Articles by Monica J. White, Contributing Writer

Monica is a journalist with over a decade of experience in covering technology.

She writes about the latest developments in computing, which means anything from computer chips made out of paper to cutting-edge desktop processors. Her coverage includes CPUs, GPUs, and everything else that goes into a PC or a laptop, but also peripherals.

GPUs are Monica’s main area of interest, and nothing thrills her quite like that time every couple of years when new graphics cards hit the market. She’s always keeping tabs on the latest from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, including both the hardware and the software that powers our PCs.

As an avid gamer, her focus is always on the consumer and whether something works well and provides adequate value for the money. She believes that PC building can be intimidating, so her goal is to explain complex concepts in an approachable manner while still digging into the technical nitty-gritty we all love to learn more about.

Articles by: Monica J. White

ExpressVPN kills legacy apps – you have time until March 31 to update yours

By Monica J. White published 27 January 26

ExpressVPN says older app versions will stop connecting after March 31, 2026, as part of a major security update. Check your version, update now, and stay protected.

Top view of female with curly hair closing eyes and listening to music while resting on bed near smartphone

Your smartphone is quietly sharing your data overnight, NordVPN warns – here's how to limit it

By Monica J. White published 22 January 26

Smartphones continue sharing data overnight, often without users realizing it. NordVPN experts explain what’s normal, what’s risky, and how to minimize background tracking.

Connectivity issues? Mullvad’s OpenVPN shutdown is happening today – here's all you need to do to keep using the VPN

By Monica J. White published 15 January 26

Mullvad has officially taken its OpenVPN servers offline, ending support for the legacy protocol and pushing all users to WireGuard. Here's what you need to know.

Windscribe, Kagi, and Ente mascots over a space background

Windscribe is building an ecosystem of privacy-first apps – but it doesn't want to own them

By Monica J. White published 14 January 26

Windscribe has just teamed up with a host of other companies to create an alliance of tools focused on user privacy and data protection. Pro users can redeem exclusive discounts.

Surfshark expands dedicated IP to Linux in its latest desktop update

By Monica J. White published 23 December 25

Surfshark has added dedicated IP support to its Linux GUI app, extending a feature it’s been focusing on since 2023.

Obscura VPN just aced its first independent audit

By Monica J. White published 16 December 25

Obscura VPN, a relatively new VPN service for iOS and macOS, has just passed its first independent audit. The VPN prioritizes not just user security, but also complete browsing privacy.

Mullvad retires OpenVPN support on desktop, pushing all users to WireGuard

By Monica J. White published 11 December 25

Mullvad has removed OpenVPN support from its desktop app, accelerating its shift to WireGuard as users prepare for the full OpenVPN shutdown in 2026.

Roblox, FaceTime, and Snapchat blocked in Russia in latest censorship wave

By Monica J. White last updated 5 December 25

Russia has blocked FaceTime, Roblox, and Snapchat, tightening its censorship push as users lose access to most major Western platforms.

NordVPN just aced an independent lab evaluation, and the timing couldn't be better

By Monica J. White published 25 November 25

A new WCL evaluation shows NordVPN outperforming rivals in speed, leak protection, and system impact. And it's now on sale.

Mullvad VPN adds ultra-fast obfuscation to beat WireGuard blocking

By Monica J. White last updated 25 November 25

Mullvad VPN adds Lightweight WireGuard Obfuscation (LWO), a new ultra-light obfuscation protocol designed to hide WireGuard traffic and bypass censorship with almost no speed loss.

Twitch introduces facial age scans in the UK despite privacy concerns

By Monica J. White published 20 November 25

Twitch now requires UK users to complete a facial age scan to access mature content. This raises privacy concerns and triggers another surge in VPN interest.

Security padlock in circuit board background.

Over 60 organizations call on governments worldwide to protect encryption

By Monica J. White published 18 November 25

The VPN Trust Initiative joins 60+ groups warning governments that weakening encryption threatens global security and the digital economy.

VPN usage is exploding in the UK — here's how it compares to Europe and the US

By Monica J. White published 28 October 25

The UK now ranks #8 worldwide for VPN adoption, with 10.7 million downloads in early 2025. Here’s how it compares to Europe and the US, and what’s driving the surge.

NordVPN lets you block adult sites from loading, but only on mobile

By Monica J. White published 27 October 25

NordVPN has just expanded its Threat Protection suite with the addition of adult site blocking. Here's how it works and who can use it.

Young girl early teens playing on her phone and listening to music wearing headphones

Surfshark adds a web content blocker to prioritize privacy over monitoring – here's how it can keep your kids safe

By Monica J. White published 21 October 25

Forget parental control, Surfshark's new web content blocker promises to protect your family from online threats with privacy at its core.

Mozilla is experimenting with a free, built-in VPN in Firefox – but you might not be able to try it yet

By Monica J. White published 16 October 25

Mozilla has launched a free, browser-only VPN inside Firefox. It's now in beta. Here's how it works and how to join the experiment.

NordVPN just made its Linux GUI app open-source, and there's more on the way

By Monica J. White published 14 October 25

NordVPN has open-sourced its Linux GUI app and updated its Snap package to include it, with Meshnet set to be next.

Windscribe VPN just made WireGuard even more quantum-resistant

By Monica J. White published 9 October 25

Windscribe's WireGuard protocol now comes with wider post-quantum protections for extra security. Here's how it works.

Surfshark upgrades its network with industry-first 100Gbps servers

By Monica J. White published 9 October 25

Surfshark has just launched its new 100Gbps VPN servers. They're a massive improvement over the industry standard, but the rollout is fairly limited for now.

A living room wall showing several smart picture frames

This smart E ink picture frame lets you talk your paintings into life with AI – and promises to last years from a single charge

By Monica J. White published 5 October 25

A project on Kickstarter promises to deliver a smart e-ink picture frame. Dubbed Fraimic, it lets you generate AI art with voice commands.

Two hands holding a phone in red lighting showing a scam text message

New ‘SMS blaster’ text scams are on the rise, security experts warn – stay safe by changing this one phone setting

By Monica J. White published 4 October 25

Cybercriminals have found a new way to spam your phone with scam texts — SMS blasters. Find out what they are and how to protect yourself.

A hand holding an Nvidia RTX 5080 graphic card on a green background

Nvidia RTX 5080 buyer receives a brick instead of their graphics card – here’s how to avoid ‘commingling’ scams

By Monica J. White published 4 October 25

An Nvidia RTX 5080 buyer was recently sent a brick by Amazon rather than their graphics card – and the likely culprit is so-called 'commingling' scams.

A woman looking at a blue Google Pixel 10 phone

VPN by Google faces issues with the new Pixel Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 – here’s all we know

By Monica J. White published 1 October 25

Some Pixel users on Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 can’t use the VPN by Google and see Wallet errors. Here’s what’s happening and how to fix it.

Norton VPN dashboard on a smartphone being held by a user

Norton VPN has just reinforced its commitment to privacy – here's all you need to know

By Monica J. White published 1 October 25

While an independent audit found that Norton VPN doesn't log your activity for the second time, the provider has also made some changes to further boost privacy and transparency.

ExpressVPN app on iPad and Mac – promo image

ExpressVPN’s latest Apple push brings a tablet-first design and one-click installs on Mac

By Monica J. White published 24 September 25

ExpressVPN has just refreshed its iPad app, making it perfectly suited for a tablet with easier access to important features. Meanwhile, Mac users can find and download ExpressVPN easily.

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