How VPNs work, why you need them and how to choose one🛡
A simple and non-technical guide
By now, most people have heard of a VPN. In this article, I’m going to explain what they do, how to pick one and things to note when you’re using a VPN to ensure that you’re safe while browsing the internet.
First, What is a VPN?
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a service that enables you to browse the internet with a different identity and location.
When you use the internet, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) e.g Spectranet, IPNX, MTN issues you an IP (Internet Protocol) address — a number that identifies your computer (you) on the internet. Your IP address contains some basic information about you including your current location. A VPN helps to protect you by changing some of this information and restricting access to it.
To understand what VPNs do, we need to first see what happens when you browse the internet without one.
Let’s assume you’re visiting Twitter on the web.
You go to your browser and visit www.twitter.com → Twitter receives your IP & current location (e.g Lagos, Nigeria) → Twitter sends you content based on the information it has received.
While this is happening, everyone who has access to your internet connection can see all of it, especially whoever manages your internet connection e.g your ISP or your employer.
Why is this a problem?
With your data out in the open, anybody at all can have access to it and then tamper with it — Your ISP and everyone who gains access to their systems can sell your data or give it to the government who can, in turn, block your access to the internet, your employers can restrict you from accessing certain websites, hackers can intercept the traffic and figure out vulnerabilities that can be used to attack you, you get the picture.
This risk is magnified when you’re connected to public WiFi networks. If you use public WiFi, the administrators of this network also have access to your web traffic. Keep in mind that anybody can change their Public WiFi name to trick you into trusting them. For instance, if I’m a bad actor who wants to steal your information, I could change my WiFi name to “Circle Mall_Free_WiFi”, leading you to assume that the network is administered by Circle Mall and can be trusted.
Asides from these very critical risks, some websites restrict access to certain content based on your geographical location— as an African trying to live global, you know this first hand. Examples that come to mind are Netflix, Spotify (until recently), Sephora etc. Location-based restrictions can also be due to state censorship as governments can direct ISPs to block access to certain sites in their country. Several African countries have been alleged to do this during periods of widespread protests and elections.
How you browse the internet with a VPN
Think of a VPN as a bullion van for transmitting your internet traffic securely. They create a secure tunnel that nobody else can access, including ISPs, governments, network administrators and hackers, and route your internet traffic through it.
Instead of sending your data directly to the website you’re visiting, they first send it to a remote server (basically another computer somewhere else in the world) and then redirect it to the website. This way, the website receives your traffic as coming from a different IP address and location (the location of your VPN). For instance, you’re visiting Twitter from Imo state, but Twitter receives your request to see the site from New Jersey and treats you as a visitor from the US. For digital nomads who are always on the move, using a VPN is also really useful because they can switch internet locations as required.
During this process, the VPN also encrypts your data, turning it into gibberish that requires a secret key to unravel, thereby making it unusable for anybody else.
Your data is protected from prying eyes and attacks and you get the freedom to browse the internet without the restrictions that your geographical location imposes.
How to choose a VPN
It’s important to note that while your data is inaccessible to other parties, it is still accessible to your VPN provider. That means that you can get affected if anything happens to your VPN provider.
Some providers claim that they do not store user data, meaning that the users will be fine if anything happens. However, in some countries, such as the US, they might be required to store this data and could be mandated to hand it over to the government in the event of a criminal investigation. So, using a VPN doesn’t mean you can get away with doing just anything on the internet :)
Here’s what to look out for when picking a VPN service to use in Nigeria:
- Data Policy: Explicit claims that they don’t store user data or clear information about the kind of data they store and what laws they are bound by.
- Server locations: VPNs with diverse location options give you the freedom to access content from more locations.
- Cost: A more expensive VPN doesn’t necessarily translate to a better one, so you don’t have to break the bank. Some VPN services under $10/month are Nord VPN, Strong VPN and Express VPN. Most of them offer free trials so you can try them out first before paying for one.
- Flexibility: Pick a VPN that allows you to use the same account across multiple devices e.g. your computer and mobile phone to ensure that you’re always protected.
- Easy to set up and turn on: This is a no-brainer. You want to pick something that doesn’t require you to have to sign in every time you need to connect to the internet.
There are a lot of free and paid VPN service providers to pick from and it’s important to do some research before deciding on one. A trade-off to consider when using a free VPN service is that the provider has a lower incentive to offer the best possible services.
Want to learn more? Here’s a visual explainer for how VPNs work:
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