U.S. VPN proxy service
ExpressVPN’s guide to the best USA VPN
In a country where the NSA and government surveillance have been hot-button issues since the revelations of Edward Snowden, more and more Americans are turning to virtual private networks (VPNs) to protect their digital lives.
Read on for a comprehensive guide to using VPN inside and outside the United States of America.
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Save your internet privacy from ISP and NSA surveillance
In April 2017, President Trump signed congressional legislation repealing FCC regulations that required internet service providers to get your consent before giving your browsing history to third parties. Now ISPs like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T will be able to package and sell the list of sites you’ve visited to the highest bidder.
Protect your privacy from your ISP and government agencies. Consider using ExpressVPN—it uses best-in-class encryption to conceal your internet traffic from third parties, including your ISP.
Which U.S. VPN server location is the best?
The answer depends on what you’re trying to do with your VPN
If you’re using a VPN primarily to protect against hackers, snoops, and surveillance, just connect to the VPN server location geographically closest to you, even if it’s outside the U.S. For example, if you’re in Portland, try connecting to the VPN server location in Seattle. If you’re in Buffalo, connect to the VPN server location in Toronto.
If you’re in a country with government censorship and want to unblock U.S. sites and services, connect to the U.S. VPN server location closest to your actual location. For example, if you’re in Asia and want to access Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and YouTube, try Los Angeles or San Jose. If you’re in Europe, try connecting to New York or New Jersey.
ExpressVPN’s 148 VPN server locations in 94 countries around the world are constantly optimized for speed and stability. Whether you’re in the United States or traveling abroad, you’ll enjoy unlimited bandwidth and unlimited VPN server switching.
How to get a U.S. IP address
When you connect to the internet, your device is assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address based on where you are. So if you’re surfing the web from Japan, you’ll always be assigned an IP address from that country.
With ExpressVPN, you can instantly get a U.S. IP address by connecting to a U.S. VPN server location. After connecting, you will get a real American IP address as your public IP address. ExpressVPN’s U.S. web proxy helps you access your favorite social networks as well as American television shows, sports, and music.
USA VPN apps for every device
ExpressVPN has intuitive, native apps to keep Americans safe online.
ExpressVPN works on all your devices
VPN for iOS
VPN for Android
VPN for Windows
VPN for Mac
VPN for Linux
VPN for Router
VPN extensions for your favorite browsers
Chrome extension Firefox extension Safari extension
Check out these manual configurations and setup tutorials for a wide range of other devices and platforms.
Get ExpressVPNHow to watch U.S. sports online with a VPN
Americans and non-Americans alike use a VPN to stream U.S. sports in high-definition, with privacy and security. Check out the ExpressVPN guides to streaming major events like:
Plus year-round coverage of league sports like the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, and even the WWE.
Visit the ExpressVPN Stream Sports Guide to learn more about watching sports online.
Americans can connect to VPN servers in all of the following locations:
How a VPN works
What is a VPN?
VPN stands for virtual private network. That means a network of servers through which your computer (or mobile device) can connect to the internet privately. These servers encrypt all your internet traffic before it even gets to your ISP, so they can’t log or monitor your activity. Your IP address will be hidden and replaced with that of a secure VPN server.
What about DNS?
DNS, or Domain Name System, is how computers match up URLs to IP addresses, and exposed DNS requests are a common way for attackers to gain access to an otherwise protected connection. ExpressVPN runs its own DNS on every server, so your DNS requests never leave the encrypted VPN tunnel, making them both safer and faster.
Digital privacy issues in the U.S.
The NSA and mass surveillance
In 2013, Edward Snowden revealed to the world that the U.S. government routinely and indiscriminately spies on its own citizens with the help of big corporations like AT&T. Since then, American society has been divided on the issue of privacy, whether it is a human right, a luxury, or currency to be exchanged for convenience and national security.
Copyright and censorship
Though intended to protect intellectual property, US legislation like the 2012 Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) in practice would have allowed the U.S. government to censor entire domains and severely damage the open Internet. Years later, the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) would bring this same dubious trade-off to the international stage.
ExpressVPN supports internet freedom
ExpressVPN is a proud financial supporter of nonprofit organizations that fight for your freedom on the internet, like:
Stand up to U.S. surveillance with a VPN
There’s never been a better time to start protecting your online activity with a VPN. Hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet traffic is as easy as downloading the ExpressVPN app for your computer or mobile device.
Hide your IP address from IP blockers
IP blockers are a problem for people who are outside the U.S. but want to access content that is only available to American IP addresses. Since many websites use IP address as a way to restrict access to their services, you could be unfairly blocked from enjoying the latest TV shows, live sports, and music streams.
ExpressVPN helps you get around IP blocker tools by replacing your IP address with an address from a country of your choice, including a wide range of addresses from the United States.
So when different websites check your IP address to see if you can access their services, you’ll have no problem bypassing geo-restrictions and enjoying the content you want.
ExpressVPN’s top 3 tips for strong online privacy
Using a VPN is the fastest and most convenient way to add a layer of security when you’re browsing the internet in the U.S. But here are three more quick and easy ways to safeguard your privacy online:
1.Use 2-step verification
Even the strongest passwords can get compromised. Two-step verification, or two-factor authentication, solves that problem by requiring you to use your password and your phone to log in to an online account. That way, even if your password gets stolen, the thieves won’t be able to log in to your account (unless they’ve somehow also stolen your phone).
2.Encrypt your smartphone
Several U.S. cities experienced “epidemic” levels of smartphone theft in recent years. You can help curb the effectiveness of mobile theft by encrypting your smartphone. If you have a device with iOS 8 or later, enabling encryption is as easy as setting a passcode. Encrypting on an Android device is slightly less straightforward, but still advisable.
3.Use HTTPS whenever possible
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP. You can usually tell whether you’re connecting to a site through HTTPS by checking the address bar. But because even major websites sometimes link back to unencrypted HTTP, the EFF has developed a browser extension called HTTPS Everywhere that reroutes all requests to these sites to HTTPS.
Why Americans need a VPN
With a VPN for the U.S., you can...
- Enjoy fast, throttle-free streaming
- Browse the Internet securely
- Protect your digital privacy
- Access censored sites on all your devices