Why You Need A Virtual Private Network
The VPN has seen its stock rise significantly since the Cambridge Analytica story broke in early 2018. Although the story had questionable political value it did serve to reignite the debate about online privacy in general and browsing privacy in particular. And that’s where the VPN comes in. The VPN, or Virtual Private Network, provides a layer of security between you and companies like Google and Facebook that seek to exploit the details of your private life for profit. It does this by rerouting your personal internet traffic through a third party VPN server which encrypts the information and assigns a phony ISP as well. You are then free to browse with impunity.
You might feel like you have no reason to use a virtual private network but see if you still feel that way after reading our list. Here are 10 good reasons to use a VPN.
1. Because Facebook And Google Aren’t What You Think They Are
Most people think tech giants like Google and Facebook are in the business of providing search results and enabling contact between friends and family. But most people are wrong. These and other companies are actually in the business of collecting, storing and selling information. Your information. If you don’t have a VPN Google knows almost every site you visit, everything you’ve ever searched for, every porn video you watch as well as where you are, when you sleep, what type of electronic devices you have and which person who is not your gf that you chatted with recently.
2. Because Congress Just Sold You Out
Two years ago congress voted to allow ISPs (those companies that provide your internet service) to sell your private internet information to anyone willing to pay for it. ISPs know even more about you than Google or Facebook does. Because they track you even if you never interact with those websites.
3. To Prevent Government Spying
The government is able to spy on you when you’re online because internet use is still considered voluntary. As such, if you choose to use the internet you give up the reasonable expectation of privacy guaranteed by the 4th Amendment. But while government intrusion on the internet is extensive in the US it’s completely out of control in countries like China. If travel a lot and have a VPN, however, you can still browse the net in a country like China without Uncle Xi watching your every move.
4. To Surf At Work Or School
Most companies and schools have restrictions built into their networks that prevent workers or students from accessing certain websites via their network. Typical blocked websites include YouTube, Facebook and so on. With a virtual private network, you can slip right past such restrictions.
5. To Protect You From Public Wifi Networks
We’ve all logged into airport or hotel WiFi networks at some point. But these public networks are some of the least secure on earth. Each time you log into a hotel network you run the risk of your computer being violated and your private information (like passwords) being stolen. With a VPN however your information is encrypted and so the odds of being hacked or otherwise digitally violated are virtually eliminated.
6. To Ensure Your Skype Calls Are Secure
One of the great things about the internet is the (sort of) free phone calls via services like Skype. But if you don’t have a virtual private network any hacker with a moderate amount of ability can hack your call and listen in. Contrast that to a VPN where all your information is encrypted and your private calls remain private.
7. To Access BitTorrent
BitTorrent gets a bad rap because a lot of people use it to share copyrighted material. As a result, it is often blocked by ISPs in the US as well as by many foreign governments. In addition, those who are “caught” using BitTorrent may very well wind up on a surveillance list set up by a gove0rnment or some organization created to protect copyrights. With a VPN no one will know who or where you are and you can download from BitTorrent at will.
8. To Watch Netflix
Okay, not only Netflix but since they have the lion’s share of interesting new content these days they get the lead role. Netflix and other services like Hulu and even the Golf Channel restrict their streaming content to just a handful of countries. It doesn’t seem fair that if you’re paying for a service that you shouldn’t be able to access it just because you’re traveling. A VPN can get past any country-specific restrictions and let you watch to your heart’s content.
9. To Safeguard Your Investigations
Anyone involved in investigatory work needs to be able to perform their duties free from prying eyes. This goes for private investigators, collection agencies, human resource managers and even parents trying to determine if their children are flirting with trouble. With a virtual private network, you don’t have to worry about leaving tracks that lead back to you.
10. Because Internet Use Should Be Considered As Private As Snail Mail
Years ago when the internet was new and there were only a handful of websites the idea of internet privacy was a non-issue. Internet use really was voluntary. Today, however, enough business is transacted on the internet to make it the 7th largest economy in the world. Larger than that of France or India. In other words, using the internet is no longer a luxury it’s an absolute necessity if you’re to do business in the 21st century. As such internet activity should be afforded the same privacy accorded snail mail and hard-line telephones. Until that happens the VPN is your only defense.
The Bottom Line
Would you put up with someone following you down the street taking notes about where you go, who you talk to and what you buy? Of course not. So why do you put up with it on the internet? Get a VPN today and kick Big Brother to the curb where he belongs.
