Having a VPN is almost an imperative if you want to assure your privacy and protect your digital identity when you go online,
While this is achieved thanks to the best providers' various features including watertight encryption, a range of smart protocols, and additional tools like kill switches and IP rotation, it's their no-log policy that's of paramount importance if you want to understand how they'll handle your private data.
This guide digs into one of the rising stars of the VPN world – Norton VPN – to pull back the curtain on its no-logging pledge and see how private your data really is when trust it to the cybersecurity giant.
What is a no-logging policy?
A no-logging, or no-log, policy is where a VPN provider sets out the personal information that it will keep about its users' online activity during use.
As their name suggests, they usually come with promises about the kind of data that they will never keep so that details about you and what you do online will not be kept by the provider.
That generally includes data like your IP address, browsing history, connection time and anything else that could be used to identify or trace your behavior. So even if the provider is forced to provide your details (for example, by a court), they would not be able to as they simply don't have the information to hand over.
While true no-logs policies – those that promise absolutely no data at all is kept – are a very rare entity, the most private VPNs have robust, audited policies that guarantee to keep as little information about your online activity as possible.
What data does Norton VPN collect and why?
Like most other of the biggest players in the VPN game, Norton VPN is not a complete zero-data service.
Compared to other VPN providers, however, Norton VPN's tracking is very lean. It says that it only collects what's strictly needed to keep the app running "safely and efficiently". That means anything that is collected is minimal and is anonymized.
It does not track what you browse, when or for how long. It only keeps data on service integrity, app health and overall network performance.
So what does that mean it specifically keeps data on?
Firstly, there are connection events. Only the day – and not the time – is logged when you connect or disconnect to Norton VPN. This is done to help monitor performance, fix issues and reduce server congestion. And even this is kept for no more than 12 months.
Application events let Norton track when the app is installed, updates are run, your operating system, what and device types you use. This is done to ensure compatibility, to improve software performance and to diagnose errors – with data deleted after 18 months.
We collect minimal data to ensure our VPN works well. This data doesn't reveal which sites you visit or what services you use.
Norton VPN privacy policy
Norton also allows users to submit crash reports if the app fails, as a way to improve the service in future. This is not a requirement and is only done if the user explicitly consents to send that report. Even then the report does not include any browsing or personal data and is only kept for a maximum of 90 days.
Finally the total data you transmit while using the VPN is also logged to manage network resources and prevent abuse and misuse (where one user may hog a more than usual amount of bandwidth, for example). This is also kept for 18 months before deletion.
So while Norton VPN does have a no-log policy, the company is clear that there are some exceptions. And it's also pretty plain to see these are not used, nor could they be, to identify or compromise an individual's digital identity.
What data does Norton say it doesn’t collect?
Understandably, the Norton VPN no-log policy is eager to emphasize the data that it does not keep on its users.
Browsing history, as you'd probably hope and imagine is the first element it mentions. That includes the websites you've visited, content viewed and apps used.
The traffic destination is also not recorded. So that's where the internet and traffic data goes and which servers and websites are used.
The device IP address while connected is not kept, either, meaning the IP stays unknown without any record of it being kept. Session duration data isn't logged or stored, so you can't be identified through the time you've spent online.
DNS queries are also not logged, meaning any lookups your device may do to translate domain names to IP addresses is kept secure.
All that adds up to a thorough lack of an online footprint, meaning you and your online activities can't be identified, tracked or traced at all. There will be no record of your downloads, browsing or online visits in any form – exactly what a no-log policy should do then.
How good is the Norton VPN no-logging policy?
Norton VPN's no-log policy doesn't only go further than than most, but also lays out very explicitly what it does and does not log – something that not all other VPN services can claim to offer.
This transparency is a good sign that you can rely on what you're getting with no DNS logs, no IP logging, no browsing data and no session timestamps being recorded at all.
All-in-all that makes this one of the stronger user-privacy-focused providers.
Can I trust the Norton VPN no-logging policy?
Norton VPN is very clear about what it does and does not track, with confidence inspiring lack of logging for digital identity. It also carries out regular third-party audits to spot and fix any issues that may crop up.
Our VPN no-logs policy has been repeatedly independently verified by VerSprite. It is designed to ensure that we do not know what you do online, and your online activities are never tracked, logged, or stored.
Norton VPN privacy policy
Third-party cybersecurity solutions company, VerSprite, recently confirmed that Norton doesn't store any logs of your online activity, or any other private data. It also verified Norton's secure infrastructure and policies.
The provider also carries out quarterly transparency reports to further ensure peace of mind of its users who want to know that they're secure.
Anyone seeking a no-logs VPN that offers real-world privacy while keeping usability features strong, should find Norton VPN's policy to be strong and trustworthy.
