Personally, I think that VPNs do not become essential until you are clear about their function and how the Internet works. Yes, it’s true that as someone who is passionate about technology and likes to tinker, having a VPN on my phones is great for me for several reasons, but even if you are not a technology enthusiast, this is perfectly fine. makes sense if you’re worried. on private life.
I admit that I started with something more basic and free like Opera, a browser that boasts of having a built-in VPN (in reality it’s a proxy, but in some cases it does the trick). Later, after a few trips and other personal situations that brought me there, I decided to take the plunge and pay for a complete VPN without limits: I understand. They offer a judicious service and I preferred not to speculate and stay halfway. I couldn’t be happier: I chose ClearVPN simply because of a recommendation from my colleague Javier Lacort, but I have others on my radar.
This is not an article to explain what a VPN connection is, although it is worth remembering that it is the acronym for Virtual Private Network (V
Because I travel, that is to say to avoid geoblocks
A few months ago I traveled to China and there it was impossible for me to visit a huge list of social networks and websites that are part of my daily life. censorship of asian countryso having a VPN there was providential for work and play, and despite that, it was difficult for me to get.
However, geoblocking does not only apply outside the home: in recent years we have seen for example how LaLiga blocked the AceStream website and asked the EU to do the same for IPTV applications. With a VPN, it doesn’t matter if Europe or the European Union closes access, you can bypass it.
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Because I work anywhere
Although the place where I work most of the time is my office in my apartment in Madrid, my office is also divided between my in-laws’ house, my parents’ house and, from time to time, hotels, apartments, bars and even libraries where I had to spend the day occasionally. Normally I tend to extract my data, but I recognize that this will neither be the first nor the last time. I turn to the Wi-Fi provided by space
Since I don’t know who runs this network, their interests, the security protocols implemented or even if the Wi-Fi itself is a scam, I save my health by browsing via the VPN.
To try things that are not yet available in Europe
When Google launched Bard in spring 2023, it did so in 180 countries and despite the length of this list, Europe was not among the chosen countries. For me it wasn’t a problem, since I simply connected to my VPN with a server in the USA and that’s it.
However, the fact that the old continent has a more restrictive and demanding policy towards big technologies and at the same time more protection ist towards citizens has the consequence that there is software that requires further adaptation to be ready for Europe
For someone dedicated to technology, being an early adopter is not an option: when an application hits the market (even if it is global), We want to try it now and waiting is not an option.
Privacy, also in front of your operator
The previous points had a lot to do with my job, but this reason applies to everyone: using a VPN, The operator who provides us with Internet services does not know what we do online. This is important because if we proceed without a VPN, profiles are established based on browsing and consumption habits for marketing purposes.
With the Internet, we live a bit like donkeys who wear blinders so that they can only look straight ahead: we don’t see everything else. There are two issues of particular concern. The first concerns security vulnerabilities, which we usually discover late and poorly. The second is a classic: if something is free, it’s because you are the product. Two examples: Facebook’s practices or Yahoo’s major messaging flaw.
Large internet companies manage huge amounts of personal information about users and with a VPN there is more protection: we ensure that our data is truly anonymous (this would neither be the first nor the last time where the anonymization practice is not as good as promised) due to sharing with other companies or attacks.
Streaming is another level
Let’s be real, it’s a secondary problem, but that doesn’t make it interesting: we have the VPN installed on our Smart TV because it allows you enjoy rich streaming, since for example platforms like Netflix or HBO have different catalogs in the United States and in Europe. Or directly, being able to use streaming services that are only available in other countries, for example Hulu or the magnificent BBC iPlayer.
Cover | Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash and Mockuphone with ClearVPN
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