Thanks, Mark!!! The VPN I bought is from McAfee. I didn’t pay too much attention but I’d get a notice periodically that no viruses were showing up. The person who initiated this post wanted to know about viruses. All I said was the VPN service seemed to be covering it.
I didn’t mean they were the same thing.
When it seemed like I hadn’t really totally understood, because I hadn’t paid too much attention when it scanned my devices, I went to McAfee and found out my VPN INCLUDED anti-virus software. So I sought to clarify what I had written.
I should have looked it up before answering but I was trying to be helpful.
With a Mac you really don’t need anti-virus software as viruses are rare. However, it may be worth it to some people because it can happen. So someone might want it for peace of mind.
VPN is different than antivirus software. They are two separate things.
VPN helps prevent other people from snooping on you. That is why I purchase MacAfee… ie to deter someone from snooping. I probably don’t need it but I do know people that have the capability to do it. So I buy the protection for peace of mind.
I can recommend McAfee. I had been getting VPN off of the App Store and it was nothing but problems.
McAfee has good tech support even though the people may have heavy accents, ;o)
FWIW, this is true - but it doesn’t prevent the VPN from aggregating and selling your data themselves.
No idea about McAfee, but there are definitely some VPNs that I’ve heard of doing that sort of thing. And any data any VPN logs is subject to subpoenas and such. So you’re more private, but depending on the VPN your mileage may vary.
And incidentally…the fact that McAfee is virus scanning indicates that they’re peeking into your data more than they would have to. Not saying that’s nefarious or anything, but it’s worth noting. More processes = more potential for logging.
If you’re using McAfee I don’t think it matters either way. And I don’t know that there are any problems with them. I’m just noting that this sort of thing happens, so it’s worth being aware of.
Sometimes using a commercial VPN is necessary, for example when you travel to certain countries. If you find yourself in a situation like that you need to do some research and choose wisely.
"One of the clearest ways a VPN provider can prove it keeps no usage logs is to have its servers seized by authorities. That’s exactly what happened to ExpressVPN in 2017, when an investigation into the 2016 assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Korlov, led Turkish authorities to seize one of ExpressVPN’s servers looking for logs of conversation allegedly related to the crime. Authorities came up empty-handed, which bolstered ExpressVPN’s no-logs reputation. "