THE INTERNET IS NOT A PRIVATE THING The Internet was not created with privacy in mind. Data packets may travel between points quickly and efficiently, but it’s traveled to many points along the way, and every one of those stops offers an opportunity to tap into the data, write it to disk, or re-sell it. Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are tools designed to counteract these opportunities. Despite being among the most discussed security tools today, many people still have little idea of the what, why, and who surrounding the use of a VPN.
How a VPN Works
A VPN essentially creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the Internet. When you connect to a VPN server, your IP address is hidden, and your device is given a new IP address that corresponds to the VPN server. Once you connect to a VPN, all your Internet traffic flows through that server and makes it extremely difficult for your ISP, advertisers, or hackers to determine what sites you’re visiting and what data you’re transferring.
Surfshark is one example of a widely used VPN client for Windows. For those looking to explore how a VPN is installed and what the setup process involves, their download page serves as a useful information source. Most modern VPN clients follow a similar installation process — download, install, and connect within a few minutes.
Remote Workers and Professionals
Some of the largest and most consistent VPN user groups include remote workers, IT professionals and freelancers. A huge number of working-from-home remote workers have VPNs to safely access their company’s internal network resources like team collaboration tools, shared file folders and databases. Companies implement VPNs to provide secure tunnel protection for remote access users connecting from the internet to their internal systems. Freelancers and individuals who often remote work from coffee shops, public libraries, co-working spaces or other public hotspots with VPNs secure their access while connected to an open, unsecured Wi-Fi network.
Travelers
You’ve probably done it without realising it, and almost certainly without thinking twice. We’re talking about logging onto a hotel’s Wi-Fi network or airport’s wireless signal, or even just popping into a café to use their hotspots while on the move overseas. Indeed, all of these types of public Wi-Fi networks are, in one word, insecure. What makes them so insecure is that it’s easy for hackers to put up a pretender to a genuine organisation’s Wi-Fi network. It’s not too hard for a “bad guy” to also capture plain text information on real networks that haven’t been encrypted. The purpose of a VPN is to secure people’s sensitive information such as online banking details, emails, as well as browsing records while they’re still travelling in distant lands.
Most people use VPNs for security. But travelers who access the internet while abroad are sometimes unable to get access to content that is specific to their home country. For example, a fan of a TV series in the United States who travels to Canada won’t be able to watch the episodes that are available in the U.S. through streaming services such as HBO. The U.S. news site The New York Times won’t load when accessed through a search engine in Canada, while some banks will not allow their online services to be accessed from foreign countries. Access to all such content can be obtained by using a VPN to connect through a server in the user’s home country.
Privacy-Conscious Users
Not all VPN users are concerned about being hacked by others. As many people are beginning to realize, no one likes to be tracked online. Without a VPN, you and your ISP will have to live with the fact that they know everything about your web activity, or at least they think they do. As it turns out, in many countries, tracking your internet habits is not only possible but also legal, and your ISP may choose to sell your internet habits to all the right people for profit. A VPN makes your network data undecipherable, which can thwart an ISP from selling your data to advertising companies.
This is for people who feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea of behavioural advertising and profiling online, and are perhaps in countries where governments already have them under their electronic eye. The rationale here isn’t so much about hiding anything illicit; it’s more about wanting to have one’s expectation of privacy met.
Journalists, Activists, and Researchers
In more serious and challenging scenarios, a VPN can be a matter of safety rather than just a matter of convenience. A plethora of journalists are involved in exposing stories that can cause significant harm to others. So, in exposing organized crime, corruption or other sensitive information, these journalists, as well as activists engaged in revolutionary and democratic work in countries with heavily censored Internet, or those researching the inner workings of extremist groups, such as ISIS, or delving into the dark web, all use VPNs on a daily basis. Geolocation and encryption are essential in order to secure not only their own identity and personal safety but to protect the sources and information of others.
Gamers
Gaming players have long relied on VPNs for several reasons. Of course, in addition to the basic benefits of VPNs like anonymity, data encryption, and online protection, gamers like to use VPNs to prevent DDoS attacks – essentially when another player overpowers your connection, making it impossible to play. A VPN makes it impossible to know a player’s real IP address so it becomes extremely difficult to be the target of a DDoS. Another benefit to using a VPN is that some games are released in other countries before being launched in one’s home country. Players often like to get ahead in a game in other countries so that they may have more advantage when the country they reside in is able to play it. Another main use for VPNs with gamers is to enable them to play games with faster servers that would be hard to access through normal servers, and by playing on a faster server in a different location that is closer to a gamer’s VPN exit point, enables them to have faster and more enjoyable game experiences.
What a VPN Is Not
It’s worth being clear: a VPN is not a magic shield. It encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server, but it does not protect you from malware, phishing attacks, or the data you willingly hand over to apps and websites. It is one layer of privacy and security — a meaningful one — but not a complete solution on its own.
Is a VPN Right for You?
If you travel or work often, use public Wi-Fi or just want to keep your web browsing habits private, a VPN is very useful. These days, VPNs are also relatively convenient. They’ve come a long way from years past when bulky apps would drastically reduce your internet speeds and make you feel like you’re accessing the internet from another dimension. Now, you can install a straightforward app on your device and VPNs have learned to do it all without sacrificing much of your bandwidth. Business and personal users can all reap the benefits of VPNs, whether it’s to keep company info safe while working remotely or to annoy your Internet Service Provider for even trying to snoop on your book-reading habits.
