A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that allows you to access the internet via a server.
All internet use on your devices is tunneled through an encrypted secure server, which means your Internet Protocol (IP) address is changed in the process.
When you visit the internet, the data exchanged is through your internet service provider (ISP), which means all your web movement goes through your ISP’s servers, and can be seen by your ISP.
If you associate your internet use with a VPN server, all information going between your phone, tablet or PC goes through the encrypted secured VPN server before it reaches your ISP, meaning your information is encoded so that only you and the VPN server can “see” it.
A Virtual Private Network will help you secure your entitlement to protection in various territories of your computerized life. There are occasions of hacking and information snooping and since our lives are presently carefully interwoven with our PCs, tablets and phones, it may be the opportune time to consider how you collaborate with the Internet.
As a well behaved netizen, why would I wanna use a VPN?
Remember not every internet user is genuine, decent, agreeable, or dependable as you. A safe VPN basically shrouds your web action, covering your tracks in a scrambled layer, making your correspondences to a great degree difficult to peruse.
Note that VPNs do not make you anonymous, your provider will know who you are. Most providers ensures that their users privacy is top, that is why we say VPNs provides privacy.
Are VPNs legal?
Yes. Citizens have the right to privacy in most nations. For legitimate purposes, VPN use is not viewed as illicit. Surfing through another Internet Protocol (IP) is lawful, but your online activities through a VPN are subjected to local laws.
Some countries who do not like the unlimited and free access to the web that VPN servers permits restrict VPN services and also prevent getting access to abroad VPN services. In some countries too, they require VPN service providers to provide logs.
What do VPNs do?
- Provide utmost security by concealing your internet activities from your ISP and government.
- Ensure you are protect from hackers and sniffers when using free public WiFi hotspots.
- Secure your Peer-to-Peer downloads
- Permits you to avoid oversight in your school or workplace internet
- Allow you to access contents and services by overcoming regional restrictions. Also known as “geo spoofing.”
What should I consider when choosing a service?
- Pricing
- Speed – Due to encrypting and decrypting, it tends to slow the internet a bit
- Privacy – user logged or not
- Security – technical measures in place
- Number of servers/countries – ease of switching
- Customer support – rapid response
Where do I Start?
- Windows/Mac/Linux users
- I recommend using the tor browser, as it offers the highest level of security than browser plugins. It comes with a browser, so there’s less configuration to do. For use on public computers, you can run it from a USB stick.
- Opera integrating with SurfEasy brings free VPN servic to the Opera browser, no need for the browser extension.
- Mobile users
- Modern iPhones, iPads and Android devices have integrated support for PPTP and L2TP VPNs meaning you can manually create connection without third-party apps. There are a couple of free apps which does the work and protect your privacy even with their excellent UI/UX.
- SurfEasy’s VPN has got 20 years of experience and can be considered as a trustworthy company. It now offers free VPN services on both iOS and Android.
- Opera Free VPN is another powerful app for mobile users made by Opera, the makers of the popular mobile browser OperaMini. It comes with an ad blocker and is used by millions around the world. Download on iOS and Android.
- Another go-to app for mobile VPN is USA VPN for Android, it provides a persistent notification to know how much of data you are using.
- Modern iPhones, iPads and Android devices have integrated support for PPTP and L2TP VPNs meaning you can manually create connection without third-party apps. There are a couple of free apps which does the work and protect your privacy even with their excellent UI/UX.
Let’s Roundup
If you do not want your business opposition to know you have been hovering around his webiste finding ways to attack, or you are student trying to access geo restricted content audio visual content, or you like to use free public hotspot or just care about your privacy and do not want your government watching you? It is time to get behind a VPN and geo spoof yourself, protect yourself from nosy co-workers and secure yourself from sniffers and hackers who are ready to jump onto your credentials.
Let us know of any question and we will be happy to help!
Featured image credit: gizmodo.com
VPN changes let’s say ur IP address from Ghana to Mexico or wherever u set it to go. How the hell do they do that? Lol
Cletus, whenever you access the internet, you’re assigned an IP address (a device specific number that identifies a device on a network and includes your location) by your ISP, when you select a country to use VPN, the country’s IP is assigned to you.
Think of it this way. Without VPN, when you try to connect to a website, it goes like this:
Your Machine -> ISP -> Server (like google.com)
When via a VPN, it goes like this:
Your Machine -> ISP -> VPN Server -> Server (like google.com)
In the first scenario, Google will know the IP accessing to be the one given you by the ISP. In the latter, Google *thinks* the one Accessing the site is the VPN Server, which can be located anywhere in the world.
When the VPN gets a response from Google, it forwards it to your ISP, then to you. Thus, to the Google Server, it has no idea the *actual* visitor was from Ghana.
The above is an oversimplified process of how VPNs work.
For an extreme anonymity, you might wanna bounce your connection via Tor.
Cletus, whenever you access the internet, you’re assigned an IP address (a device specific number that identifies a device on a network, and includes your location) by your ISP, when you select a country to use VPN, the country’s IP is assigned to you.