Why this site exists
Hi — I’m Ryan, the person behind HideThisPC.
I started this site for a simple reason: most VPN reviews online are bought. The few that aren’t usually recommend whichever provider pays the highest affiliate commission anyway. Reading them feels like reading a sponsored ad with the disclosure scrolled off the bottom of the page.
I wanted somewhere to publish reviews that lead with what I actually use, not what pays the most.
What makes this site different
I personally use Mullvad VPN. It’s what I trust with my own traffic, the one I’ve used for years, the one I recommend to my family.
Mullvad doesn’t have an affiliate program. They don’t pay me a cent for talking about them. I write about them anyway because they’re what I actually use.
Most affiliate VPN sites would never recommend Mullvad — there’s no commission in it. That’s exactly why I lead with it.
How I make money
The honest answer: if you read a review here for Proton VPN, Surfshark, Incogni, or any other product I cover, and you decide to sign up through one of my links, I may earn a commission. It doesn’t change your price. It doesn’t change what I recommend or how I rank products.
I cover those products because they’re genuinely good for specific situations — Proton VPN for people who want a full privacy ecosystem, Surfshark for budget users who need unlimited devices, Incogni for data broker removal. Real recommendations for real situations where Mullvad isn’t necessarily the best fit.
If a product I cover doesn’t deserve a recommendation, I don’t recommend it — affiliate program or not.
Full details on my Affiliate Disclosure page.
Who I am
I’m not a security researcher or a former intelligence analyst. I’m a physician in Canada who got tired of corporate surveillance several years ago and started taking digital privacy seriously. I’m a careful reader by training, and I read VPN privacy policies the way I’d read a clinical trial paper — slowly, skeptically, and looking for what’s missing.
I don’t always publish under my full name on this site, mainly because I keep a clean separation between my medical practice and this side project. The value of this site is in the content, not my credentials. You shouldn’t trust a recommendation here because of who I am — you should trust it because the reasoning is on the page.
What you’ll find here
- Reviews of VPNs and privacy tools I’ve personally tested
- Comparisons that compare on substance, not just feature checklists
- Setup guides for getting privacy tools working without unnecessary complexity
- Honest takes when a popular product doesn’t deserve its reputation
What you won’t find here
- Reviews of products I haven’t used
- “Best VPN” rankings padded with whichever brand paid for placement that quarter
- Affiliate links disguised as editorial recommendations
- Fearmongering about “hackers on public Wi-Fi” to drive sales
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or product suggestions are welcome at [hello@hidethispc.com](mailto:hello@hidethispc.com).
If you spot a factual error in a review, please tell me. I’ll fix it and credit you if you’d like.