John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 01.26.2023 03:Jan AM EST

Surfshark VPN Confirms No-Logs Policy After First Independent Audit

The number of VPNs you can trust just went u.

Surfshark recently announced it passed its first independent no-logs audit, which confirms its no-logs claim and proves that users should not be afraid of availing of its services.

Surfshark previously launched in 2018, when it introduced its first VPN application for iOS devices. It underwent several audits before, but these didn't cover its no-logs claim.

Surfshark VPN No-Logs Claim Audit Details

Surfshark mentioned in its announcement that it had Deloitte, one of the Big Four auditing firms, perform its first independent assurance procedures on its compliance with its no-logs policy. According to Deloitte's report, Surfshark is in accordance with its description of its no-logs policy.

You may remember that Deloitte was also the auditing firm that did NordVPN's third independent assurance audit which confirms that it is not logging its users' internet traffic.

For those unaware, a VPN provider doesn't collect or store logs of its users' activity, as doing so defeats the VPN's purpose: to provide users a secure tunnel to a remote server that encrypts users' internet traffic along the way.

According to Deloitte's report, its auditing procedure covers the period between Nov. 1 to Dec. 2, 2022. It involves making inquiries with responsible Surfshark employees, a review of the statement and description of Surfshark's no-logs claim to verify if it fulfills the required relevant level of details and covers all relevant assertions, and an inspection of relevant IT systems, design and configuration.

Deloitte also reviewed the configuration and deployment process of Surfshark's servers, along with its privacy-relevant configuration setting and procedures.

The findings Deloitte found during the implementation of its auditing procedure were deemed sufficient and appropriate to conclude that Surfshark's activity is in line with its no-logs claim.

Surfshark VPN product owner Juastas Pukys welcomed Deloitte's conclusion, with them saying that it provides "factual evidence to [its] users and future customers that Surfshark operates ont he highest privacy and quality standards," per CNET.

Deloitte's findings are important as an independent audit is one of the only ways a VPN provider doesn't log a user's internet traffic for real. Although the audit only covered a limited period, it does provide a sense of assurance and confidence to Surfshark's current and future customers that it doesn't monitor users' traffic.

Why Use A VPN?

A VPN provides an encrypted server and hides a person's IP address from corporations, government agencies, and would-be hackers when they surf the web.

According to Forbes, a VPN is especially useful on public Wi-Fi as it provides users with the assurance that the Wi-Fi's owner or anyone connected to its router couldn't track their online activity.

Speaking of tracking their online activity, a VPN also encrypts users' online activity so that their internet service provider and even the government also can't see their online activity.

Last but not least, a VPN also prevents ad-heavy companies such as Meta from collecting users' personal data and recommending personalized ads to them.