PureVPN

Key takeaways

PureVPN belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PureVPN to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PureVPN from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PureVPN is a commercial VPN service owned by GZ Systems Ltd. Founded in 2007, the company is based in the British Virgin Islands. PureVPN allows users to select from four categories: Stream, Internet Freedom, Security/Privacy, and File Sharing. The user's selection then determines which servers through which their traffic will be routed. PureVPN's 6,500 high-speed servers are located in 78 countries. PureVPN requires users to provide their real names to use the service. It stores the day and the Internet service provider through which a user accesses the service but does not store the name of the website or actual time of access. The service has been criticized for having inconsistent speeds, being unable to access Netflix videos, and having usability problems. It has been praised for its feature set.

History

PureVPN is owned by GZ Systems Limited, a software company that creates cybersecurity apps. Its mailing address is in Tortola, the British Virgin Islands. PureVPN was co-founded by Uzair Gadit who is based in Pakistan. Founded in 2007, it employs contractors in the United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Pakistan, the British Virgin Islands, and formerly Hong Kong.

Technology PureVPN's homepage allows users to select from four categories: Stream, Internet Freedom, Security/Privacy, and File Sharing. Other configuration options include the transport protocol and split tunneling. PureVPN offers users the option to turn on the "VPN Hotspot", allowing other devices to use the PureVPN hotspot connection. PureVPN provides desktop clients for Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows and mobile clients for Android and iOS. PureVPN can be run at the same time on five sessions. It allocated 200 servers for peer-to-peer file sharing and BitTorrent usage but does not provide any servers for accessing the Tor network. PureVPN has over 6,500 high-speed servers across 78 countries. In August 2021, PureVPN launched its WireGuard protocol, allowing developers to detect bugs and security vulnerabilities. PureVPN partnered in April 2022 with Quantinuum to add a quantum-resistant feature to its OpenVPN protocol.

Privacy PureVPN stores logs containing information about what Internet service provider a customer used to access it service and which day the service was used. PureVPN does not store the exact time a customer accessed VPN. To prevent misuse and monitor quality, it records how much bandwidth customers are using. PureVPN also stores HTTP cookies for online advertising purposes as well as user account information like email address and credit card data. It does not store what websites a customer is accessing. Brian Nadel of Tom's Guide criticized PureVPN for requiring real names for user signups, even when users employ Bitcoin or gift cards for payment. VPNs largely do not require real names. Mashable's Charles Poladian praised PureVPN in 2018 when it was based in Hong Kong, which he says has "favorable data laws" and "isn't part of the intelligence-gathering alliance". PC Magazine's Max Eddy said that Hong Kong, as a special administrative regions of China, does not need to follow China's laws but that with China attempting to block VPNs that do not follow its rules, "PureVPN's legal situation is more complicated than that of the average VPN service". In 2017, PureVPN provided information to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents that helped result in the arrest of a Massachusetts man for cyberstalking. The company concluded that the man had accessed PureVPN through two IP addresses: one from home and one from work. Max Eddy of PC Magazine noted that the company's privacy policy says it will cooperate with investigators who give them a proper warrant and concluded, "In the case of PureVPN, it doesn't appear that the company breached the trust of its users". TechRadar's Mike Williams disagreed, writing that PureVPN "made a big deal of its 'zero log' policy" on its website but did keep logs that enabled investigators to link the man to what he did on the service.

Reception Mashable's Charles Poladian wrote, "PureVPN works, sometimes even with Netflix, but it has enough issues to keep the VPN from being your go-to choice for private internet access." He criticized PureVPN's erratic speeds, Internet access problems, and inability to overcome Netflix's block of VPNs so that he could watch videos available only in another country. Brian Nadel of Tom's Guide gave VPN a negative review, writing, "its performance was pretty bad in our testing, and we have concerns about the customer service, the real-name policy and the fact that it's essentially based in China". TechRadar's Mike Williams wrote, "PureVPN is loaded with nifty features and we saw decent results on the performance front. It's good value as well, but usability issues with the apps might put you off." PC Magazine's Max Eddy wrote, "PureVPN is not a bad service by any measure, but it's not the best." He preferred competitor VPNs Private Internet Access, which "offers a spartan experience at an unbeatable price", and NordVPN, which "costs slightly more than average but packs excellent features into an excellent interface". PC World's Ian Paul gave PureVPN a mixed rating, criticizing it for using virtual servers and praising it for having "fine" speeds and having "most of the features you need in a VPN".

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

A previous PureVPN logo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PureVPN

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PureVPN claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PureVPN before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PureVPN ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PureVPN

In research: PureVPN appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PureVPN in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PureVPN is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2007 establishments in the British Virgin Islands, Information technology companies of the British Virgin Islands, Software companies established in 2007, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PureVPN outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study PureVPN in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PureVPN means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PureVPN out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PureVPN in simple terms?

PureVPN is a commercial VPN service owned by GZ Systems Ltd. Founded in 2007, the company is based in the British Virgin Islands.

Why does PureVPN matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PureVPN?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PureVPN.