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A VPN (“Virtual Private Network”) is a privately networked internet connection. Your internet connectivity flows from your device through a private network before it reaches the web. While this may sound like a complicated technology, it’s actually something everyone should be using. Here are a few of the most important reasons why you (and everyone) should be using local VPN servers.

You Have a Secure Connection Even When Traveling

When people travel, they often need to connect to airport WiFI, coffee shop WiFi, and internet cafe WiFi connections. But this is inherently less secure, because the WiFi itself may not be secure. When you connect through a VPN, you can rest assured that your connection is secure even if you’re on an unsecured WiFi connection. This is because the VPN itself provides additional security that the WiFi connection might not have.

You Can Access Streaming Content from Anywhere

Many streaming sites block content if you’re in another country. But as you travel, you may want to view the content that you’re paying for. With a VPN, you can set your location to be from anywhere. Because it’s the VPN that connects to the site, not you, it can declare its location anywhere in the world. That means that nothing is locked off from your browsing, including things like TV shows, movies, and more. Today, a lot of streaming services cycle their content and may make something unavailable in one country while making it available in the next. This is frustrating and can be avoided.

You Can Protect Your Business Information

When you do business, there’s a lot of information that people might be interested in stealing. Financial information, documents, personally identifiable information, and more. A VPN encrypts all your data and can provide a secure end-to-end connection with your company. Many businesses actually require a VPN today to connect to a company network, and for good reason. If you’re traveling and working, a VPN is a requirement.

Your Personal Information is Protected

In addition to business information, your VPN service can protect your personal information, too. Think about how many times you shop online, use your credit cards, connect to your bank, or otherwise share information that is important. With a VPN, this data is encrypted and protected. While you still need to make sure you’re dealing with reputable sites, you won’t need to worry about the data being transferred.

You Can Shop Online Without Fear

Likewise, VPNs will protect you from dangers regarding eCommerce. It’s possible to enter in your credit card information and for the data to be stolen through WiFi or other online connections. But with encrypted data, you won’t need to worry about submitting your credit card information, as long as you’re using websites you know are safe. There’s a lot of spyware out there that’s specifically designed to collect this type of information, and it’s this spyware that can be avoided through using a VPN.

You Can Keep Up With Your Social Media

There are many governments that ban certain types of social media. If you’re traveling and want to be able to connect to your social media accounts, you’ll need a VPN. VPNs are commonly used in areas that have high levels of government censorship so that individuals are able to connect with each other and help each other. If you just want to be able to connect to your social media while traveling, though, a VPN can help. VPNs can also help people stay anonymous in the event that they are trying to avoid their government’s reprisal.

You Can Save Money While Shopping

You might not have realized this, but prices can actually change on websites. Airlines are notorious for doing this. Let’s say you look up a trip to Moscow once and then you look it up again in a week. The airline is going to assume you’re really interested in this trip and may increase the amount that it costs. On a more subtle level, this is always happening all across the internet, with prices getting increased the more you look up a product. But a VPN anonymizes you so this can’t happen to you, saving you money.

You Will Be Able to Encrypt All Your Data

Encrypting your data while transmitting it is the best way to keep you safe. You have complete control over encryption when you use a VPN, which means you can increase the encryption standards if you’re more worried, or reduce them if you’re not all that concerned. The more control you have over encryption and security, the better; you’ll be able to maintain granular control over your security regardless of what you’re working on or where you are.

You Can Play Games Faster

A lot of companies throttle specific types of data. But you’re paying for a service and you might want to use it. With a VPN, the use of the internet on your end is obscured. Your internet company won’t know if you’re playing games, streaming video, or browsing the web. Because of this, your game connections will actually get faster, because they can’t throttle your internet speeds because you’re playing games. This is the same for if you’re streaming because, again, the internet service provider won’t be able to detect that you’re streaming.

You Can Enjoy Uninterrupted Voice and Video Chat

Just as with video games, voice and video chat also won’t be throttled. If you often find yourself buffering or dropping when you’re on a call or a video call, it could be that your ISP is throttling you. You can find out by running a speed test both during and after to see if there is a sharp decline. A VPN will protect you from this type of data throttling — because again, they won’t be able to tell what you’re doing.

You Can Avoid “Personalized” Search and Ads

It’s possible you’re just sick of ads. Or personalized search. Your search results are personalized to who the search engine thinks you are. Most search engines will make guesses about you based on your prior habits, such as your hobbies and your age. And ads will be directed based on cookies, which are attached to your previous interests. But if you have a VPN, they don’t know who you are, so they can’t personalize search results or ads. You’ll get everything just like you’re a neutral party.

You Are Anonymous to Everyone

Many people prize their privacy and security and just don’t want to be tracked. In addition to avoiding personalized searches and ads, you might just want to know that everything you view is only known to you. Once acquired, data can be used for anything. You might not want your personal browsing history out there for someone to eventually find. It could be used for everything from adjusting your insurance rates to selling you new products.

Avoid Private Network Restrictions

If you’re browsing from work or school, it’s possible there are additional network restrictions. These are restrictions you might have real reason to get past. For instance, they might be filtering sites that you actually need to use because the filter isn’t working correctly. With a VPN, you can avoid these types of private network restriction, because the VPN will tunnel you to an anonymized internet. You can get more done faster and be free to make your own decisions about the content that you consume.

Reduce the Chances of a Targeted Attack

If you’re someone high up in a business or if you’re a relatively public figure such as a journalist, you can also get targeted. Someone might know your IP, mac address, or other identifying information, and try to send malware or phishing attempts directly to you. A VPN can protect you from this by hiding your identity. When people are doing research or finding journalistic information, it’s often best to avoid the chances of an attack or identification through a VPN.

Avoid Internet Drama

It isn’t just journalists that can be targeted. Sometimes people can be “doxxed” online just because they got into an argument with someone online. If you want to avoid the chances of someone revealing your identity, a VPN can protect and improve upon your privacy. Doxxing happens with regular frequency, and it can be highly disruptive. People have gotten fired from doxxing and sometimes the information released about them can be quite detailed, such as their name and home address. A VPN service will help.

Anonymity, speed, and safety are all hallmarks of a good VPN service. A VPN service is incredibly useful for all the reasons above and more. Most people simply don’t have a VPN because they don’t know how to use one. Once you have one set up it’s just a matter of browsing the web as normal — with a number of incredible advantages. But do make sure that you get the right VPN for you, too; there are many VPN services out there and not all of them are reliable.