Tag Archives: author_name|Sam Chapman

How to cancel Norton VPN, uninstall it and get your money back

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Norton Security has some reliable products, but its VPN isn't one of them. In my Norton VPN review, I argued that it's only really worthwhile if you can get a discount on it as part of a Norton 360 package — and even in that case, you should only use it for non-sensitive activities due to some holes in Norton's comprehensive privacy policy.

That's a lot of conditions, so I'd understand if you're here because you've decided Norton VPN isn't for you. Read on to learn your options for cancelling this VPN, getting a refund and replacing it with a better provider.

The simplest way to cancel Norton VPN is to stop your subscription from automatically renewing. That way, you'll have until your plan expires to look for a new VPN. Note that the steps below are the same no matter how you got Norton VPN, whether on its own or as part of Norton 360 — though they only apply if you subscribed through the Norton website, not an app store.

  1. Sign into your account at my.norton.com. You'll be taken to your account dashboard with your subscriptions tab visible. If it's not, click on My Subscriptions.

  2. On your subscriptions hub, find the plan you get Norton VPN through. Click the words Manage Renewal or Cancel Subscription Renewal.

  3. In the window that appears, click Unsubscribe. Select a reason for cancellation (no need to be truthful) and click Next.

  4. At this point, you'll have to wade through several pleas for you to stay. Stand firm and keep clicking through until you can click No thanks, cancel my subscription.

  5. Continue clicking Next until you see a confirmation that auto-renewal has been turned off. Wait 24 hours for the change to take effect.

Norton subscription panel
Sam Chapman for Engadget

If you change your mind after turning auto-renewal off, you can turn it back on again anytime before the subscription expires. For those who bought through an app store, there's no way to turn off auto-renewal; you can only cancel the subscription altogether. See the end of the next section to learn how to do that.

You can request a refund on any annual subscription for 60 days after paying. Monthly subscriptions can only be refunded once, within 14 days of paying — if you renew a monthly plan then decide to cancel, you're out of luck.

The only way to get a refund is to contact Norton directly. If you're ready to go cold turkey, follow these steps.

  1. In a browser, open support.norton.com.

  2. Scroll down until you see nine buttons arranged in a 3x3 grid. Find the second button down in the left-hand column, Contact us, and click on it.

  3. Enter the email address for your Norton account. Check that inbox for a verification code, then enter it in the next box and click Verify.

  4. When the live chat asks you what you need help with, select Purchase & Billing, then Request refund. Give a reason in the dropdown menu.

  5. As usual, be persistent until you get a message in writing that your refund will be processed. Wait at least three days for the money to appear.

Contact Norton
Sam Chapman for Engadget

If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you'll have to cancel through the same platform where you started. Just go into the subscriptions page of the store's mobile app, find your Norton VPN subscription and click the Cancel button beside it. After that, just follow the prompts, then request a refund using the steps above.

To get your money back from Norton, you can't just shut off auto-renewal. You'll have to cancel your plan immediately and delete all Norton apps from your devices. I recommend following these steps even if you aren't eligible for a refund, since Norton software is notoriously hard to uninstall and will crop back up if you don't completely root it out.

On Android and iOS, uninstalling Norton VPN is relatively easy — after cancelling your subscription, delete it like you would any other app. Things are a bit trickier on the desktop OSes. On Windows, hold the Windows key and press R to make a black box appear. Type appwiz.cpl and hit Enter. A list of programs should appear; click on Norton VPN, then click Uninstall/Change and follow the instructions.

On a Mac, open your Applications folder and find Norton VPN. Click the app icon and drag it to the trash. This should start a separate program called Norton Uninstaller. Click OK, enter your password if asked, then click Uninstall. Finally, you'll need to restart your computer to finish uninstalling.

