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| Ⓒ Privecstasy / Unsplash |
By Saba Murtaz
A VPN (virtual private network) is an essential tool for accessing content and protecting your personal data when using public Wi-Fi and your home network. VPN is currently used by up to 25% of all internet users as their essential security program. VPN allows you to browse and work online while maintaining a secure and limited internet experience.
Read More: How to set up a VPN on your iPhone or Android phone
What is a VPN?
A VPN is a private network that connects a server to your computer securely. Your whole browsing and Internet activity travels through that distant server. The anonymous server, not you, is the one browsing to the outside world. ISPs, governmental organizations, hackers, and anybody else cannot monitor your internet behavior.
How does a VPN work?
A VPN can conceal your IP address by allowing the network to route your IP address through a specially set-up remote server operated by a VPN host. To put it another way, when you use a VPN to access the internet, the VPN server becomes the source of your data. This means that neither your Internet Service Provider (ISP) nor any other parties will be able to see the websites you visit or the information you send and receive online.
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Are VPNs really private?
Sadly, no. Your surfing history may still be logged by the VPN provider. In short, you are placing your faith in your VPN service provider. Will your provider give information if requested? Will they keep track of your browser information and eventually sell it?
Although many VPN service providers are reliable and promise to keep consumer information confidential, some are downright sinister. 300 free VPN programs were recently analyzed by researchers, and they discovered that roughly 40% of them installed spyware or malicious advertising on users' computers. Always choose a VPN service that you can rely on.
Additionally, be aware that your VPN provider cannot regulate all circumstances. A VPN may not enable you to bypass limitations to access banned websites if you reside in a restrictive regime.
How do you choose a VPN provider?
Even while it may be tempting, many free VPN services fall short of expectations. Some survive by selling your data to advertisers in an anonymized form. Other run ads. Some could be safe and free, but they move excruciatingly slowly.
For instance, a company might have a few server locations but provide safe connectivity and the utmost anonymity. It might not be as anonymous as you'd like for your browsing data.
When looking for VPN providers, you should look into the following queries:
- What sort of browsing information, if any, does the VPN service gather?
- How long is this data retained?
- Are there any limitations?
- What are the locations of the VPN servers?
- How are you going to pay for the VPN service?
Those last two questions can be very challenging. How private will it be if you use a credit card, PayPal or Cash App to pay for the VPN service? If you want the highest level of anonymity and security, seek for a provider that takes payments through anonymous services like cryptocurrencies.
Thanks to recent relaxations of Internet privacy laws and increased government surveillance, VPNs are becoming more and more popular. However, they might not be as secure as they assert. Make sure you choose a service provider who fulfills their promise by conducting research, asking the proper questions, and being selective.
Read More: Best free VPNs: 5 reasons why there are no such things
