NymVPN, from startup Nym Technologies, has just released the beta version of what it claims to be the “world’s most private VPN.”
It achieves this in a number of ways, including independent multi-hop routing of all connections, decentralized blockchain technology, anonymous payments, open-source code, among other things.
At signup, NymVPN uses what’s known as zero-knowledge identity verification technology to allow users to register for the service without ever disclosing any personal information. Essentially, a Nym blockchain issuing authority provides you with anonymous credentials that you can then use to redeem for service usage.
This same blockchain technology what runs the VPN itself. Nym is part of a decentralized five-hop mixnet, which “splits and encrypts your data into smaller packets, which are mixed, rebuilt, and decrypted on the receiving side.” This decentralized mixnet system promises to be a much more effective way to obfuscate personal data than the standard encrypted VPN …