My favorite thing about TunnelBear is that they have a browser plugin.  That allows us in the Library to test off-campus access to electronic resources in one browser while testing on-campus access in another browser.  Actually, my absolute favorite thing about TunnelBear is that the bear watches you type in your username and then covers their eyes while you type in the password.

For banking security, TunnelBear (and many other free VPNs) are perfectly fine.  If you want true privacy from tracking or surveillance, I wouldn't use a free VPN service.

"That One Privacy Site" (https://thatoneprivacysite.net/) used to be my absolute go-to for trusted reviews.  Since it migrated to https://www.safetydetectives.com/best-vpns/, I honestly don't know the status as far as ownership/bias.

https://www.privacytools.io/privacy-vpn is another that seems to have honest information.

My $.02,
Erich



On Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 21:27, Tom Keays eloquently inscribed:

> Tunnelbear is  basic VPN with a friendly UI . It has a 2 GB free plan and,
> last I used it, no ads. It is good for web based transactions and has
> clients for Windows, Macintosh, iOS and Android. I’ve always been happy
> with it.
> 
> https://www.tunnelbear.com/
> 
> On Thu, Oct 5, 2023 at 9:19 PM charles meyer <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> 
>> My esteemed listmates,
>> 
>> Patron on living on modest Social Security alone is exploring if there’s
>> any free to low cost ($5-10 a month) VPN for her once a month electronic
>> payment of her bank credit card from her checking account using a free
>> library hotspot.
>> 
>> Her bank for her credit card has no brick and mortar locations.
>> 
>> I wasn’t sure what others used as reliable tech sites for comparing and
>> contrasting VPNs?
>> 
>> Just Googling this, I found these sites but I’m not sure how a accurate any
>> of them are?
>> 
>> https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/best-free-vpn-wifi-hotspots/
>> 
>> https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/hotspot-shield-vpn
>> 
>> https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/surfshark-vpn- review/
>> 
>> https://www.usnews.com/360-reviews/privacy/vpn/hotspot-shield
>> 
>> Thanks so much,
>> 
>> Charles.
>> 
>> Charlotte County Public Library
>>