Once you've dispensed with Norton VPN, you can get started with a provider that fits your needs better. Proton VPN, my current top pick in our guide to the best VPNs, takes privacy more seriously than Norton and has superior app design and speeds. Surfshark is the fastest VPN, NordVPN has the best features and ExpressVPN is the friendliest for beginners.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-cancel-norton-vpn-uninstall-it-and-get-your-money-back-150000872.html?src=rss

Proton launches ‘Data Breach Observatory’ to track personal info leaks

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Proton, the company behind Proton VPN and other encrypted apps like Proton Mail and Proton Drive, just launched a new web page called the Data Breach Observatory that aims to make accurate cybercrime data more widely accessible. The Observatory is intended to be a continually updated report that records any data leak detected on the dark web, with information sourced from the underground data marketplaces themselves.

The reason for the Observatory, according to Proton, is that too many studies of cyberattacks depend on organizations reporting when they've been hacked. A company might not make a data breach public for fear of backlash from customers, regulators or stockholders. Although it's impossible to tell how many breaches aren't reported, Proton believes it's a significant portion.

Compounding the transparency problem, most stolen data is advertised and traded on dark web markets that are hard to trace without specialized knowledge, like how diamond thieves don't tend to fence their loot at above-board jewelry stores. In other words, while most people know that personal information is frequently stolen and leaked, it's very difficult to know how much data is getting stolen, how often breaches occur and who's buying and selling the goods.

Proton's solution is to monitor the dark web itself, watching locations where data thieves go to advertise stolen information. By keeping an eye on these exchanges, Proton believes the Data Breach Observatory will be able to warn victims as early as possible, including before the targets themselves are aware of the leak. Making breach reports available in one place is also meant to educate the public about the actual size and scope of cybercrime, while making it harder for companies to keep quiet about getting hacked.

Proton plans to update the Observatory in "near real time," working with a risk detection firm called Constella Intelligence. It remains to be seen whether they'll be able to keep up the workload — according to Proton's own research, around 1,571 data breaches have occurred in 2025 so far, compromising well over 100 billion records. A clearing house for reporting on all of those definitely sounds valuable, but at around five breaches a day, it'll be a busy page.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/proton-launches-data-breach-observatory-to-track-personal-info-leaks-110047833.html?src=rss

The best VPN deals: 88 percent discounts on ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and more

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A virtual private network (VPN) is useful in several ways — a good one can stream foreign TV shows and events, save you from giving up information to hackers and keep you anonymous to protect against online tracking. Although we strongly recommend using a VPN, a bit of comparison shopping goes a long way in this market. VPN pricing can be opaque, and providers don't always portray their best deals accurately.

Even so, there are genuinely great bargains on the table. VPN providers give out deep discounts to customers who sign up for a year or more at a time. This lets them boost their subscriber numbers, but it's a win for you as well — while you pay out more upfront, if you divide the cost by the months of service, it's significantly cheaper over time.

Most of the deals we highlight below follow that pattern, so make sure you're comfortable with a longer commitment before you take the plunge. If you've been thinking about subscribing to a VPN service, read on for the best VPN deals we could find right now.

NordVPN Basic — $80.73 for a two-year subscription with three months free (74 percent off): NordVPN gets the most important parts of a VPN right. It's fast, it doesn't leak any of your data and it's great at changing your virtual location. I noted in my NordVPN review that it always connects quickly and includes a support page that makes it easy to get live help. Although I'm sad to see it shutting down Meshnet, NordVPN still includes a lot of cool features, like servers that instantly connect you to Tor. This early Black Friday deal gives you 74 percent off the two-year plan, which also comes with three extra months.

NordVPN Plus — $105.03 for a two-year subscription with three months free (74 percent off): In another early Black Friday discount, NordVPN has also taken 74 percent off its Plus subscription. For only a little more, you get a powerful ad and tracker blocker that can also catch malware downloads, plus access to the NordPass password manager. A Plus plan also adds a data breach scanner that checks the dark web for your sensitive information.

ExpressVPN Basic — $97.72 for a two-year subscription with four months free (73 percent off): This is one of the best VPNs, especially for new users, who will find its apps and website headache-free on all platforms. In tests for my ExpressVPN review, it dropped my download speeds by less than 7 percent and successfully changed my virtual location 14 out of 15 times. In short, it's an all-around excellent service that only suffers from being a little overpriced — which is why I'm so excited whenever I find it offering a decent deal. This deal, which gets you 28 months of ExpressVPN service, represents a 73 percent savings.

