For many, Albania is still a mystery and although the country has a lot to offer, it only started attracting the attention of travelers in recent years. The natural beauty of Albania, along with its magical archaeological sites, make it a place worth discovering. After the fall of the communist regime in 1991, the country took a long time to head into modern times and while it is still facing many challenges, those who love to wander off the beaten path, will be rewarded by Albania’s beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and colorful villages. Still, when you go to Albania, there are a few things to consider when it comes to online freedom, privacy and the overall situation of the country in terms of human rights.
While the country holds democratic elections with different political parties, there are significant gaps between them and the focus is on specific people, rather than their ideas and policies. Corruption and crime are still affecting the country and although the government has worked to target these issues, the situation has not improved. Media outlets are mainly under the control of particular interests from political and economical figures of power, meaning that there are not truly independent news outlets. The constitution guarantees freedom of expression, but since the media is subject to control from politicians and business people, the news reports are usually biased. Many journalists face harassment and even violent attacks.
It is estimated that over 60% of the population has access to the internet and the government doesn’t impose strict restrictions on social media or blogs. In addition, there is no strong evidence of online surveillance carried out by the government. In general, freedom of expression and press are respected. However, as previously mentioned, the media is strongly influenced by political and economical interests. Those who want to express their views independently, will probably prefer to keep their identity protected and this is when a VPN comes handy. The internet offers a great platform to share and discuss opinions, but unfortunately, it is not as anonymous as we used to think. Government agencies and large companies can keep trace of our activities and identity, which is why it is advisable to use a VPN to protect our privacy.
In Albania, and anywhere else in the world, privacy is at risk so whenever you connect to the internet it is important to ensure that you take the necessary measures to avoid becoming a target of surveillance. Malicious hackers are also a threat as they lurk public WiFi hotspots, hoping to exploit the vulnerabilities of these networks so that they can steal financial information and other details. When you use a VPN, your data is encrypted, which means that others won’t be able to see what you are doing online. Plus, connecting to a VPN server also helps you to hide your identity since you can mask your real IP address by replacing it with the IP address of the VPN server you are connected to.
Another advantage of using a VPN service is that you can get access to content that is not available in your country. As previously mentioned, there are no heavy restrictions on the internet in Albania, but that doesn’t mean that there are no blocks that prevent you from accessing the content that you want. Due to geographical restrictions, you will find that there are some websites and services that you can’t access from Albania. Thankfully, a VPN helps you to overcome the obstacles as it gives you an IP address from a different location. Let’s say that you want to access content that is only available in the United States. In that case, all you need to do is to connect to a VPN server in that location to get a US IP address. This will allow you to defeat the blocks and enjoy US content, even if you are in Albania. Here are the VPN services that give you online freedom and security and that we recommend for Albania.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is fast, highly secure and it offers excellent software. All these features make it an ideal solution for anyone looking for strong protection for their internet traffic, as well as flexibility to access international content. ExpressVPN has servers in over 90 countries, including Albania. This means that if you want to keep your Albanian IP address, but with added security, all you need to do is to connect to one of ExpressVPN’s servers in that location. This provider offers strong encryption and it will allow you to overcome restrictions without hassle. No logs of your online activities are kept. They also offer kill switch, a feature that ensures that your IP address is not exposed, even if the VPN connection suddenly drops.
NordVPN
NordVPN is known for the advanced features that it supports. It protects you from eavesdroppers and hackers as it uses high encryption to secure your traffic. NordVPN is based in Panama so it is not subject to mandatory data retention laws and it is not within the jurisdiction of the NSA and other surveillance agencies. You can connect to servers in over 60 countries. NordVPN has servers in Albania as well, giving you the chance to keep your Albanian IP with boosted security. They don’t keep any logs and use advanced security features such as Tor over VPN. NordVPN offers excellent customer support as well.
IPVanish
IPVanish is a popular name in the VPN industry due to the incredibly speeds that it offers and the high quality of its software. IPVanish offers servers in over 60 countries and like the other providers in the list, it has options in Albania. Since IPVanish is in charge of its own network, it can offer top speeds, as well as reliable performance. You can enjoy high protection for your information, as well as the flexibility to bypass restrictions and get access to content that is usually not available in your location. IPVanish offers also features that enhance the security of your information, including kill switch. Their privacy policy states that no logs are kept at all.