The mission of Restore Privacy is to give you all the information and tools you need to restore your online privacy, secure your electronic devices, and stay safe online.
Everything published on this site is honest, free of charge, and open to everyone. Nothing is locked behind a paid membership wall.
All of the reviews on Restore Privacy are brutally honest and based on extensive testing and research.
Keep it simple
One of the goals with Restore Privacy is to publish free guides that follow the KISS principle:
The KISS (Keep it simple, stupid) principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.
Online privacy and security do not have to be overly complicated. Unnecessary complexity may also be a barrier for people who are interested in restoring their privacy. So to help with this process, and to reach a larger audience, the guides on Restore Privacy are written in a simple, yet informative style.
Regardless of your technical proficiency, you should be able to implement the solutions provided on this website for your unique situation.
So how else is Restore Privacy different from other websites you see online?
No ads
Restore Privacy does not host any ads or accept payment for advertising.
Just like with paid reviews, paid advertising would create bias and an obvious conflict of interest. If this website was dependent on revenue from paid advertising, and we found massive problems with our advertiser’s product, what are the chances of that information being published?
Another problem with ads is that they would violate our readers’ privacy, while also being a security risk. (Nearly all ads also function as advanced tracking.)
It is for this reason that there is no advertising on Restore Privacy:
- NO banner ads!
- NO annoying pop-ups!
- NO advertising!
No paid reviews, no sponsorships
Restore Privacy does not do paid reviews.
Many websites are paid to write reviews by the companies/services they are “reviewing”. This can come in many forms, but essentially the product or service is buying a good review.
Unfortunately, this is quite common online in most areas.
With Restore Privacy, all products/services are reviewed independently and we are never paid to conduct a review or test the service. We will never be paid to change or modify any review.
Additionally, Restore Privacy does not accept any sponsorships or payments to promote products or services.
No paid rankings, paid content, or paid links
Restore Privacy will never be paid to rank/recommend certain products or services over others.
Paid rankings seem to be a problem with most “review” sites of all kinds. The internet is increasingly becoming a “pay to play” ecosystem – and this is a trend we hate to see unfolding.
Restore Privacy will also never publish paid content. While the site does highlight a number of different privacy tools, we are never paid to do so.
And finally, we will never participate in any kind of paid link scheme – another popular trend with most “review” sites.
No invasive tracking
Restore Privacy does not use Google Analytics or other invasive tracking software. Instead, the site uses Clicky, which anonymizes visitor IP addresses, is fully compliant with GDPR data privacy regulations, and is officially certified by Privacy Shield for data protection compliance (certification).
Complete independence
Another disturbing trend you can see in online media is the tendency for the review website and the products being reviewed to be owned by the same entity.
There are various reports floating around about VPN companies creating or buying out review websites. There are also examples of VPN review sites having direct ownership of VPNs they recommend to their readers. This also the case with various “best VPN” websites, as you can see here.
Needless to say, Restore Privacy remains completely independent and has no ownership or financial stake in ANY of the products or services appearing here.
Additionally, Restore Privacy is not owned by any VPN service, digital media company, or any other entity. Instead, Restore Privacy is owned and operated by a single privacy activist and the business is officially incorporated as a single-member LLC, which means there are no other shareholders or outside owners. (Note: there have been various attempts to buy out Restore Privacy over the years, but this project will remain independent and not sell out to anyone!)
How does Restore Privacy make money?
Restore Privacy refuses to run any ads for three main reasons:
- Ads would abuse the privacy of our readers (ads function as advanced tracking and data collection tools for advertising networks – use an ad blocker)
- Ads are a big security risk (see malvertising)
- Ads create a conflict of interest
Not running ads restricts the ability of the website to make money. To compensate for that, donation options were added for our readers to fund the website. Unfortunately, we learned that practically nobody donates to a site that offers free information. Covering the costs and time to run the site via donations is simply not possible.
In order to continue operating the site and covering all costs (including all of the time invested in testing privacy tools), Restore Privacy has a select few affiliates that align with our mission and commitment to transparency. If you purchase a router on Amazon or a VPN subscription through a link on this site, we may earn a small commission – at no additional cost to you. As a general rule, we refuse to work with companies that have bad track records and/or dishonest practices.
Aside from hosting and other fixed costs of running a website, an enormous amount of time is invested in researching and testing privacy tools. Time is not free. Everyone needs to earn a living and support their families – and the bills don’t pay themselves.
Who is Sven Taylor?
Publishing brutally honest information and real reviews comes with some risks (see here for example).
Many reputable websites, researchers, and security experts use a “pen name” to protect their safety and privacy. Sven Taylor is no different. He is passionate about his privacy, as well as the privacy of his family (and readers). Therefore it only makes sense that a privacy-focused website would protect the privacy of the people working on it.
If you are a journalist or media outlet looking to quote or reference information from Restore Privacy, and you don’t want to quote Sven Taylor, then simply quote the site as Restore Privacy (or RestorePrivacy).
No lies and no disinformation
Unlike many other websites in this niche, Restore Privacy is honest and does not fabricate credentials, lie to reporters, or deceive our readers in any way.
Here at Restore Privacy, we will remain true to this mission and will answer any questions you may have, while still protecting our privacy. Just use the secure communication center to get in touch.
Why did Sven create Restore Privacy?
One day, Sven finally had enough with the continual erosion of privacy at the hands of corporate and government entities.
Even worse, he realized that these exact same trends were unfolding throughout the world: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Europe…
At that point, Sven realized it was time to take action. He created Restore Privacy to provide people with effective privacy solutions, which seemed like a better idea than waiting around for someone to fix these growing problems.
Overall, Sven keeps a pretty low profile to protect his privacy and that of his family, but the Danish fisherman in this painting is rumored to bear an uncanny resemblance to the elusive editor 😉
Social media accounts
The only social media account used by Restore Privacy is the official twitter account here.
Neither Sven Taylor, nor Restore Privacy, nor the owner of the site have any other social media accounts.
Support Restore Privacy
There are four main ways you can support Restore Privacy and our mission to bring you high-quality information on privacy and security topics:
- Link to Restore Privacy’s articles and guides.
- Share information from this site with others – spread the word.
- Purchase products/services through links on the site. (We may earn a small commission if you choose to buy, at no additional cost to you – not a penny!)
- Donate to Restore Privacy. Please keep in mind, Restore Privacy is not a non-profit, and as such, your donations are probably not tax deductible. Nonetheless, all donations are greatly appreciated!
Donate to Restore Privacy
If you want to support Restore Privacy with a donation, here is our Bitcoin address:
19Lzr4R36B9oFDnLb59q4oLWo5uThwUnkJ
All donations are appreciated!
Full transparency
Here are a few facts about RestorePrivacy.com in the interest of complete transparency:
RestorePrivacy.com is owned by Restore Privacy, LLC. Being an LLC (Limited Liability Company) helps to protect the people working on this project to give you honest and transparent information.
Restore Privacy, LLC is incorporated in the United States. Being incorporated in the United States allows us to be completely honest with everything, because free speech is protected under the US Constitution (1st Amendment).
Restore Privacy is independently owned and operated. All recommendations are based on extensive testing and research.
Thanks for stopping by
This website is all about providing you with useful privacy and security information.
If you have any tips, feedback, or general suggestions, please use the Secure Communication Center to get in touch. All feedback is appreciated because it helps keep the site focused on topics most important to you.