As a result of using a VPN, some of the internet activities you carry out become more personal, however, you do not cease to exist online completely. Understanding what a VPN masks—and what a VPN does not —will assist you in maximizing this instrument for protection.
What Does a VPN Hide?
When you go online via VPN service, the first thing it hides is your IP address. Your IP address is your unique online number that identifies you to other Internet users and your location where you are connected to the Internet service provider. With a VPN on the other hand the real IP address is changed with that belonging to the VPN server and thus; it is hard for Webmistresses, advertisers, and other interested parties to determine where you are actually coming from.
Another important aspect which a VPN masks is your current browsing session. As a rule, every time you go online, your ISP and other network operators are able to know the sites you visited, how long your stay was, and what you clicked on. This information is encrypted by a VPN making your activity invisible to anybody apart from the VPN provider who sees your browsing data.
This protection is especially important in using a Wi-Fi network, where the security of the connection can be low and all your actions on the Internet can be intercepted. A VPN also protects data here; hackers or unauthorized people cannot tap into your Gmail, for example, or even passwords, or financial information.
However, a VPN doesn’t hide everything as this article will show you. Your device information which includes the model, operating system, and some metadata is clearly visible to the sites you visit. This information is used by websites to make suggestions for your use of their site but can also be used to create a unique identifier for tracking.
Of course, your browsing history is quite hidden from the rest of the world, but anyone can observe what you post while logged in to a certain website, such as social networks or email. This is because activity on such sites is logged based on account logins rather than on IP addresses; thus, VPN won’t stop these sites from tracking clicks, views, and similar interaction.
Moreover, while using a VPN, your cookies are not deleted and cookies are used by websites to track you across different sites unless you clear your browsing history or are using private mode browsing.
How Does a VPN Protect Your Data?
A VPN involves linking the user’s device with the VPN server through an encrypted pathway and then converting the information you send and receive into a code. This encryption helps in avoiding cases where third parties such as the ISPs, hackers and even some government agencies may intercept and harvest data from your as you browse the internet.
When you connect to own a website via a VPN, the request to get the data goes through the VPN server first where it is protected using protocols such as OpenVPN or WireGuard. Both of which exist for high levels and provisions of security. This way, VPN server sent the request, and your IP address and geographic location were never exposed to the website.
Since this is an encrypted connection then any action is secure and hence in case hackers intrude in your network then they will find it difficult to intercept any activity. This type of security is particularly helpful if you are currently dealing with confidential information, whether on the public connection or even you home network.
Using a VPN Securely
f course, a VPN helps to improve online anonymity through the concept of hiding the IP address and protecting data, but this does not equal anonymity at all. Providers such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Mullvad have no log policies which mean your activity while connected to their servers cannot be tracked or recorded but it’s good to read more on the policies of that particular provider. You may also wish to check for encryption when reading your VPN.
However, the advantages of using a VPN – and particularly, protection of personal information from access on a global connection – place a VPN into your set of safeguards and protective measures. Combining it with other privacy features like ad blockers and employing private browsing modes can then make the VPN more of the complete privacy solution so that it can offer you the best value for your money.
