Why I Recommend a VPN
This one is important because it draws a clear boundary.
One of the things I've tried to do throughout this series is explain not only what SecurityNet does, but also what it doesn't do.
I think that's just as important.
No software solves every problem.
Every design has a boundary.
Understanding where that boundary lies is part of understanding the software itself.
SecurityNet encrypts every file and every direct message that passes between authorised users.
That protects the contents of the communication.
But encryption and anonymity are not the same thing.
They solve different problems.
Imagine sending a sealed letter through the post.
The envelope protects the contents.
It doesn't hide who sent it or where it was delivered.
Networks work in much the same way.
Even when the contents are encrypted, information about the communication itself may still exist.
Computers still need to find each other.
Connections still need to be established.
Packets still need to travel across the Internet.
That surrounding information is often referred to as metadata.
Metadata can include information about who communicated, when the communication took place, where connections originated, and characteristics of the communication such as its size or duration.
SecurityNet is designed to minimise this kind of information wherever practical.
It does not require telephone numbers, does not maintain a central archive of ordinary files or one-to-one chats, and is designed to avoid creating central activity histories of who communicated with whom and when.
But there is a limit to what an application can hide.
The network itself still has to carry the traffic. IP addresses and connection information may therefore be visible to Internet providers, network operators, servers involved in establishing or relaying a connection, or other infrastructure through which the traffic passes.
SecurityNet was never designed to provide anonymity.
It was designed to provide private communication between people who already know and trust one another.
That distinction has always been important to me.
I would rather explain the boundary honestly than imply the software provides protection that it doesn't.
For users who want to reduce the amount of network information visible to others, I recommend using a trusted VPN.
A VPN changes the route your Internet traffic takes and can reduce the amount of information exposed about the network connection itself.
It doesn't replace SecurityNet.
And SecurityNet doesn't replace a VPN.
They solve different problems.
Used together, they complement one another.
So why I didn't simply build VPN functionality directly into SecurityNet?
The answer is quite simple.
There are already organisations whose sole purpose is to provide that service.
My goal wasn't to build everything.
It was to build one thing well and allow users to combine it with other tools when appropriate.
- SecurityNet minimises the metadata the application creates and retains.
- A VPN can reduce the network metadata exposed outside SecurityNet.
- Neither is presented as providing anonymity.
That philosophy appears throughout SecurityNet.
I don't try to replace your antivirus software.
I don't replace your firewall.
I don't replace your operating system's security.
And I don't replace a VPN.
Each layer contributes something different.
Together, they provide better protection than any single application could achieve on its own.
This article isn't really about VPNs.
It's about understanding the limits of software.
Good engineering isn't claiming to solve every problem.
It's understanding exactly which problem you're trying to solve and being honest about everything else.
I believe users deserve that honesty.
SecurityNet was designed to protect the privacy of your communications.
If your goal is also to make those communications harder to observe at the network level, then adding a VPN is a sensible next step.
The two technologies aren't alternatives.
They're partners.
Sometimes the most trustworthy software isn't the software that claims to do everything.
It's the software that clearly explains what it does—and what it doesn't.
SecurityNet and a VPN solve different privacy problems.
SecurityNet protects your communication and removes many of the metadata risks created by cloud-based messaging services.
A VPN protects your network connection by hiding your IP address and reducing the remaining metadata that SecurityNet cannot eliminate.
Used together, they provide significantly stronger privacy than either one alone.
