VPN SECRETS HOW TO STAY SAFE ONLINE
If you’re not already using a VPN to protect your online activity, you could be soon. Analyst Research and Markets anticipates VPN usage growing by 19% a year until at least 2026, and there are good reasons for that. While you may not be eager to take on yet another online subscription, it’s worth understanding how a VPN service could benefit you – and what to look for when choosing a provider.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A VPN?
If you haven’t yet delved into the world of VPNs, the idea is quite simple. Normally when you browse the web or use any online service, your online activities are an open book to your ISP. The provider knows which sites you’re connecting to, and if you’re not using an encrypted connection method (such as HTTPS for websites) then it can even see what you’re sending and receiving.
However, when you activate a VPN on a client computer, an encrypted connection is opened to a gateway server operated by the VPN provider, and all your internet traffic is diverted through this “tunnel”. The remote server then forwards your connection requests to the right places, and sends back responses through the tunnel.
From your point of view, the internet carries on working exactly as it did before. However, all your ISP now sees is that you’re connected to the VPN service – it can no longer monitor the actual sites you’re accessing, nor the information you’re exchanging.
WHY MIGHT YOU WANT A VPN?
There are
