What is a VPN and How Does It Work?
A virtual private network (or VPN) is a simple tool for protecting your privacy online and to maintain your data security. It creates a secure and encrypted connection between your computer and a server operated by the VPN service provider such that all your network traffic passes through the secure connection every time you are connected to a VPN.
A VPN acts as a framework of multiple remote peers that transmit private data securely to one another over an otherwise public infrastructure like the Internet. In the process, inbound and outbound network traffic is protected by using tunnels that encrypt all data at the IP (internet protocol) level as networks extend beyond their local topologies while providing users with the appearance and features of a direct network connection.
By remaining logged onto a VPN server when you browse on the internet for your normal day-to-day use, your web traffic is hidden from everyone including your internet service provider (ISP) which has access to your data. Hence VPNs act as a proxy to make requests on your behalf while keeping your private data completely hidden online.
The realization of this core functionality contributed to the surge in VPN providers and a corresponding user interest which hit a high in 2017 after the US government overturned a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring ISPs to get permission before selling consumer browsing history and other data.
The reversal was meant to increase investment in high-speed networks and improve broadband deployment. However, it seems to have somewhat empowered ISPs to hijack your searches and expose you to unwanted advertisements. In some cases, ISPs are reportedly pre-installing software on your phone to record every web page address you visit while injecting undetectable and undeletable tracking cookies in all of your HTTP traffic.
The rule change by the Donald Trump government brought to an end the Obama-era Net Neutrality rule which requires ISPs to treat all data traffic on their networks indiscriminately and restrict them from using their discretion to block, slow down or speed up the delivery of online content.
It turns out to be a major motivation for the introduction of some VPN services which has since seen consumers paying a privacy tax as they now rely on VPNs to safeguard their personal information.
What does a VPN do?
Here are some of the basic functions of a VPN and how they can improve you:
VPNs help to circumvent the use of the internet via a trackable link with the aim to overcome obstacles. Your obstacle could be fear of being tracked down hence the need to conceal any trace of your identity or location (it does not necessarily mean you’re engaged in illegal activities); or you want to avoid being noticed when you access information from a website (or websites) that could trigger suspicion or is constantly monitored if not blocked outright in your current jurisdiction.
VPNs block interception by preventing anyone on the same network access point with you (or anywhere else) from intercepting and manipulating your web traffic as they wish, especially in a man-in-the-middle attack.
VPNs hide your IP address since ISPs not only have access to your personal data but also issue IP addresses to users on their networks based on location thus making it easy to identify your location. Even when IP addresses change, you can still be tracked across the internet if a tab could be placed on where your IP address appears. Using a VPN makes it harder for unwanted intrusion such as advertisers or hackers to track you online. VPNs do this by cloaking your computer’s actual IP address and hiding it behind the IP address of the VPN server you’re connected to thus leaving your internet activities scrambled.
VPN services provide their own DNS resolution system as another layer of protection. This wards off any monitoring of your DNS requests (the demand for information sent from your computer to a DNS server) which could be used to track your movements online or protects from DNS poisoning that seeks to direct you to phishing pages designed to steal your data.
These highlighted functions give an insight into the variety of reasons to use a VPN when accessing the internet and its necessity for you who wish to bypass a given obstacle that prevents you from using a direct network connection.
Yes, VPNs are necessary for improving general individual privacy — you need a VPN to interact differently and more safely with the internet. They can help you switch to a server somewhere else in the world or from an incorrectly configured network to avoid exposing your data to others. They are useful for you to access entertainment content restricted in your region due to locked geo-based international content streaming like with Netflix.
A VPN can also help to avoid being tricked into connecting to nefarious networks set up to look like an innocent wireless network but actually meant to steal your data — as fraudulent networks are often difficult to be distinguished from a real one.
Nonetheless, VPNs play a much greater role in the personal and professional safety of certain groups of people e.g. journalists, human rights and political activists etc who depend on these services to circumvent government censorship to avoid surveillance in countries with repressive internet policies and safely communicate with the outside world.
What to watch while choosing to use a VPN?
Due to their growing necessity as more users are becoming aware of privacy issues, some fake VPNs have popped up too which makes the need to consider key factors before choosing a provider more important.
Aside from the focus on price and/or speed, a VPN must provide confidentiality, integrity and authentication — with data confidentiality and integrity being dependent on encryption and encapsulation. There are tons of online reviews on these security service providers bordering on their reputation, performance, and type of encryption used.
Others value VPN providers whose platforms are easy to use, render efficient customer support services, and provide additional features or attractive options such as a free trial offer for a limited time.
As with the web, VPN use is applicable to smartphones too.
