Why a VPN is the First Thing You Need When Dealing With Crypto
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin promote a free internet. An internet where people can interact without borders and value is generated on a global scale.
Does this sound similar to the motto of the Web? Maybe because this has always been the original intent of the internet. Before the rules got overwritten by governments and tech giants, the internet used to be border-less.
After all, the internet we are used to is limited to a handful of websites, which is actually more than enough for our needs. Things would be different if we’ve lost access to news outlets or services like Google.
However, the story is different when it comes to 96% of the remaining World Wide Web content. The bigger part of the internet is associated with censorship and cryptocurrencies make no exception.
No one can deny the fact that there has been a significant increase in the number of cyber crime cases, and that is why installing a VPN on electronic devices has become imperative.
As with other forms of internet censorship, geo-blocking can be circumvented. When IP address-based geo-blocking is employed, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and anonymizing services can be used to evade and escape geo-blocks.
How Geo-blocking works
Every device with access to the Internet has a unique IP address (short for Internet Protocol address). Based on the IP address, the Internet service provider knows the real identity, the websites visited (meaning literally every site), as well as your geographical location.
For example:
Say, you are traveling in Europe with a laptop in your backpack. If you are in Germany, you will be blocked out of U.S.-only region-restricted sites because your hotel has a German IP address. Travel across Spain, and you will likewise only be able to access Internet content available locally.
While the intent behind geo-blocking is to trim relevant content based on the country, geo-restrictions seem to be at odds with blockchain services and their philosophy. This was the case with Binance limiting access to Binance.org, or BitMEX banning traders from the United States.
In spite of the so-called “ban advertisement,” in reality, many of the users can still unlock geo-restricted content by using a VPN. The key that makes VPN indispensable when dealing with crypto is privacy. Imagine that you can browse under a different IP each time, effectively concealing your identity and traffic.
How a VPN bypasses Geo-blocking
Redirecting your Internet connection through a secure remote server using a VPN tunnel hides your IP address. You can also appear to be browsing from a completely different location of your choice, with the added benefits of secure and encrypted communications.
Moreover, your Internet traffic can appear to be originating from a location of your choosing. You can instantly unblock any site from that location. The Virtual Private Network spoofs your IP, and your Internet service provider cannot detect the final destination of your traffic, nor interfere with it in any way, effectively resulting in an un-interrupted and private browsing experience.
How to choose the best VPN?
If you don’t have prior experience of choosing a VPN before, you should consult a friend or a professional who can help you in this regard, or at least has some experience to further guide you. A google search will reveal many options and opinions — some providers being good enough, others not satisfactory vetted, while others boasting breached servers.
We have decided to implement a Virtual Private Network in our browser extension in the future, further enhancing the protection of our users, so stay tuned for that!
We developed the Online.io extension to protect users from malicious software like spyware, viruses, adware and more. While also improving your browsing experience by removing ads and trackers from the picture. If you would like to give it a try, you can install it for free on your browser. More features are coming soon!
