In the world we live in, we think everyone needs a VPN. You got that right – we all need a VPN and not just on our computers but also on our phones, tablets, and pretty much all other connected devices.
Everything you do online is being logged somewhere, and savvy (evil?) companies are collecting and analyzing that data to sell you more stuff, effectively turning your online life into a product. This effectively intrudes on our privacy which not only goes unpunished but is handsomely recorded. Just check Google’s profits to get an idea of just how lucrative the data collection business is.
But that’s not all, there are other reasons why you need a VPN. Here are some of the most popular reasons:
1. Privacy protection
This is, we would think, the main reason for getting a VPN, as we should take privacy as our human right.
As noted above, modern web services let you use their products for free while asking for your personal information in exchange. Google is free and so is Facebook. But as the saying goes – if the product is free, you are the product. And in this case, your data is being used for advertising purposes.
Specifically, the two mentioned companies can track you across the Internet to create your digital profile with information on what you like, what you like less, which websites you’re visiting, and so on. This data is valuable for advertisers who are then able to target people like you to sell them various products and services.
However, if you’re using a VPN, you are in control and you can block pesky trackers from learning a single thing about you.
2. Increased security
With a VPN running on your device, every website you visit is routed through servers operated by a VPN service provider. This setup allows a VPN provider to remove malicious JavaScript code from the web pages before delivering those pages to your device.
The same thing also prevents the so-called Man in the Middle (MitM) attacks, in which adversaries attempt to intercept your data en route. This is extremely important when using public Wi-Fi hotspots that can also be used by hackers.
Here too, a VPN has your back — encrypting all the information you are sending and receiving to and from the internet.
3. Unrestricted access
Many institutions limit access to certain parts of the Internet. These would include universities, workplaces, and especially governments in high-censorship countries – where access to social networks, news outlets and more is blocked.
With a VPN, you can bypass all these restrictions and roam free like it’s nobody’s business. And it shouldn’t be anyone’s business what you’re doing online.
Somewhat related, 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 example, 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. Fire up your VPN, get a US Netflix account, grab popcorn and enjoy the show.
4. Always get the best deals
The last thing we’ll mention here is the VPN’s ability to save you money — especially when buying airfare.
You may have noticed that the price of an airline ticket goes up when you search for a flight two days in a row. This is because airlines can detect this interest in buying those tickets and are now trying to get as much money from you as possible.
In contrast, when you’re using a VPN – you will always appear as a new, not-that-interested customer and get the best possible price.
Or, you have probably seen online stores offering better deals for users in certain geographic areas. With a VPN, you get to choose your virtual location and benefit from those better deals.
The bottom line
As we’ve noted above, VPNs are no longer nice-to-have but are a must-have 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.
Plus, a good VPN will keep you protected online while letting you access all the content you want — no matter where you happen to be or no matter what that content is all about.
Finally, with a VPN, you get to benefit from better deals on various purchases online. This feat alone will pay off the cost of a VPN service.
So if you still don’t have a VPN, what are you waiting for? If you need a recommendation, we suggest visiting our page with Best of the Best VPNs and taking it from there. We did the hard work of researching many different VPNs, and out of the bunch – we have selected those you can trust. So check out that page, make your pick and never look back.