For instance, when researching the shoes you bought in the café example above, you probably started getting a lot of shoe ads all of a sudden. It protects you from having your search history collected and sold to third parties. Plus, a VPN allows you to surf the internet anonymously. You can use a public WiFi network with the security of a private network (but even safer). When using the internet - especially when it comes to looking up private information, like your bank balance - a VPN will make the connection more secure. You can feel more confident, and safe, when surfing the internet. You can also feel safe emailing secure or private documents, like work files, medical documents, and bank statements.

With your data protected, a VPN can reduce your chances of identity theft and of hackers getting access to your private information, like your banking or credit card details. You can use a VPN on all your devices, from your phone to tablet to laptop to desktop computer. Others can’t see what sites you’ve browsed or what you’ve sent or downloaded. No one else has access to this tunnel: not the government, not businesses, not cybercriminals, and not even your internet service provider.Īs your data goes from your device to the internet, it becomes encrypted so it’s undecipherable. When you use a VPN, it acts as a high-security encrypted tunnel for your web traffic. Of course, it’s not 100 percent foolproof - there could still be a data breach at your bank, for instance - but using a VPN is much safer than not.Īnd with so many more people working remotely these days, there’s been an increased demand for VPNs. VPNs secure and encrypt your connections.Įven if that café above required a WiFi password, it’s not as safe and secure as using a VPN. An IP address marks your location, and a VPN disguises your IP address, making your online behavior private and anonymous.

In essence, a VPN masks your internet protocol (IP) address, which is your unique address on the internet. A VPN protects you in many ways, including from cybercriminals, such as hackers, who can access your private information, like the credit card number you just entered (or had stored in your phone) to pay for those shoes.Īt some point, you may have heard “VPN” thrown around in conversation and thought, “a V-P… what?” What does it even mean? What is a VPN? In fact, you should feel the opposite… unless you’re using a virtual private network (VPN). You may be excited when you see that a café has an open WiFi network - you can go online and order that new pair of shoes while you wait for your latte.

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