VPN Essentials
VPNs mask your IP address so your online actions are virtually untraceable.
By Nicole Milan
A virtual private network (VPN) gives you online anonymity and privacy by creating a private network from an internet connection. VPNs hide your internet protocol (IP) address so your online actions are virtually untraceable. The beauty of VPN services is that they establish secure and encrypted connections by granting increased privacy even more than a secured Wi-Fi hotspot.
Why you need a VPN
A VPN is mandatory for anyone concerned about maintaining their security and privacy online. Shopping online, surfing the web, sending e-mails, or paying bills on an unsecured Wi-fi network means risking the exposure of your private information and browsing habits.
Whether browsing the web at Starbucks, at the gym, stuck in line at the store, or even at the doctor’s office, unless you were utilizing a VPN any data transmitted during your online session could be vulnerable to eavesdropping by strangers using the same network.
One of the most popular things a VPN is used for is content access. If using streaming services and social networks while abroad is important to you, a VPN can help. It changes your IP address and redirects your connection to the internet through a remote server.
How does it all work?
According to Steve Symanovich at Norton LifeLock – “VPNs essentially create a data tunnel between your local network and an exit node in another location, which could be thousands of miles away, making it seem as if you’re in another place. This benefit allows online freedom, or the ability to access your favorite apps and websites while on the go.
Here’s a closer look at how a virtual private network works. VPNs use encryption to scramble data when it’s sent over a Wi-Fi network. Encryption makes the data unreadable. Data security is especially important when using a public Wi-Fi network, because it prevents anyone else on the network from eavesdropping on your internet activity.
There’s another side to privacy. Without a VPN, your internet service provider can know your entire browsing history. With a VPN, your search history is hidden. That’s because your web activity will be associated with the VPN server’s IP address, not yours. A VPN service provider may have servers all over the world. That means your search activity could appear to originate at any one of them. Keep in mind, search engines also track your search history, but they’ll associate that information with an IP address that’s not yours. Again, your VPN will keep your online activity private.”
How to select a VPN
Free services keep your data through logs and sell it to third parties. One of the most important features of a VPN service is that it does not keep logs. It all boils down to whom you can trust.
Here at Spark VIP Media, we’re huge fans of NordVPN. NordVPN offers a zero-logs VPN service. NordVPN does not store connection timestamps, session information, bandwidth usage, traffic data, IP addresses, or other data. Nothing to store – nothing to share with anyone.
- NordVPN is located in Panama, which has no data retention laws — this means NordVPN can legally follow a strict no-logs policy to ensure users’ privacy and security
- Risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee
- No bandwidth or data limits for VPN traffic
- Can connect 6 devices to one NordVPN account at the same time
- 5,000+ servers in 60+ countries (the numbers are constantly growing) — biggest server
network for VPNs on the planet - The large number of servers helps distribute traffic and guarantees fast, smooth VPN
connections - Works in restrictive countries (China, Middle East) that limit/censor internet access
- Military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption using only the most secure protocols:
OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2/IPSec, NordLynx (based on WireGuardⓒ) - 24/7 customer support (live chat, email, ticket system)
- Comes with CyberSec, which blocks dangerous websites and annoying ads
- Customizable kill switch (can shut down individual processes or the internet connection)
- Dedicated P2P servers
- Offers Double Encryption servers for extra privacy and security
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