In recent years, VPNs have become popular. Thanks to a VPN, you can unblock content from other countries and above all improve your privacy and security while browsing the Internet.
In addition, the issue of privacy while using the Internet is becoming a fairly common concern. Although we believe that when we visit different web pages everything is private, this is usually not the case.
Your ISP knows where you are connecting and in some countries, including the United States, this information can even be sold for commercial purposes.
Websites use trackers to track you, which is why, for example, you will often see ads for products that you viewed a few minutes ago.
But it doesn’t have to be. A VPN makes your browsing private (as opposed to your browser’s “private” mode) because it uses encryption so your Internet service provider, government, and anyone else can’t tell what you are doing.
Today, VPNs are seen as an essential security tool that, together with an antivirus, will help protect you.
Why is it worth using a VPN?
1. A VPN helps stop trackers
Using a VPN masks your IP address. It’s kind of like your physical address, but for your Internet connection, and it allows these crawlers to do their job.
When you connect to a VPN, your real IP address is replaced with one that belongs to the service, making it much harder to keep track of your activity.
2. A VPN prevents your ISP from selling your data
Normally, when you connect to the Internet, your data passes through your Internet service provider in a readable format. Not all data, but things like your web searches, URLs of websites you visit, and more.
When you connect through a VPN, this information is encrypted so that your ISP cannot read it, which means it cannot be sold to companies who will later try to sell you products and services. .
3. A VPN provides additional online security
The same encryption gives you additional online security that your antivirus software does not support. Helps prevent the Pirates steal your login information and other confidential information.
One of the most popular uses for a VPN service is to bypass regional blocks. Let’s say you want to watch Telecinco but don’t live in Europe. Even if you sign up for an account, when you try to view something, you will get an error stating that Mitele is not available in your territory.
But if you connect to a VPN server in Europe, your IP address will change to that of Europe and you can view the content as if you are physically in Europe.
5. A VPN strengthens the security of public Wi-Fi
If you’ve ever connected to a free Wi-Fi network on public transport, in a hotel, or in a coffee shop, you may not have had to enter a password. It’s nice and comfortable, but very bad for safety.
When Wi-Fi is not password protected, there is no encryption, which means emails and messages you send can be seen by others. Again, a VPN adds that layer of encryption that prevents criminals from stealing your identity and other sensitive information.
6. Most VPNs can be used on multiple devices
Apart from a minority of services, VPN providers allow you to connect multiple devices to the service at the same time. This is ideal for families or anyone who is keen on using a VPN.
What a VPN cannot do
- It does not make you anonymous on the internet
Contrary to what some VPN services claim, a VPN doesn’t necessarily hide your identity. Despite changing your IP address and encrypting your data, if you enter a website with your username and password, that site will know who you are. If you log into Facebook and post something, that information will be linked to you whether or not you are using a VPN.
Likewise, if you use Google Search while you’re signed in to your Google Account (or signed into Chrome), Google knows who you are and what you’re looking for.
- VPNs don’t stop malware
Although some VPNs have “anti-malware” functionality, they are not a substitute for a suitable antivirus. They tend to warn you about dangerous websites, but they don’t actively protect your device from attacks.
- Beware of free VPNs
Yes, there are free VPN services. But in general their capabilities are very limited and in some cases they collect and sell your data. They can do this because when your data reaches the VPN’s server, it is decrypted to be sent to the website you want to visit.
Therefore, it is essential that you use a trusted VPN service because it has access to your data.
Recommended VPN services
While we’ve rounded up a handful of free VPN services, we recommend paying for one. This is mainly due to the limitations of free services, but also because you can choose a trusted provider that works with secure servers that will protect your data.
And since you keep reading, you probably want to know which is the best VPN service.
NordVPN is currently at the top of our list of the best VPN services. It offers a great all-round package that doesn’t cost a lot per month and offers thousands of servers around the world with excellent speeds.
Additionally, it has been audited twice to demonstrate that its no-logging policy is working and that it does not collect or store any information about its users on its servers.
Another option is Surfshark, which is even cheaper. Like NordVPN, it offers WireGuard as one of the encryption methods, making it one of the fastest VPN services out there. The last thing you want is for your internet connection to slow down because you are using a VPN.
Both services offer apps for all popular operating systems and devices, including Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, iPad, Amazon Fire TV, and more. They are also reliable for unblocking popular streaming services like iPlayer, Netflix, Disney +, and others.
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