# Senator Asks NSA to Clear Up Commercial VPN Confusion

> Sen. Ron Wyden wants the NSA to tell Americans which VPN technologies actually protect against foreign cyber surveillance.
- Title: Senator Asks NSA to Clear Up Commercial VPN Confusion
- Summary: Sen. Ron Wyden wants the NSA to tell Americans which VPN technologies actually protect against foreign cyber surveillance. Standard commercial VPNs offer…
- Keywords: vpn, cybersecurity, nsa, privacy, surveillance, technology, science, Senator, Asks, Clear, Commercial, Confusion
- Source: Ars Technica — https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/09/us-senator-calls-on-the-nsa-to-give-guidance-for-use-of-vpns
- Published: 2026-09-03T19:52:06+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: vpn, cybersecurity, nsa, privacy, surveillance, technology, science
## Seeking clear guidance on VPNs
Sen. Ron Wyden is calling on the NSA to provide the public with clear standards on which virtual private networks effectively protect against foreign spying.

> deserve clear, honest advice about how best to protect their communications from surveillance by foreign adversaries
## How standard VPNs fall short
While standard single-hop VPNs encrypt traffic to a server, rogue employees, server hacks, and unencrypted metadata can still expose user activity.
## Questioning single-hop security
Wyden asked the NSA whether standard single-hop VPNs are adequate, or if multi-hop architectures and features like random delays are necessary for real protection.

> Are standard, single-hop commercial VPNs sufficient to protect Americans’ sensitive digital footprints from foreign adversaries monitoring internet backbones?
## Comparing advanced privacy tools
The senator's letter asks the agency to evaluate multi-hop systems and mixnets, specifically pointing to Apple Private Relay, Tor, and Nym.
## Every privacy option has trade-offs
Multi-hop privacy tools come with distinct trade-offs. Volunteer nodes in Tor or Nym could be run by foreign actors, while Apple Private Relay is limited to Safari.
## A lack of trustworthy standards
Security experts note that commercial VPN advertisements are often misleading, leaving users with no clear framework to evaluate privacy claims.

> It’s extremely difficult for ordinary users to determine whether they need a VPN, what a VPN actually buys them, and which one to use.
## Awaiting an official NSA response
Wyden has requested that the NSA provide answers and updated public guidance on VPN configurations by October 14.
## Key takeaway

Standard commercial VPNs offer limited privacy; evaluating your threat model requires understanding the trade-offs between single-hop and multi-hop tools.