How a VPN Can Boost Your Online Security and Privacy

Surfing the Internet nowadays can be compared to a virtual minefield to some extent. There are some hackers that want to bring your walls down, crooks that are tailing your every footsteps and steps and rogue sites that are looking at your personal information as if they were looking at a fly.

Certainly, it is easy to believe that your privacy has just flown away. To be honest, that is why I sometimes think. However, that is precisely where a VPN or Virtual Private Network comes to play.

Chances are that you’ve heard it being said around and even seen some ads come through wondering what the heck it is and why it should matter. What does it do? Is it even worth it to use it daily? Don’t be scared – I am going to demystify it and tell how VPN could significantly improve your online security and privacy. Ready? Let’s go!

What Exactly Is a VPN?

First of all, let me explain how VPN works in detail. Maybe, VPN can be compared with a private and protected tunnel connecting your device to the internet. When you are surfing around normally your data will simply be transmitted from your laptop or smart phone to the page that you’re looking at.

Right? And quite to be honest, that leaves the whole door open for your providers of the internet – or some locals on a public Wi-Fi being able to see what exactly you are doing. But wait! 

When you have a VPN then it is like you are putting your data in an envelope and thereafter sending it via a secret tunnel to the internet. Pretty sweet, right? Now, your personal activities like which websites you are using or which App you are on, is still private and removed from anyone that may be lurking around.

Why Privacy on Internet is more than you can imagine

“Do I really need to hide on the internet”- you may be asking yourself. I am not doing anything that is against the law.” It is rather a respectable question, and you are not the first one trying to find out something about this issue.

I have been in such a situation before. The cold fact is; privacy does not just belong to those who keep secrets on the internet. Each time you are on the web it leaves traces – what you are looking for, what you clicked on and how much time you spent on the particular page.

The big organizations gather everything about you and create a virtual personality out of you. They can hit you with super-targeted promotion, make the prices for some of the stuff more expensive, censor stuff according to your location. And let me not go on about hackers, if your information is just out there, then it is rather easy to hack into people’s credit card numbers or passwords.

A VPN will not make you invisible, but it will be hard for the others to gather and apply your information without your permission.

How a Virtual Private network Makes You Secure in public WI-FI

Have you ever accessed the internet by making use of a public hot spot such as a coffee shop or an airport that is free in nature? It is deeply convenient – but this is also the hacker’s goldmine. The public networks that exist in such places as the public hot spot are not secured and it is therefore very easy for one to spy on everything that others are doing in such a network through an evil mind.

That’s not part of the picture when you are employing a VPN. It encrypts your online activity so even if you have got someone poking around on a network, they will never know that you are even online. They are going to see a pile of nonsense that will never make sense to them. It is as if one was talking in a secret language, unknown to others.

Your Internet Service Provider Doesn’t Have to Know Everything

This is the fact most people don’t know: Your internet service provider knows much about your activity on the web. They know what sites you visit, for how much time and how long you stay there. They are even allowed to sell it to marketers in some countries.

A VPN stops all that. Your ISP will not see which sites you are accessing and all the things that you do when connected to a VPN service. They will only realize that you are connecting to a VPN server. That’s it. Nothing else. No history. No records.

Accessing Content Without Borders

Although it is not in actual sense a question of safety, it is a nice perk. Have you ever tried to play a video or go to a website and instead received the obnoxious message: “This content is not available in your country”. That is the case since some sites ban things on the location basis.

A VPN gives you an opportunity to change your virtual destination as you can connect to servers located elsewhere in the world. Suppose you are in the U.S. and you want to try some UK exclusive, just change your VPN to the UK server, and it’s done. Handy for travellers, expats, as well as for those who just want to achieve greater degrees of online independence.

What a VPN Does Not Do (So That You Understand the Limits)

Don’t get unrealistic about a VPN’s capabilities. A VPN is protecting and safeguarding your data and privacy, but it is no magic shield. A VPN will not guard against viruses or malware. Don’t expect a VPN to save you if you click on suspicious links or download questionable files.

Additionally, if you’re already logged into a website, such as your Facebook account, that website still sees who you are even if it looks like you’re using a VPN. While outsiders don’t have any idea what you’re doing, the sites you visit are still able to track you using your login.

That is why it is wise to utilize a VPN in addition to adopting good practices such as using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and staying away from malicious websites.

Selecting the Appropriate VPN

There are literally dozens of VPN services available, some are free and others are paid. While it might seem appealing to opt for a free service, they usually have strings attached. Some of the free VPNs monitor your activity or sell your data to third parties, which completely negates the purpose.

An optimal VPN is like the Bitdefender VPN that comes with a no-logs policy, up-to-date encryption, and a good reputation for privacy. Paid VPNs commonly provide improved speed, improved support, and additional features. Pay a bit and get peace of mind and increased online freedom. 

Final Thoughts

Nowadays, when much of our life takes place on the web, having a VPN is one of the simplest ways to maintain privacy and gain peace of mind. Whether it’s working from the comfort of your own home, viewing your account at the airport, or simply watching your favorite show, a VPN keeps your online life private. 

You don’t have to be a technical guru to utilize it, and it doesn’t require a total overhaul of how you work online. It operates silently in the background protecting data as you go about your daily life. So is it worth it? Yes, if you’re concerned about your privacy, your safety and your freedom on the Internet.