Private Internet Access

The CEO of Private Internet Access (and its parent company, London Trust Media, Inc.) is Ted Kim. The company was founded by Andrew Lee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/2175439/no-k-drama-fresh-prince-south-korea-real-royalty-and-hes-american|title=The fresh prince of South Korea is real, and he's American|date=December 2, 2018|website=South China Morning Post|access-date=March 31, 2020|archive-date=March 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326052950/https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/2175439/no-k-drama-fresh-prince-south-korea-real-royalty-and-hes-american|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/10/how-one-small-american-vpn-company-is-trying-to-stand-up-for-privacy/|title=How one small American VPN company is trying to stand up for privacy|work=Ars Technica|access-date=2017-08-02|language=en-us|archive-date=2021-09-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906072701/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/10/how-one-small-american-vpn-company-is-trying-to-stand-up-for-privacy/|url-status=live}} Lee started the company PIA because he wanted a way to prevent Internet Relay Chat from revealing IP addresses.

On November 18, 2019, Private Internet Access announced that it would be merged into Kape Technologies, which operates three competing VPN services, CyberGhost, ExpressVPN and ZenMate.{{cite web|access-date=2019-12-18|title=Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes ("The War of All Against All")|url=https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2019/11/bellum-omnium-contra-omnes-the-war-of-all-against-all/|website=Private Internet Access Blog|date=18 November 2019|first=Andrew|last=Lee}}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Some users objected to the acquisition, as Kape (under its former name, Crossrider) previously developed browser toolbars bundled with potentially unwanted programs.

Founded in 2010, Private Internet Access was formed under parent company London Trust Media and entrepreneur Andrew Lee. The company was formed due to Lee's interest to take privacy mainstream.{{Cite web|title=The Fight for Control: Andrew Lee on Open-Sourcing PIA {{!}} Linux Journal|url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/fight-control-andrew-lee-open-sourcing-pia|access-date=2021-10-26|website=www.linuxjournal.com}} During their acquisition by Kape Technologies, PIA attempted to reassure customers that privacy and security remained the company's top priority. However, due to the history of Kape Technologies, many users were distrusting.{{Cite web|title=Private Internet Access to Be Acquired by Kape * TorrentFreak|url=https://torrentfreak.com/private-internet-access-to-be-acquired-by-kape/|access-date=2021-10-26|language=en}}

After merging with Kape Technologies, Private Internet Access became one of many privacy software products offered by the corporation. Along with PIA, Kape also offers CyberGhost, ZenMate, Intego, Webselenese and Restoro. Previously Crossrider, Kape Technologies changed their name in 2018 in order to go under a type of rebranding and "escape a strong association to the past activities of the company" through which they had issues with their previous image being associated with traffic manipulation. After purchasing various other VPN services, Kape Technologies purchased Private Internet Access in order to "aggressively expand their footprint in North America".{{Cite web|last=Hodge|first=Rae|title=What is Kape Technologies? What you need to know about the parent company of CyberGhost VPN|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/what-is-kape-technologies-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-parent-company-of-cyberghost-vpn/|access-date=2021-12-05|website=CNET|language=en}}

In a 2021 review from TechRadar, Private Internet Access was given a four out five star rating and described as being "A likeable VPN which gives you plenty for your money".{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Mike|date=2021-05-12|title=Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN review|url=https://www.techradar.com/reviews/private-internet-access-vpn|access-date=2021-10-06|website=TechRadar|language=en}} According to the review, its most notable features include removing restrictions from streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.

PIA also received a positive review from Tom's Guide in November 2021, which highlighted the service's kill switch feature, compatibility with torrents, and "no logging" policy. Tom's Guide found PIA's speeds to be average among VPN services, and stated that a third-party audit would improve the service's credibility.{{cite web |last1=Sutherland |first1=Richard |title=Private Internet Access (PIA) review |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/private-internet-access-review |website=Tom's Guide |access-date=18 February 2022 |language=en |date=4 November 2021}}

In a December 2021 test, PCMag determined that PIA reduced "download and upload speeds by just 10.9% and 19.4%, respectively", which was the smallest speed reduction among VPNs tested by the publication at the time. PCMag praised PIA's server selection, connection limit (10 devices), and app, but noted that the service had not yet undergone a third-party audit.{{cite web |last1=Eddy |first1=Max |last2=Key |first2=Kim |title=Private Internet Access VPN Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/private-internet-access-vpn |website=PCMag |access-date=18 February 2022 |language=en |date=28 December 2021}}

In 2022, PIA invited Deloitte, one of the big four auditing firms, to examine its no logs policy and VPN server network. Following the audit, Deloitte Audit Romania announced that, as of June 30, 2022, the server configurations align with internal privacy policies and are not designed to identify users or pinpoint their activities.{{Cite web|title=PIA Announces Completion of Independent Audit Conducted by a Big Four Firm|date=30 August 2022 |url=https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/privacy-audit/|access-date=2022-09-25|language=en}}

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• Comparison of virtual private network services

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Category:Internet privacy

Category:Virtual private network services

Category:Internet properties established in 2010

Category:2010 establishments in the United States