What is a VPN and what is it used for?

in technology •  7 years ago  (edited)

If you want to take a major step towards safeguarding your privacy online, these days the best move to make is to start using a Virtual Private Network or VPN

A VPN is a piece of software that enables you to cloak your identity when you venture onto the internet.

Now that the internet has come of age and is here to stay, it is about time people paid some mind to the issues of online privacy and security. 

That’s because the internet is not nearly as safe as the majority of everyday folks imagine it to be.

When we spend so much of our time online, as is the case now, it beggars belief that many web users play fast and loose with their own precious data.

They may have lucked out so far, but you can bet that, one of these days, they could easily fall victim to a determined hacker. That’s unless they bite the bullet and do something about it.

How does a VPN Work? 

The VPN will disguise your IP address (the unique identifier that is attached to every action you take while you are online), which has numerous advantages.

Is a VPN encrypted? 

Furthermore, the best VPN will encrypt your data as it shoots up and down the pipes of the internet. Having your data encrypted means what you write in emails gets scrambled, so it is safe from the prying eyes of snoopers of all descriptions.

It is fair to say that anybody who wants to keep their internet activities on the down low for whatever reason should give some serious consideration to using a VPN when they go online. 

And the good news is that VPNs nowadays are fast, inexpensive, and easy as pie to use, even for people who are far from being tech savvy. 

For this reason, VPN usage is growing at a phenomenal rate round about now.

The best free VPN clients


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This post is very interesting and well explained. Great work, congratulations. @bryan.dull

I researched vpns and I am sort of critical on free vpns. Recall the saying 'there is no such thing as a free lunch'. I haven't selected a vpn as of yet as I'm looking for the most secure. What good is a vpn it does provide security. I will check out the vpns you listed. Thanks for post.

good article

Thank you very much for your comments.
@sandeepseeram @outwalking @joseluismejia

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