Nice try, NSA

My philosophy is to just use home country as much as possible to get the fastest speeds... Only time I go to other countries is to get streaming content that is only available in respective country

fastest server, because who wants extra latency?

It depends on whom you're asking this question. I think different people have varying preferences based on their needs and circumstances:

If someone wants to access streaming content that's geographically locked, they would typically choose servers located in that specific territory. In democratic countries, the server choice often revolves around two key factors: speed and anonymity. Users may either select their home country for the fastest connection or opt for a country in the EU, which is not part of the 'Five Eyes' alliance, to prioritize anonymity.

However, the perspective changes when you ask this question from someone living in countries like Iran, China, or other dictatorships. In such places, users usually prioritize connecting to any server that offers a reliable and fast link to the free world.

Personally, I used to live in a country with an authoritarian regime, and back then, my primary concern was accessing the internet. Hence, I didn't pay much attention to factors like the 'Five Eyes' alliance. However, now that I live in Canada, I consider a broader range of metrics when choosing a VPN server.

I would choose any country outside the 5, 9 and 14 eyes if you don’t care as much about speeds.

Closest to where I live because ping

Romania cus they don't care

For most users same country is enough. Higher targets may want another country. If you are really worried, take a country that has no data sharing / police enforcement contracts.

In the EU I guess the Brexit nation is quite nice.

Closest one for lower latency. However, the closest location happens to be in a major metro area and is banned by many financial organizations that I use, so usually I connect to the next closest.

I use the servers that are in the offices/city of the VPN company I use. If you're using servers that aren't under the direct control of the VPN company, you're trusting not only the VPN company but some unknown team who are hired by another company to manage the servers they're renting to your VPN company.

The closest country with the friendliest law of what I'm currently trying to do

I pick a different one every time. Keep em guessing

Albania, Because I can

Usually with 1-2 country closest to mine in general and when gaming. With the country where what I'm trying to watch is available when I'm streaming.