If you’re an avid internet user, then you surely must have come across the term VPN at least a couple of times. A good number of internet users can’t do without a VPN when surfing the web, which leaves many others wondering, “What is a VPN?”
VPN abbreviates virtual private network, and the name says it all. A VPN is a private network that you create from a public internet connection. This private network makes you anonymous in order to give you online privacy. It does so by masking your IP address, thus making you virtually untraceable.
A VPN can also facilitate secure internet connections with data encryption. This encryption comes in handy, especially when using public Wi-Fi hotspots. Encryption allows you to surf the internet without worrying about your private information falling into the wrong hands.
In this piece, we’ll delve deeper into all you need to know about VPNs and why they are so important.
What Is a VPN and How Does a VPN Work?
For a VPN to swing into action, you first need to connect to the internet. Any user must connect to the internet through an internet service provider or ISP. The ISP handles all your internet browsing, connecting you to all the sites you wish to visit.
Since the ISP facilitates your connection to other sites, they have a log of everything you do online. When you use a VPN, it redirects your internet traffic to a remote server with special configurations. The server hides your IP address and encrypts all incoming and outgoing data.
In doing so, the VPN makes you completely anonymous and scrambles up all your data for anyone that tries to intercept it. Please note that VPNs aren’t only for Windows PCs, as most people think. You can get a VPN for Macs too, the best VPN for Mac, for instance, is pretty popular among Mac users.
What Does a VPN Do for You?
We’ve already established that a VPN masks your IP address to facilitate anonymity. Let’s now highlight seven facts about VPNs that make them worth your attention.
- Hides Your Location and IP address
Your IP address also leaks information about where you’re accessing the internet from apart from your browsing history. Since a VPN uses its own IP address, it allows you to hide your browsing location. If you can’t risk your ISP giving location information to the government or third-part companies, then a VPN is your best bet.
- Masks Your Web Activity
Nowadays, you can’t trust the internet too much, especially after the Facebook data privacy issue. If it’s not corporations, it’s the government that’s trying to get a hold of your data and internet activity. They can then use the information they collect to create your digital persona and it’s not for good reasons.
A VPN helps cover your digital footprint so you don’t have to worry about anyone prying your internet activity. You thus have greater browsing freedom and peace of mind while you surf the internet.
- Hides Your Browsing History
Your browsing history is a great tool for targeted advertising. Though you might not know it, your ISP, browser, and some websites keep track of whatever you do on the internet. They keep a log of your browsing history and can sell it to third-party companies for their targeted marketing.
This probably wouldn’t be such a big issue if they asked for permission or maybe shared the loot. Unfortunately, that won’t happen any time soon, so your best bet is using a VPN to prevent them from doing so.
VPNs mask your IP address and keep changing it when you browse. In doing so, no entity can tie your IP address to you. So you don’t have to worry about companies using your information for their marketing campaigns.
- Secure Internet Connection
Although it’s not the safest way to access the internet, most people can’t resist using public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi can be a hub for malicious online activity, like identity theft and hacking, to name a few.
Think of all the sensitive information you relay on the internet, stuff like passwords, banking details, or credit card numbers. Now think of how a public Wi-Fi opens you up to criminals who are just waiting to pry on your personal data.
If a VPN comes into play, it encrypts your browsing. That way, anyone who gains access to your data will only get gibberish. So use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.
- Access to Restricted Sites
For various reasons, some websites may restrict their site only to visitors from certain regions. This leaves many users from other locations locked out of the site. A VPN is one way to get around these website restrictions.
It’s annoying when you can’t access your favorite movies, games, or social apps because of your region. A VPN makes it look like you’re accessing the website from a different region. It does so by connecting you to servers in different parts of the world.
You can thus gain access to these restricted sites and bypass these country-specific restrictions. This especially comes in handy when you travel frequently.
- Access to Blocked Sites
Apart from country-specific restrictions, your institution, employer, or family members may block your IP from accessing specific sites. A VPN masks your IP address and thus allows you access to these specific sites. What’s more, you leave no online footprint of any activity in these blocked sites.
So if a firewall is what precludes you from gaining access to your favorite sites, then a VPN is the best way around this. Just remember, don’t go shouting about your VPN, or your boss may catch wind of your sneaky tactics.
Get a VPN Today and Browse With Freedom
Hopefully, the question, “what is a VPN?” is one you can comfortably answer after this read. To safeguard your browsing privacy, download a VPN today and browse without worry. Also, make sure to fire up your VPN any time you access public Wi-Fi hotspots to protect your personal data.
You can settle for both paid and free VPNs. However, most free VPNs aren’t actually free. They just have a cap on how much data you can move through the VPN. You then have to pay if you exceed the data limit.
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