Why do I need a VPN?

Everywhere you go online, the letters "VPN" seem to pop up. What is a VPN and why should you consider using one?

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a private network created on top of your public network. There are many important reasons to use a VPN, including increased privacy, enhanced security, greater access to online content, maintaining a high-speed connection, and even allowing you to remain anonymous online. Here are the top five advantages of using a VPN:

1. Increased Privacy

With your traditional internet service provider, you are leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for anyone who knows how to find you and track your activities. In addition to eliminating those breadcrumbs, a good VPN will not log your traffic in any way to maximize your online privacy.

2. Enhanced Security On Public Wifi

Have you heard of one of the recent high-profile wifi network sniffing tools like the Wifi Pineapple? If so, you will know how easy it is for someone to setup this easedropping tool at your favorite coffe shop. Whenever you are a public wifi, you need to use a VPN to encrypt your private data to keep it safe. A VPN is a wifi sniffer's worst nightmare - as long as your data is encrypted over the network, they can't sniff you. This additional security is incredibly necessary for anyone who uses public wifi networks.

3. Greater Access to Online Content and Bypass Geo-Restrictions

As people turn to the internet for more and more of our daily entertainment content, they are often surprised to find they are blocked from seeing content from other countries. These measures are the result of a process known as geo-restricting content. By utilizing a VPN, you can cut through the hurdles stopping you from seeing content from all over the world. You will be shocked to learn how different the selection can be in various countries for platforms you use every day like Netflix and Amazon.

4. Maintaining a High-Speed Connection

One of the biggest legal battles concerning internet access deals with the ability of your internet service provider to throttle (slow down) your internet speed and make some sites faster than others. The goal is simple: your ISP wants you to upgrade to a more expensive plan, so they make your existing plan slower than it actually is by throttling access to websites you use on a regular basis. It's an unscrupulous tactic to be sure, but you can prevent your ISP from tracking your usage with a quality VPN.

5. Allowing You to Remain Anonymous

Did you know when you go online, your IP address, websites can trace you back to your physical address based on your activity? Many people simply do not feel comfortable with anyone, let alone huge corporations, knowing where they are and what they're doing at any given moment. A VPN protects your IP address and location by using IP addresses and locations from all over the world, offering you real protection and genuine anonymity.

If you value your online privacy and the protection of your personal data, using a virtual private network is the most simple, affordable, common-sense solution available. Anyone who values privacy will tell you how important it is to protect yourself before your personal information is taken by easdroppers because once your privacy is breached you can't get it back.