ExpressVPN Advanced — $125.72 for a two-year subscription with four months free (67 percent off): ExpressVPN recently split its pricing into multiple tiers, but they all still come with similar discounts for going long. In addition to top-tier VPN service, advanced users get two additional simultaneous connections (for a total of 12), the ExpressVPN Keys password manager, advanced ad and tracker blocking, ID protection features and a 50 percent discount on an AirCove router.

Surfshark Starter — $53.73 for a two-year subscription with three months free (87 percent off): This is the "basic" level of Surfshark, but it includes the entire VPN; everything on Surfshark One is an extra perk. With this subscription, you'll get some of the most envelope-pushing features in the VPN world right now. Surfshark has a more closely connected server network than most VPNs, so it can rotate your IP constantly to help you evade detection — it even lets you choose your own entry and exit nodes for a double-hop connection. That all comes with a near-invisible impact on download speeds. With this year-round deal, you can save 87 percent on 27 months of Surfshark.

Surfshark One — $59.13 for a two-year subscription with three months free (88 percent off): A VPN is great, but it's not enough to protect your data all on its own. Surfshark One adds several apps that boost your security beyond just VPN service, including Surfshark Antivirus (scans devices and downloads for malware) and Surfshark Alert (alerts you whenever your sensitive information shows up in a data breach), plus Surfshark Search and Alternative ID from the previous tier. This extra-low deal gives you 88 percent off all those features. If you bump up to Surfshark One+, you'll also get data removal through Incogni, but the price jumps enough that it's not quite worthwhile in my eyes.

CyberGhost — $56.94 for a two-year subscription with two months free (83 percent off): CyberGhost has some of the best automation you'll see on any VPN. With its Smart Rules system, you can determine how its apps respond to different types of Wi-Fi networks, with exceptions for specific networks you know by name. Typically, you can set it to auto-connect, disconnect or send you a message asking what to do. CyberGhost's other best feature is its streaming servers — while it's not totally clear what it does to optimize them, I've found both better video quality and more consistent unblocking when I use them on streaming sites. Currently, you can get 26 months of CyberGhost for 83 percent off the usual price.

Private Internet Access — $79 for a three-year subscription with three months free (83 percent off): It's a bit hard to find (the link at the start of this paragraph includes the coupon), but Private Internet Access (PIA) is giving out the best available price right now on a VPN I'd recommend using. With this deal, you can get 39 months of PIA for a little bit over $2 per month — an 83 percent discount on its monthly price. Despite being so cheap, PIA has plenty of features, coming with its own DNS servers, a built-in ad blocker and automation powers to rival CyberGhost. However, internet speeds can fluctuate while you're connected.

hide.me — $69.95 for a two-year subscription with two months free (73 percent off): Hide.me is an excellent free VPN — in fact, it's my favorite on the market, even with EventVPN and the free version of Proton VPN as competition. However, if you do want to upgrade to its paid plan, the two-year subscription offers great savings. Hide.me works well as a no-frills beginner VPN, with apps and a server network it should frankly be charging more for.

Like I said in the intro, practically every VPN heavily discounts its long-term subscriptions the whole year round. The only noteworthy exception is Mullvad, the Costco hot dog of VPNs (that's a compliment, to be clear). When there's constantly a huge discount going on, it can be hard to tell when you're actually getting a good deal. The best way to squeeze out more savings is to look for seasonal deals, student discounts or exclusive sales like Proton VPN's coupon for Engadget readers.

One trick VPNs often use is to add extra months onto an introductory deal, pushing the average monthly price even lower. When it comes time to renew, you usually can't get these extra months again. You often can't even renew for the same basic period of time — for example, you may only be able to renew a two-year subscription for one year. If you're planning to hold onto a VPN indefinitely, check the fine print to see how much it will cost per month after the first renewal, and ensure that fits into your budget.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-vpn-deals-88-percent-discounts-on-protonvpn-expressvpn-surfshark-and-more-120056432.html?src=rss

How to cancel your Surfshark subscription

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I really like Surfshark VPN. Like I said in my full Surfshark review, it's the fastest VPN on the market, with download speeds that beat all the other best VPNs. It also gives you universal split tunneling, multi-hop with customizable endpoints and unlimited simultaneous connections.

