Although internet users in Belgium do not face any problems with online censorship, they still face 2 serious online risks; online surveillance by the NSA among other entities and a severe rise in cyber crimes. Belgium is like most European countries when it comes to online surveillance, in the sense that it is not something official or bound by law, but it still takes place on a large scale and by more than one secret entity including the NSA. This is a very disturbing issue for all internet users. Even if the users are not involved in any illegal activities, still today a lot of internet users use a lot of personal information when browsing the internet and wouldn’t want any unwanted parties viewing it for any reason whatsoever. Regarding cyber crimes, this is an issue that faces most internet users around the world. In other words, the more advanced the online world gets, the more dangerous it becomes. Belgium in specific has had a very noticeable rise in all types of cyber crimes. Especially, that there is a high availability of public Wi-Fi hotspots in Belgium, which is considered the main playground for cyber criminals. These cyber crimes include fraud, identity theft, hack attacks, and many more. This is why Belgium is considered an unsafe online environment for both residents and visitors. Accordingly, serious measures have to be taken by all internet users in Belgium to protect their online privacy and security. For that reason, the use of a VPN in Belgium is of critical importance as it combines all three; online security, online privacy, and online freedom. Maybe online freedom is not of great importance in Belgium but we will discuss below why we need all three and how they are achieved through a VPN.
Online Freedom
Online freedom or the bypassing of online restrictions is achieved by using a VPN through 2 processes; firstly, any VPN service provider operates a global network of servers and the VPN users can bypass local restrictions by simply choosing to connect to a server outside of the country with restrictions. In the case of Belgium, there aren’t any local online restrictions but users might need to access websites which are geo-restricted to certain locations (for example, Netflix US can only be accessed from within the US). In this case VPN users can simply choose to connect to a server located inside the country with the geo-restricted website (in the Netflix US example, users in Belgium can simply connect to a server within the US to access Netflix US). The second process is that VPNs usually support tunneling protocols which are strong enough to bypass any firewalls placed by governments. These 2 mechanisms ensure complete online freedom for VPN users.
Online Privacy
The online privacy is provided by a VPN through 3 features; as soon as the users connect to a VPN server, their true IP address is replaced with a shared IP address provided by the server to hide their true online identity. Secondly, all data transmitted through out the network is usually encrypted so no unwanted spying party can view the users’ online personal information. Last but not least, the reliable VPN service providers usually have a very strict no logs policy in which they do not keep logs of their users’ online activities or browsing history and so, even if asked to hand over, will have nothing to give. All these features ensure complete online privacy for the VPN users.
Online Security
The features of a VPN that are responsible for online security are much related to those responsible for online privacy. The first shared feature between the 2 properties is the high level encryption used to secure the network, as mentioned in the online privacy section. This encryption prevents cyber criminals from viewing the users’ online information while browsing the internet either through a public connection or a private one. The second feature responsible for online security is that VPN applications support multiple security protocols to further secure the VPN users’ connection. In addition to that, some high-end VPN services provide additional security features to their users to gain a competitive edge and further ensure the online security and privacy.
According to the online environment in Belgium, we need to focus on the features related to online privacy and online security more than those related to online freedom. This is how we are able to pick out the most suitable VPNs for Belgium. There are numerous names in the VPN market, yet not all of them can be reliable for Belgium. This is why we have placed our search criteria according to the situation in Belgium and what exactly we require from a VPN service in this case. After a thorough research, we were able to shortlist the top 3 recommended VPNs for Belgium.
Best VPNs for Belgium
BVPN
When faced with an online security risk like that of Belgium, one of our first choices is definitely BVPN. BVPN started operating in 2014 from the Netherlands and with that start came a new era of online security. It has been highly recommended in countless comparisons before due to its unmatched features related to online security, online privacy, and online freedom. When we were looking for a reliable VPN for Belgium, this one was a perfect match.
Level of Security
- Entire network is secured with a military grade 256-bit encryption
- Multiple advanced and unique security protocols are supported (OpenVPN with UDP/TCP, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, SSH, and its own Smoke Tunnel)
Additional Security Features
- Internet Kill Switch
- IPv6 Leak Protection
- Public Wi-Fi/Hotspot Protection
Network of Servers
- More than 20 server locations strategically placed all over the world
- Each server is able to provide its users with numerous shared IP’s
Additional Features
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited server switching
- Up to 6 simultaneous connections
- No logs kept
- “Fastest Server” automatic server selection
- 7-day money back guarantee
IPVanish VPN
IPVanish was launched in 2012 by a group of highly experienced experts in the field of online security, online privacy and online freedom. Even though it is based in the US, which is not the best location for online privacy, yet it has proved its strength in this particular area and has made a very big name for itself in the VPN market over the years. It has been recommended in the toughest online situations around the world and so it was undeniable that it would be a great recommendation for Belgium.
Level of Security
- A 256-bit AES encryption is used to secure entire network
- Multiple security protocols supported (OpenVPN with UDP/TCP, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP, and IKEv2)
Additional Security Features
- Internet Kill Switch
- IPv6 Leak Protection
- LAN Blocking
- OpenVPN Scramble
- SOCKS5 web proxy
Network of Servers
- More than 850 servers spread across more than 60 countries around the world
- This network provides its users with more than 40,000 shared IP’s
Additional Features
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited server switching
- Up to 5 simultaneous connections
- Zero traffic logs
- Automatic IP Switching (Available on Mac Application)
- 7-day money back guarantee
VyprVPN
VyprVPN is a Switzerland based VPN provider owned by the very large online security company; Golden Frog. This name alone gives us a pretty good idea about how serious it is about the online security, privacy and freedom of its users it is. It is one of the biggest names in the VPN industry and has succeeded in providing its users with the most advanced and strongest features and online security measures. It is definitely an undeniable recommendation for Belgium.
Level of Security
- Network is secured with a 256-bit encryption
- Advanced security protocols supported (OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and its own Chameleon)
Additional Security Features
- NAT Firewall
- Kill Switch
- Wi-Fi Protection
- Block Malicious Sites
Network of Servers
- More than 700 servers in over 70 worldwide server locations, spread across 6 continents
- This network provides its users with more than 200,000 shared IP’s
- All servers are 100% owned by Golden Frog (no third parties)
Additional Features
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited server switching
- Zero-Knowledge VyprDNS service (Zero logs kept)
- “Fastest Server” automatic server selection
- Up to 5 simultaneous connections
- 3-day free trial
Conclusion
As much as Belgium is considered a very beautiful country with amazing landmarks and an amazing landscape which attracts so many tourists from around the world, yet it is still a very risky environment when it comes to the internet. This will not appear very openly as there are no clear online restrictions or any indications that there are any online problems in Belgium. However, if we take a closer look at its online environment, we will find that it’s one of the riskiest online environments in the world. This is a very usual case in most European countries. The NSA has been snooping around all over Europe for a while now. This is why the importance of using a reliable VPN in Belgium is undeniable. It is as important as using an antivirus nowadays. The VPN used has to have most of its competitive advantages in the online security and privacy features as this is the main concern in Belgium. This is why we recommended the above 3 VPNs as they are the best VPNs which meet these exact needs.
