VPN 101: Here’s why you need it in 2020

You’ve probably heard of a VPN before it’s even possible you’ve used one before. But do you know what it does?

A VPN stands for virtual private network, which basically means it gives you privacy online. Originally, VPNs were only used in business settings where big businesses, organizations, or governments wanted to secure their data. But this is 2020. Since people worked remotely and needed to connect online, businesses therefore needed to create a secure connection. Otherwise, they were at risk for hacking or other loss of data.

In 2020, VPNs are used by everyone specifically because it ensures your location stays private, your data is encrypted and that you can surf the web anonymously.

But how does it work?

Let’s back up for a second to understand how the internet works.

When you visit a site like Facebook or Twitter, you type in a domain name. That domain is basically a nickname for the website’s IP address. An IP address is just like your home address. Only it consists of numbers and not street names systems and since it’s much easier to remember names than a string of numbers, we give websites domain names, and a server translates them. Your computer has an IP address too and so does every device browsing the internet. When you type in the website’s domain name on your browser, whether you’re using Chrome, Firefox, or even Internet Explorer, you send your data into the internet until it reaches a server. That server then translates the data and sends you back the website you requested. The problem is when you send that data to the server, you’re sending them your IP address, and a lot of other information too. This is where hackers can intercept your information. Imagine you’re sitting in a coffee shop using their public WiFi on your phone and you want to check your bank account. Someone else with a laptop can easily log into the network and get a hold of your passwords, emails and other information you might have. But if you use a VPN, they won’t be able to access that.

The websites you visit can also gather your information but they tend to do it in order to study their demographic. Usually, it’s not a problem. But sometimes you want to protect your identity and privacy.

So how does the VPN protect my privacy? When you send information online, a VPN creates a tunnel that encrypts your information. This way, if someone gets a hold of your data, they won’t be able to read it. The tunnel also makes it harder to hack in. But don’t be fooled, it is still possible, just much harder to do. A VPN also adds in an extra server. I’ve just explained how you send data from your computer to a server, and then that server pings you back with the website. But with VPN, your data goes to their server first, and then it’s sent out to the website. This extra step helps in a lot of ways.

First, it can change your location. A lot of video streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu have strict content depending on your Geo location. Let’s say you want to watch your favorite show on Netflix, but it’s not available in your country. You send your information to one of the VPN servers in America and then that server sends it to the Netflix website, Netflix now thinks you’re in America and you can stream your show without any problems. A VPN tricks them into thinking you’re in a different location because the signal was coming from a different server. Clever right?

Changing your location can also be helpful when booking a hotel or Flight.

Research has shown that hotels and flight prices change depending on your location and a VPN could potentially save you lots of money. But let’s get back to your privacy. Remember how we mentioned websites sometimes collect your data, well many times governments can request this information and use the list of IP addresses to track your location. But with a VPN their information only reaches the VPN server, they can’t track you back to your original IP address. See how cool that is?

Many VPN also have a no logs policy, which means they don’t record what sites you visit. So if the government requests the VPN provider for tracking logs, your information won’t be there.

VPNs are really handy when it comes to keeping your privacy safe on the web by changing Geolocation, encrypting your data and ensuring your privacy. It’s no wonder so many people still use them these in 2020.

Now that you know what a VPN is, it’s time to go get one.

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