What is VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a connection method that allows you to access the web safely and privately by routing your connection through a server and hiding your online actions.

How does it work?
You start the VPN software from your device to connect to a VPN server, which can be located in the United States or another country. The VPN software encrypts your data before your internet service provider (ISP) or Wi-Fi provider sees it. Your web traffic then passes back and forth through that server. The end result: your web activity, information and location are concealed from most websites.

Why use a VPN?
Now more than ever, it is important to be smarter and safer while using the internet. Plus, don’t you want to go online without being tracked, monitored and identified?

When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, you don’t know who might be monitoring the traffic on that network. It is possible that the network is operated by someone who is after your personal data such as passwords, banking data, credit cards and other sensitive information.
Sensitive browsing, such as banking or shopping, should only be done on a device that belongs to you, on a network that you trust. Whether it’s a friend’s phone, a public computer, or a cafe’s free Wi-Fi—your data could be copied or stolen. Therefore, it is best if you use a VPN to connect to a public Wi-Fi network since it encrypts your traffic and no one on that network will be able to intercept your data.

Using a VPN provides:

More privacy – Connecting to a VPN hides your real IP address. Your connections cannot be linked to you or your device.

More security – VPN connections are secured and safe from hackers since all of your internet activity is encrypted and unreadable in transit. It will protect the data you transfer over public Wi-Fi.

More website access – You can get around websites blocked based on IP address.

More anonymity – Given that your true IP address is hidden, you’re unidentifiable online because you’re constantly using a different IP address and never your own. The online destination sees your data coming from the VPN server so it typically appears as if you’re in a different part of the world.

Get a VPN
It is up to you to protect yourself and your devices. Antivirus software and password managers definitely help keep you safer, but a VPN is a powerful tool that you should have in your personal security toolkit. Whether you opt for a free or paid service, having a way to encrypt your web traffic is critically important in today’s connected world.