What is a Virtual Private Network (VPN):
VPN is additional protection for your Internet that protects your identity while you surf the world-wide-web from any of your devices. VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network,” it forms a tunnel to create a secure connection over the Internet.
A Virtual Private Network forms a connection of your device to another computer that is hosted somewhere on the Internet and is called a “Server.” Once you are connected to any of the online servers, now you have a secure connection, your location and your I.P (Internet Protocol) addresses are changed according to the location of that server.
Advantages of Using a VPN:
● It hides your Online Identity.
● Access to blocked websites from your country.
● A secure online connection.
● Safe torrenting.
VPN hides your online identity to ensure that nobody can get your location by your I.P address, as your I.P is changed according to the online server that you are connected to. You can have access to all the website that may have been blocked in your country. As a VPN creates a secure private tunnel; hence, your online connection is more reliable, and your details are safe.
Keep in note that your masked I.P address may not provide you full anonymity, some VPNs as well are not that secure, they can just leak your information, but some of the Paid VPNs are more secure than the free ones. Some of the good paid VPNs are Tunnelbear, Strong VPN, Express VPN.
How VPN Works?
When you are connected to a VPN, your current location is hidden, and a new location and an I.P address is assigned to you based on the location of the server you are connected to, and a Private tunnel is created between your computer and the Internet, this tunnel does not let hackers, government and your ISP track your data and location. Hence, you are more secured while you surf the Web.
Disadvantages of using a VPN:
● It slows down your surfing speed.
● The wrong VPN can put your privacy on alert.
● All devices do not support VPN.
● Quality VPNs will cost you a good amount of money.
Sometimes when you are connected to a VPN, it slows down your internet speed. A wrong VPN can sell your privacy as well; some VPNs leak their user’s information that can put their privacy in danger. Some of the good VPNs in the market will cost you a handsome amount of money. VPN applications are not available on some of the devices like Linux, Chromebook, etc. so, for that, you manually need to set up a VPN.
Conclusion:
If you are more concerned about your privacy online, then VPN would be a great option for you. Most people use them for Torrenting, and the others use them to keep their privacy secured. Some hackers use these kinds of networks to perform illegal activities, and some of them get caught as well. So use VPNs wisely to keep your information and privacy secured, not for illegal purposes.