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Do VPNs Protect You On Public Networks?
A pretty misleading advertising claim meets reality.
Anyone who frequents the internet enough will eventually come across an advertisement or sponsorship for a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. These advertisements are typically touting diverse claims about the practical applications and use-cases of of a VPN service in a modern world of mass surveillance, data-collection, and endless tracking. It is even sometimes implied that browsing the web could be dangerous without a VPN. It is not uncommon to hear that a VPN is a metaphorical condom for the internet, protecting your computer and your home network from outside attacks by acting as a strong line of defense — possibly with a success rate around 98-percent.
One of the more common claims in regards to safety is that a VPN protects users when using public or shared networks. It is no secret that connecting to a public network could be risky in some ways; from packet sniffing to injection attacks, there certainly is a range of possibilities and a very low risk is being taken every time we choose to connect to the internet through a public network. In 2024, there are a myriad of different VPN services that tout a myriad of claims, what percentage of those claims are actually true? Is it even true that a VPN protects you on a public network?