Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are incredibly useful bits of software that let you mask your identity on the web, surfing in anonymity and privacy as compared to using no such measures.

• Is NordVPN good? Find out everything you need to know

However, it's also true that when you use a VPN you're placing your trust in that VPN's provider, and you have to hope that it has data practices in place to ensure that you actually are anonymous, and not simply being tracked in other ways. That's what makes NordVPN so impressive. 

Not only does it have widespread security measures that make sure your browsing is truly anonymous, it also submits all of its processes to regular independent audits to verify that fact. In fact, its most recent audit just provided full results, carried out by giant, top-4 auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland. 

It was checking, in extreme detail, whether NordVPN's no-log policies are proven to work. These systems are how you know that NordVPN isn't keeping any data at all on your browsing sessions, and are what show that the information you access is never tracked or traced. 

You shouldn't be surprised to learn that NordVPN absolutely aced the test, just like it did the last time the audit was carried out. PwC didn't just access data and records to check on Nord's processes, though.

It interviewed employees, checked technical logs and assessed server infrastructure, among others, and did so for a wide range of Nord's server types - covering Standard VPN, Double VPN, Obfuscated (XOR) VPN, and P2P servers.

This sort of independent verification is hard to overstate, when you consider that the entire point of signing up to a VPN, for many people, is to preserve your right to privacy. It's also far from standard to carry out these audits, and marks NordVPN as particularly trustworthy in the market. 

In fact, if you use another VPN service, or are considering opting for a different provider, you might want to hesitate, and look into its no-log policy compared to Nord VPN's. Nord itself recommends you look at a few different elements:

• The types of data the service collects about users and their internet usage;
• The external support or tracking tools it uses;
• The country where the service operates and the local legal requirements for collecting user data;
• The payment options the service offers and how these are linked to the user identity.

Surveying those, you're pretty likely to find that others can't compete with NordVPN. Its no-log policy is watertight and it's based away from both the EU and US's jurisdiction to make sure that no collection is mandated. 

If you're extremely concerned about privacy, in fact, you can opt to use some of the additional services Nord offers, including a Double VPN service and accessing the Onion network via VPN to truly mask yourself. 

Plus, right now you can pick up a NordVPN membership for a crazy low price, if you needed any more persuasion. A two-year membership is discounted by 70% to just £2.69/$3.49 a month, which we think is a pretty low price to pay given the confidence you get in your online privacy as a result.