With the rise of cybersecurity threats, investing in a reliable VPN service should be your priority. Standing for a virtual private network, a VPN uses encryption and lets online users establish a secure connection to another network when browsing online. By hiding your IP address, a VPN provides greater anonymity and privacy. Given that, it is not surprising at all that the number of VPN users is growing. Research studies say that 26% of all online users worldwide use a VPN service.
In this article, you will learn more about the key benefits of a VPN.
1. Overcoming Geographic Restrictions
Many popular websites, including Netflix or BBC iPlayer, choose to block access to users based on their location. In other words, their content is not allowed in all countries. Fortunately, with a VPN, you can unblock global online content, irrespective of your location. Namely, VPN providers have servers in multiple locations. Therefore, you just need to connect to a VPN server in a country or a region where your desired website is allowed. A VPN will change your location, allowing you to access a blocked website.
Therefore, if you want to get past geo-blocking, you should choose a VPN that can unblock your desired website and help you consume your favorite content uninterruptedly. Another factor to consider is, of course, server locations. Look for a list of server locations on a provider’s website and make sure they have servers in your preferred countries and regions. For example, if you are from the U.S. and you want to access BBC iPlayer, you will need to invest in a VPN with servers in the U.K.
2. Improved Anonymity and Security
According to statistics, 74% of Americans have limited their online activities because of privacy concerns. Public Wi-Fi networks are highly unreliable. When using a public Wi-Fi hotspot, your sensitive data, such as your emails, logins, private chats, and passwords, can be stolen and misused by a cybercriminal.
That is exactly where choosing a reliable VPN provider helps. A VPN encrypts data traffic and establishes a private network over the public Wi-Fi, more explanations about such services you may find in this detailed overview. Your data remains untraceable and invisible, meaning hackers will not be able to intercept and read it. When wanting to strengthen data security when using public networks, you should first choose a VPN that:
- uses the most secure ciphers, such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128, AES-192, AES-256), RSA, or Twofish.
- uses secure protocols, such as OpenVPN or IKEv2. They are highly secure, fast, and easily configurable, ensuring your data remains safe.
- offers a kill switch option that disconnects users once the VPN connection fails. That feature prevents your data from being exposed and compromised by other people using the same public Wi-Fi.
3. Downloading Files
Torrenting may harm your online security on multiple levels, from exposing your private data to being penalized for copyright infringement. A strong VPN guarantees your anonymity. As mentioned above, your IP address is masked and the connection is encrypted, meaning that no one will know who is downloading a file. That is especially important if you are downloading important files for your work that should not be intercepted by cybercriminals.
Now, when choosing a VPN for torrenting, you should first focus on online security and anonymity. Invest in a VPN that uses the strongest encryption type and secure protocols, as well as provides additional antimalware features. You should also choose a high-speed VPN that will help you download files faster.
4. Beating Censorship
For online users, the internet is the major and most available source of knowledge. Still, while surfing the internet, you should know that the content you see in browsers is partially censored. This, of course, depends on your country’s government. Namely, in many countries today, governments have been imposing stringent online censoring. Censorship can take numerous forms, from IP blocking, keyword filtering, or deleting websites to penalizing online users for accessing a certain kind of content. China, for example, bans Facebook. In the Middle East, many messenger apps are prohibited.
One of the most effective ways to bypass censorship and access the content from all around the world is to invest in a VPN. Remember that many countries, including China, Belarus, Iran, Russia, and Turkey, are prohibiting the use of VPN. Make sure you purchase a VPN plan before you enter one of those countries and choose a VPN that is proven to work there. Always choose a provider that uses the most secure ciphers and secure protocols.
5. Working on Multiple Devices
We are living in a hyperconnected age, where we use multiple devices to perform many daily activities. We use our tablets, desktop computers, laptops, and smartphones to access our bank accounts, pay bills online, make purchases, chat with friends, and send sensitive data.
With the rise of sophisticated mobile technologies and the cloud, cybersecurity threats are also evolving. They are lurking around every corner. If you use a VPN on your home or office laptop to protect your data, but you leave your mobile phone unprotected, a hacker will still be able to intercept and steal your data. Cybercriminals are looking for vulnerabilities in your cybersecurity system and that is exactly why you should use a VPN on multiple devices.
The best thing about VPNs lies in the fact that they work on all types of devices and operating systems. Moreover, with a single subscription plan, you can connect to multiple devices. Let’s take the example of NordVPN. Once you connect it to your router, it will be able to secure six devices on your network at once.
Conclusions
From the above-mentioned examples, you can conclude that a VPN goes far beyond protecting online data or accessing blocked websites. It lets you protect your anonymity and prevent sites from collecting your personally identifiable data. With a strong VPN, your online activities do not have to be an open book anymore. Above all, it lets you browse through the web, download files, and beat censorship.
When choosing a VPN, focus on its reliability and data security. While using a free VPN may sound tempting to you, investing in a reliable premium VPN will ensure greater connectivity, confidentiality, and privacy.
What do you use your VPN for? We are listening!