I need both VPN and SmartDNS and would love PIA to offer SmartDNS

Oddible

I've seen people asking PIA for SmartDNS in addition to VPN repeatedly and PIA's answer has always been that they will not be offering SmartDNS service.  This is unfortunate because I have been happy with PIAs service quality and I do have a need for SmartDNS as well.  Given the cost of buying both VPN and SmartDNS as separate services I've decided to look into providers that offer both services at a discounted rate. I am now evaluating a provider that offers both at a rate that is only slightly higher than PIA's VPN rate and less that buying the two services separately.  I'm hoping that PIA will offer SmartDNS but if that is not in the works then I will be forced to switch service providers.  

Hoping PIA extends their already excellent infrastructure to support SmartDNS.

DrVir

If they want to compete, they're going to have to. 

Robert_The_Lazer

Private Internet access is a privacy company, SmartDNS does just about nothing when it comes to privacy, Get a different service if you want SmartDNS

_Robert_Lazar

When using pia you don't need smart dns. Just use the pia client dns leak protection and all your dns requests will go through pia encrypted.

Khariz

Well...not only are they not going to do SmartDNS, they are now specifically no longer assisting with unlocking geo-locked content at all. See you on the flip-side, PIA. I no longer have any use for you.

catcher749

Well...not only are they not going to do SmartDNS, they are now specifically no longer assisting with unlocking geo-locked content at all. See you on the flip-side, PIA. I no longer have any use for you.

Well obviously they cannot assist with something that would make them liable. You can still use the VPN to access geo restricted content. They have no obligation to "assist" you in accessing that content.

_Robert_Lazar

Catcher that logic doesn't work.

  Pia provides technical assistance to torrent users and torrent clients and such, yet there seems to be no worry about liability with that. Pia doesn't know what the **** they are doing.

catcher749

_Robert_Lazar said:

Catcher that logic doesn't work.

  Pia provides technical assistance to torrent users and torrent clients and such, yet there seems to be no worry about liability with that. Pia doesn't know what the **** they are doing.

Torrenting is not illegal.

_Robert_Lazar

Doesn't make sense for pia to advertise that they help with censorship filters and geo unblocking when they restrict it and refuse technical advice. I don't buy that crap. Torrenting copyright materials is illegal yet pia has to know they have provided technical assistance with that.

jmg999

_Robert_Lazar said:

Doesn't make sense for pia to advertise that they help with censorship filters and geo unblocking when they restrict it and refuse technical advice. I don't buy that crap. Torrenting copyright materials is illegal yet pia has to know they have provided technical assistance with that.

catcher749 is absolutely correct. You are also correct in saying that torrenting copyrighted materials are not illegal, however, PIA, as a legal entity, are not mind-readers and therefore, cannot be held to such a standard.  They are neither hosting an illegal BitTorrent tracker nor BitTorrent files/magnet links, and there's nothing wrong w/ helping their customer base configure a completely legal communication protocol. Your argument is akin to saying that since Internet connections can be used for any number of various illegal activities, ISPs should not help their clientele to configure their routers, since they should know that these connections will be abused for malicious purposes, such as purchasing illegal drugs, weapons, or child pornography on darknets. An ISP has no way of knowing what a given customer may or may not do w/ their Internet service.