironsocket

Ironsocket has over 50+ servers located in 35+ countries. Ivacy offers PPTP, L2TP, SSTP and OpenVPN topped off with a 7 day money back guarantee in case you are not fully satisfied with its effort of fending away the data retention agencies and ISPs in Australia.

VPN software is available Windows, Mac, iOS and Android users – much like other leading VPN service providers in Australian VPN industry.

Snowden on Data Retention in Australia

Snowden – the famous whistleblower of NSA has recently shared his views while addressing a conference on Privacy in Melbourne that the Australian government is now ‘keeping an eye on each and every movement’ of the users in Australia.

Snowden has slammed the new meta-data retention laws and stated that the officials are now keeping a track record of all your activities performed on the internet. He has even suggested that the surveillance under the name of “preventive measures” is a desperate attempt to monitor the usual activities of the users. He has also suggested that the agencies will be sharing the details with other foreign agencies as well.

Factors to Assess in Ranking/Reviewing an Australian VPN

If you don’t want to trust the VPN ranking given above and have decided to take matters in your own hands (or have a Australia VPN service provider in mind that is not listed in above ranking), make sure you assess the following factors before you decide to pay up.

Protocols and Encryption

Protocol and encryption matter when you come down to brass tacks. Make sure that PPTP, L2TP, and OpenVPN protocols are available the minimum and you have got at least 128-bit encryption with you to keep the governmental snoopers and hackers away.

Ever since the data retention bill is passed, the need for solid and strong encryption has become the need of the hour. It has become essentially important to get a Australia VPN service to make sure you are safe from the constant stalking and snooping of the governmental agencies and ISPs.

Plans and Pricing

Ensure that the plans and pricing are affordable and do not place limitations on using/switching between Australia VPN servers.

VPN Servers in Australia

Make sure that the VPN service provider’s plans offer access to Australian VPN servers as well as those in the US and the UK. A handful of servers in Australia will do but demand at least 10 servers in US and UK.

Customer Support

Believe me when I say that there is nothing better than a 24/7/365 Live Chat customer support system. Take a run through the FAQ and knowledgebase as well.

Device/Platform Compatibility & Tutorials

This factor is critical but only if you plan on using your VPN subscription over multiple platforms and devices. Under normal circumstances, this factor should have no direct impact on your use of an Australian VPN.

Payment Methods

Make sure that the payment methods offered include the one you are most comfortable with.

Cyber-crime Trends in Australia Warrant VPN Use

The first thing you need to know is that there is no specific such thing as an Australian VPN (so stop Googling Australia VPN). Any VPN service provider can be an Australian VPN, but not every VPN provider makes for a best Australia VPN.

The best Australia VPN will be one that has an adequate number of servers in the US, UK and Australia. I recommend server presence in the US and the UK because it guarantees accessibility in addition to anonymity and security.

Communications Alliance Introduces New Scheme

The Australian has managed to get ISPs backed up against a corner and have pushed them to the point where they have been forced to bring for an anti-piracy plan. The Communications Alliance (Australia’s primary telecommunications industry body), recently published a document called the ‘Industry Code C653:2015 Copyright Notice Scheme’.

This document mandates ISPs to work with media companies to track the downloading of material from the internet. IP tracking will be used to identify copyright violations and a three stage warning process will culminate in legal proceedings against the identified Australian user.

Australia VPN Sales Sky Rocket in Response

VPN services have reported a massive increase in new customer sign-ups from Australia. Edward Snowden tweet removed any doubts that Australians had about the meta-data retention law’s threat to internet privacy.

Beginning today, if you are Australian, everything you do online is being tracked, stored, and retained for 2 years. https://t.co/g8etUYgHGr

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 12, 2015

Nothing is more annoying than an internet riddled with surveillance and unnecessary censorship. Perhaps that is why users are calling this a turning point in Australia’s history and believe that the internet will change forever thanks to these laws – going so far as to call it the ‘VPN Australia day’.

how do you use piratebay in australia now cba for vpn

— zany (@zanalharrier) December 27, 2016

Torrenting and P2P file sharing is well acclaimed method to share a range of media on internet. However, like many countries, Australians face legal notices and copyright trolls when trying to access torrents from within Australia. To get around with the blockage, users find Australian VPN as the safest and fastest solution to access millions of torrents freely from internet.

@drxnksugg wtf australia that's rude if you have google chrome go to the web store and download hola vpn and then u can use usa netflix

— eliška (@sharkiesivan) November 25, 2016

It’s been a year since Netflix started to put a ban on proxy, VPN and location spoofing services. In addition, the ban resulted in account termination subscribers who had used VPN for accessing foreign Netflix libraries. To overcome the ban, Australians find dedicated IP VPN as the most effective, safe and reliable solution for accessing Netflix US and UK libraries.
If instant access to Netflix, HULU, BBC iPlayer and more geo-restricted sites is that you want then we suggest choosing form one of the recommended Australia VPN services mentioned above.
The recent crack-down by the government seems to have sparked the demand for Anonymous VPN services amongst Australian Netizens. VPN service providers for Australia have responded to the increase in demand by adding new servers in the American and Oceania region. Perhaps that is why almost everybody in Australia is using a Australia VPN these days, because there is simply no other way to get by.

Australia’s data retention laws begin tomorrow. Turn off your geolocation services and switch on your VPN. Because privacy #auspol — Ellen (@punzikstan) October 12, 2015

Conclusions About Australia VPN

The World Bank reports that around 85% of Australia’s population (of over 22 million) used the internet last year. According to Australian Reseller News, 5 million Australian’s lost $1.06 billion collectively in the same year. This means that over a quarter of Australia’s internet using population was a victim to cybercrime.

Australian cyber-criminals (and cyber-criminals operating in Australian cyberspace) exercise a somewhat cautious approach when carrying out cyber heists. The idea is to escape detection by becoming negligible at the small scale but making a large impact by carrying out a large number of heists. You probably won’t mind much if somebody makes off with your 1$, but it will make a big impact for somebody if everybody in your town loses 1$.

Cyber crime hits are small, hardly noticeable until later and effective. You will not know that your credit card number and your credit card credentials were stolen until you reconcile your bank statement at the end of the month. Australian cyber-crime rarely rocks the boat but always hits home whenever unsuspecting netizens forget to use Australian VPNs.

The cost of cyber-crime in Australia is not as high as that which stands for other developed countries. Cyber criminals are going to converge upon Australia sooner or later. Will you be ready with an Australian VPN?