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The Internet is by no means a safe place. With a VPN, you can make it a safe place.

Not sure what a VPN is? Don’t worry, we’ll help you by giving you a quick rundown on what it is and why you should have one. Welcome to VPN 101.

What is a VPN?

VPN stands for 'virtual private network'. Okay, cool, but what is that exactly? Well, it’s your key to freedom on the internet.

When you normally browse and use the internet, you think nothing of it. But little do most people know, you are always under surveillance. In fact, the United States’ own Congress ruled that Internet providers could collect and then sell the browsing data of their customers as much as they want.

A VPN will prevent this type of surveillance, allowing you to move freely about the internet without having to look over your shoulder, or in this case, look into your webcam. A VPN service essentially puts you in this protective bubble, preventing others from coming inside. This is done through a process called tunneling, and it’ll keep your privacy private.

Why Should I Get a VPN?

The Internet can be a pretty dangerous place. If you travel a lot, you likely find yourself connecting to public unsecured Wi-Fi networks pretty often. You likely don’t think anything of it as you’re just checking your email, your bank accounts, or even just browsing the web.

If on an unsecured network, your private information is available and up for grabs for anyone who knows what they’re doing. It’s entirely possible for hackers to take some of your valuable information and exploit your for money. That’s definitely a worst-case scenario, but if you have a form of personal security like a VPN, you'll be protected from things like that.

What Will the VPN Do For Me?

So, we know that a VPN can keep our Internet usage private and protect us from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, but what else can it do?

The first big one is it hides your browser history. Like we mentioned before, internet providers collect and sell the web browser data of their customers to other companies. If you have a search history you’d rather not be in the hands of people you don’t know, a VPN will hide it for you.

It also stops ad targeting. Since browsers take note of your search history and target ads specifically to your needs, they can’t do that with a VPN. It’s just a further step into privacy protection.

Freedom is Yours

As technology advances, our privacy is becoming less of a concern. Getting a VPN may help take the issue into your own hands so you can protect yourself online.

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