The latest scandals related to the privacy of Facebook, and also of Google although to a lesser extent, shows us once again that privacy should be a priority for all users to prevent large companies from trading our data as if they were in a traditional store.
Every time we hear about a new privacy scandal, the affected company finds other methods to be able to continue to obtain user data, until it is discovered again and goes to the next method. The best and only way to protect our data from third parties is by using a VPN.
And when I say that it is the only way to protect ourselves, it is that, unfortunately, it is so. Although we do not have an account on Facebook, each time we visit a page of this social network, on our device trackers are installed that are responsible for recording all our activity of the browser that we use.
When using a search engine, the most used solution is the one offered by Google, although we can also use the Microsoft browser called Bing. Both of them they record our activity on the internet, to collect our data and thus be able to guide the advertising services they offer.
What is a VPN?
The acronym VPN, comes from the English Virtual Private Network, which translated into Spanish is Virtual Private Network, a network that is established through the internet (hence the virtual) to connect to a specific server or servers. That connection is completely secure and no one else can have access to communication, since it is encrypted from beginning to end.
This end-to-end protected communication service, not only available for desktop devices. We also have at our disposal VPN services for mobile devices such as Android and iOS, mobile devices that have become an increasingly used tool since it allows us to work from anywhere. You have more information on how to use it on these devices here.
How does a VPN work?
And now that we know what a VPN is, let's try to explain how it works. To access any information through the internet, our device connects with our internet provider, either the one we have contracted in our home or through the telephone company. The provider of our connection offers us the content that we have requested and stores the corresponding record.
If we use a VPN, when we do an internet search, all the requests we make are sent directly to the VPN that we have contracted without going through our internet provider at any time, in this way, we avoid leaving a trace of our internet activity.
We avoid leaving a trace of our activity on the internet, because VPN services do not keep any record of our internet activity, as long as they are paid services. Free VPNs offer us some of the anonymity that we may be looking for, but at the cost of various sacrifices such as connection speed and that our browsing data has subsequently been sold to other companies.
What is a VPN for?
In addition to allowing us to browse anonymously, VPNs have other utilities that make them used by both companies and individuals for different reasons:
Connect safely with the server of our company
Many are the companies that use their own servers where they store all the company's management information. This information cannot be exposed to which any user with sufficient knowledge can access them and steal them to sell them on the black market (where most of the data that is stolen from large companies ends up).
Workers of those companies who have the opportunity to work from home are forced to use VPNs, establishing a secure connection between the client (worker) and servers (company). This connection is end-to-end encrypted and it is virtually impossible (never say never) to decrypt it in order to access traffic flowing both ways.
Skip geographical limits
Outside of the business arena, VPNs are widely used to bypass geographic boundaries. One of the most common uses is power access content available in other countries of the different streaming video services that we can find in the market, services that have a different catalog for each country.
It is also the only option to access web pages that are blocked In some countries, web pages that can only be accessed from an IP registered in another country, being the only option to be able to bypass the limits established by some governments, countries such as China and Russia have prohibited the use of this type of applications.
Another advantage that VPNs offer us is the possibility of bypassing the restrictions of our provider when it comes to download content from internet, making use of P2P protocols. Some countries are establishing important limitations when trying to avoid piracy through the Internet, blocking the use of this type of protocol.
Negative points of VPNs
Obviously, not everything can be beautiful if we use VPNs. These are associated with a series of drawbacks that we detail below:
Speed reduction
The only drawback that we find when using VPN services is that they don't work at the same speed than our internet provider, so depending on the service we use, browsing is likely to be more or less slow. This factor, along with whether or not the service is free, are one of the factors that we must take into account when hiring a VPN.
What should we take into account when hiring a VPN?
Compatible devices
If we want to protect our internet connection at all times, either from our home or from our smartphone, we must bear in mind that the service be compatible with both mobile devices and desktop computers (Windows, macOS and Linux) and other consumer video streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV ...).
White lists
Some applications and websites of banks, do not support VPN servicesTherefore, the service we hire must allow the addition of exceptions, exceptions that allow us to add applications or websites that will not use the VPN without being forced to temporarily disconnect the service, with the risk that later we forget to return to activate it.
Number of devices
In any home, there are a large number of devices, be they smartphones, tablets, computers, set-top boxes ... devices that depending on the limit established by the service, can become a problem and not offering the protection that we may be looking for for our entire family.
From Actualidad Gadget We recommend that you read these reviews of ProtonVPN, one of the best rated for its security and value for money.