Over the last few years, the importance of protecting our confidential data has been highlighted in the wake of events that have exposed how vulnerable we are to surveillance and invasion of privacy. The revelations of Edward Snowden showed that everyone could be targeted by the monitoring programs implemented by governmental organizations like the NSA from the United States and the UK’s GCHQ. All the data that we access, or share online is being collected and analysed and while many people may think that this should not have a huge impact on their lives and that they have nothing to hide, each of us should be concerned about this blatant attack to our right to privacy.
Other recent instance in which privacy was affected and the consequences were exposed in public, include the case of celebrities’ personal files and pictures being leaked by hackers. While the publication of these images became a trending topic due to the famous people involved in the scandal, the reality is that you don’t have to be a public figure to become a victim of this type of invasion of privacy. In fact, there are many websites dedicated to publishing confidential information and photos from unsuspected users.
Using a VPN to Protect Your Privacy
The incidents that have demonstrated how easily our privacy can be compromised and how insecure internet can be, have increased the popularity of technologies that are designed to help people to defend their right to confidentiality. Prevention is the best kind of defense and in order to protect your personal information, the most convenient and affordable solution available for internet users is a VPN service. With a VPN, it is possible to protect your data online and to add a layer of security to your internet connection.
As many people know at this point, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it is basically a secure tunnel to redirect your online traffic, ensuring that it is protected from malicious third parties, or rigorous monitoring. Initially, VPNs were mainly used by financial organizations and large companies that needed to protect a large amount of sensitive data. The consequences of confidential information falling into the wrong hands could be devastating for any business, which is why companies rely on VPN technologies.
However, protecting private files is not only important for corporations, or banks. Individuals may also look for a solution that secure their photos, online conversations and all the information that they access or share when they connect to internet. This need for privacy protection has helped to increase the popularity of VPNs and nowadays, it is possible to find a wide selection of providers dedicated to offer online security solutions for all kinds of users.
Investing on a VPN service is something that anyone should consider, not only because it is a solid option to protect our information, but also because it can significantly improve our online browsing experience, particularly for those who live in a country in which internet is heavily monitored and restricted. Consult our VPN buying guide for more information on what to look for. Bear in mind that there are many applications and websites that are not available in certain regions due to local censorship, or copyright issues.
Regardless of the reason why a service may not be accessible in your country, you can rely on a VPN to enjoy internet with more flexibility. This is because a VPN can help you to unblock a large number of options, thanks to the fact that it changes your IP address. You could be connecting from China (where services like Facebook are banned), but since the VPN modifies your IP location (so you can appear as if you were connecting from the United States, for example), you will be able to use any service that is normally not available in your region. If you are concerned about affordability, there are a good selection of low cost VPN services that provide quality and dependable service.
A VPN is a versatile service and while there is no such thing as a perfect solution that can guarantee that your information is completely immune to eavesdropping and surveillance, it is still important to consider VPNs as an option that significantly enhances your online security. However, there are even more tools and information to help you improve the security of your online data, consult our online security and privacy guide for much more information.