Surfshark does have its flaws, though. The apps hang up on error messages a bit too often and features sometimes turn on when you don't need them. If anything about Surfshark is annoying you enough that you're ready to switch, here's how you can cancel your subscription, get a refund and (if you want) delete your account altogether.

To cancel Surfshark, all you need to do is stop your subscription from automatically renewing. After you cancel auto-renewal, you can keep using Surfshark for the rest of the period you paid for (unless you get the refund or delete your account entirely). Assuming you bought your subscription through the Surfshark website, follow these steps to cancel.

  1. Go to Surfshark.com. At the top-right of the screen, click My account.

  2. Enter your username and password, then log in. You'll be taken to your account dashboard at my.surfshark.com.

  3. At the top-right of the screen, click your account email address. Click on Subscription in the drop-down menu.

  4. Click the Payments tab under the words "Your subscription."

  5. Scroll down to the "Subscription details" section. Next to your Surfshark subscription, click on Cancel auto-renewal.

Cancel Surfshark auto-renew
Sam Chapman for Engadget

That's all there is to it. Remember that unless it's been 30 days or less since you subscribed, you won't be able to get a refund, and Surfshark doesn't offer prorating for unused time. Additionally, you can always cancel Surfshark by simply opening a live-chat window and asking the support team to do it for you — just be warned that you'll probably be asked to reconsider several times first.

If you subscribed through an app store, the cancellation process is different. You'll have to stop your auto-renewal through the platform where you first bought the subscription. In this section, I'll cover how to cancel through the desktop versions of each app store, since requests submitted there are more likely to work. Just note that you can do the same thing by going to the subscriptions section of your profile on the appropriate mobile app store.

If you bought Surfshark through the Google Play Store, open play.google.com on a desktop computer. Click the circle at the top-right that contains your account's first initial, then click Payments & subscriptions in the menu that appears. On the new page, click the Subscriptions tab, then scroll down until you find Surfshark. Click Manage, click Cancel Subscription and follow the instructions.

If you went through the Apple App store, a desktop computer is also the easiest way to cancel. Open the App Store in macOS, click Sign In at the bottom-left, then enter your email and Apple ID password. After signing in, check the bottom-left again and click your name, then click Account Settings at the top-right. Click Subscriptions, find Surfshark, then click Edit and Cancel Subscription.

You can buy Surfshark through Amazon, but if you do, you'll also have to cancel through Amazon. Go to Amazon and log in to your account. At the top-right, click Account & Lists, then Membership & Subscriptions. Scroll until you find Surfshark and click Cancel Subscription. After that, follow the onscreen prompts.

It's possible to delete your Surfshark account and immediately end your association with every Surfshark app, but there's no direct method — your only option is to start a live chat conversation. To do that, go to support.surfshark.com, scroll to the bottom and click Chat with us. In the conversation window, tell the bot you want to delete your Surfshark account. Be prepared to fend off several requests for you to reconsider.

Surfshark offers a full refund within 30 days of purchase. Live chat is the only way to request a refund. Go to support.surfshark.com and click Chat with us at the bottom of the page, then tell the live chat bot you want a full refund. It'll guide you from there.

Surfshark chat with us
Sam Chapman for Engadget

If you subscribed through Amazon or an app store, you'll need to request the refund through there instead. The typical refund policy for each platform applies, superseding Surfshark.

After you've cancelled Surfshark, I strongly recommend considering another VPN — it's not only a vital privacy precaution, but opens up worlds of streaming fun as well. My favorite for both price and performance is Proton VPN, but NordVPN is also a good choice, providing a similar experience to Surfshark but with apps that function a bit better. If you're prepared to pay a bit more for a service that works seamlessly, ExpressVPN may be for you.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/how-to-cancel-your-surfshark-subscription-110005758.html?src=rss