With various government agencies and major corporations keeping up with every move we make online, using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is more important than ever.
When you do that [use a VPN], your device connects to a server run by a VPN provider via an encrypted connection — making all data transferred between your computer, smartphone or tablet and the VPN server scrambled so that no one else can read it. As a result, you benefit from improved Internet security, while at the same time keeping your web whereabouts hidden from prying eyes. After all, the websites you’re visiting get an IP address that is different than the one you actually have. And the best part — at least with some of the top VPNs — is that this also applies to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) which too won’t know what you’re doing online.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, here are a few reasons why it is important to run a VPN on all your devices:
Privacy is your right
And it shouldn’t be taken lightly, although it is… That’s just the way many of the modern internet services work — they let you use their product for free while asking for your personal information in exchange. Google is free to use and so is Facebook. But you know how they say – if the product is free, you are the product, which in this case is used for advertising purposes.
Specifically, the two mentioned companies track you across the world wide web so they could create your digital profile with information on what you like, what you don’t like, which websites you’re visiting and so on. This data is valuable for advertisers who can target the people like you — or people who are NOT like you — to sell them various products and services.
With a VPN running in the background, you are in control, not allowing pesky trackers to learn a single thing about you. And that’s the way we like it.
Increased security
With a VPN, every website you visit is routed through servers operated by a VPN service provider. This, in turn, allows a VPN provider to remove malicious JavaScript code from the web pages before delivering those pages to your device.
The same technique also prevents many forms of Man in the Middle (MitM) attacks, in which adversaries attempt to intercept your data en route. This is particularly important when using public Wi-Fi hotspots that can also be used by hackers.
Again, VPN has your back, encrypting all the information you are sending and receiving to and from the internet.
Unlimited access
Some institutions limit access to certain “parts” of the internet such as social networks, news outlets and so on. Think: schools, universities, some workplaces, and especially governments in high-censorship countries. With a VPN, you can bypass all these restrictions and roam free like it’s nobody’s business — cause it shouldn’t be anyone’s business what you’re doing online.
Similarly, popular video streaming services prevent users from certain countries from accessing their entire content library. This has little to do with their policies and everything to do with the way content rights are bought and sold on the market.
For instance, a company may have exclusive rights to carry, say Friends, in the UK and that means the UK “version” of Netflix won’t have Friends in its library. However, US Netflix (still) has Friends and you may want to watch it. Fire-up your VPN, get a US Netflix account, grab a popcorn and enjoy the show.
Get the best deals
Last but not the least, with a VPN you get to save money — especially when buying airfare.
You may have noticed how the price of an airline ticket goes up when you search for some flight two days in a row. This is because the website you’re looking to buy tickets from has noted your interest to buy those tickets and is now trying to get as much money from you as possible.
When you’re using a VPN, you will always appear as a new, not-that-interested customer to this website and get the best possible price.
Similarly, there are online stores offering better deals for users in certain geographic areas. Here, a VPN can help you “choose your location” so you get to benefit from a better deal.
Final word
Using a VPN is not only important, but it’s also a must these days. Your privacy is your right and you shouldn’t trade it for a free service, especially when you can have both — free service AND your privacy.
Also, a good VPN will keep you protected online while letting you access all the content you want — no matter where you happen to be at that moment or not matter what that content is all about.
Finally, a VPN could also get you better deals on various purchases online. This feat alone will pay off the cost of a VPN service.
So what are you waiting for? If you still don’t have a VPN running on your computer (and smartphone and tablet), visit our page with Best of the Best VPNs and grab one of the services on the list. You’ll thank us later. 😉