VPNs or virtual private networks have been booming in recent years. Originally designed to be used by businesses, they are now being widely sought out by individual consumers. In 2019, they accounted for millions of mobile app downloads worldwide.
However, when using a service that is intended to protect you online, you should always take some time to learn just how much and what kinds of services a VPN can offer you. As well as know what to watch out for, for example:
- How they work: VPNs masks your online presence by first connecting you to one of their secure servers. The connection to and from their network is usually protected by encryption technology. From there, the VPN throws your data back into the public Internet, where it eventually reaches its original destination. When you reach your intended destination you appear with the IP address of the private server.
- Kill switches vs. Firewall: Kill switches are one of the traditional VPN features that many services like to advertise. They function as an emergency stopgap that can automatically cut the flow of data in the event of a data leak. Kill switches are certainly useful and better than having no security measure at all if your connection is interrupted. But unlike firewalls, they are unable to safeguard your connection at all times. As a rule of thumb, it would be wise to avoid free VPNs as they do not adhere to any regulations and because they remain “free” by collecting info on you and selling it to companies.
- Be aware of Lifetime Subscriptions: There are a few VPN providers that offer lifetime subscriptions. It would be best to avoid these as well as these companies could stop operating at any moment, for example, you paid for 12 months of service but only got 6 because they closed down. Paying large sums of money in bulk for a subscription you might not get to fully enjoy isn’t the best idea. It would be best to get a month-to-month plan that way you can switch to another service at any time if you are unsatisfied with your current one.
In any case, VPNs are still a useful service to have especially if you are traveling either domestically or internationally. Just make sure that you get one that is worth your budget and actually provides a good service. If you would like to learn more and find out which VPN would work best for you then I encourage you to continue reading on ConsumersAdvocate.org’s handy guide on VPNs who provided the information for this article.
1 Comment
Thanks David. A real good article.
Sincerely,
Samuel