The upcoming spread of VPNs
The recent decision by the Republican controlled US Congress and Senate to remove privacy protection for Internet users to allow access providers, the real winners in all this, to sell their customers’ browsing data, will lead to a significant increase in the use of a tool that should already be part of the toolbox of every Internet user, the virtual private network or VPN. In fact, there is already a strong increase in the number of searches for that topic.
The US governments move leaves people defenseless and is impressive proof of the extent to which money decides US politics: the main ISPs have literally acquired this law by paying directly to a list of congressmen and senators in a disgraceful exercise in corruption. No reasonably informed US citizen could possibly consider such a measure to be in their interests: it benefits the telecommunication companies who can now sell the details of their internet use.
Is this important outside the United States? For the moment, telecommunications companies in Europe seem to be more aware of the need to protect and properly manage their customers’ privacy, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be ready to defend our interests in a world where everything is for sale to the highest bidder.
Can technology protect us from such a scenario? Despite the alarming headlines of some traditionally well-informed publications, it seems clear that at least it can help. Starting by installing HTTPS Everywhere, we could also consider the use of Opera as a browser, and then finding an appropriate VPN, which is going to be an additional expense to add to our internet connection, but one that is surely justified.
As things stand, just by using a public or shared WiFi exposes us to a risk high sufficient for it to make sense having a VPN. I have had one for many years now, and the idea that we are not especially important to be spied on should not blind us to the fact that at some point, we exchange data that can get us into trouble, and will be of interest to somebody.
In choosing a VPN, I would recommend TorrentFreak’s annual comparative: a VPN should not just encrypt our data, it should also protect us by not keeping any record of them. This forces them to rely on providers either located in countries that do not require such data retention, or that have a business culture unequivocally opposed to it. It is possible to buy anonymity or to protect activities such as file sharing on P2P networks, so it is important to note that VPNs are almost always better when you have to pay for them, managing a VPN costs money, nodes have to be maintained in a reasonable number of countries to offer a connection with adequate latency, they must be up to date in security, etc. At the same time, it is not advisable to opt for a supplier who seems inclined to allow practices that could be considered criminal, since such companies might find themselves under investigation by the authorities at some point.
I would add that it is also important to understand that VPNs will be more and more a necessary tool for using the internet, and if you have not done so yet, then start looking at what is available. Since many VPNs offer long-term contracts, often for more than a year, choosing a reliable company is a good place to start. As I said a long time ago, the internet is evolving toward a model in which the vast majority of traffic is going to circulate permanently encrypted, like a street where all of us are forced to wearing masks. Soon, the only people using the internet with their data exposed will be those unaware how to protect themselves and who will likely find themselves the victims of all types of abusive practices and possibly also those most exposed to crime. Why be one of them?
(En español, aquí)
