Which is why a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a service that obfuscates
your online activity, can sound so appealing. A VPN creates a secure,
encrypted connection from your device to the web, disguising your IP
address and online traffic. From there, depending on your VPN of choice,
you can essentially pretend to browse the web from anywhere without
revealing where you actually are. They won’t make you completely
anonymous online, but they can help to keep your browsing data private,
usually at the expense of a small dip in internet speeds.
“VPNs have exploded in the marketplace since the rollback of the Federal
Communications Commission’s broadband privacy rules in 2017, because
people usually don’t trust their ISP,” says Jerome Joseph, policy
counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology, an online privacy
advocacy organization. “And they saw VPNs as a way to avoid the watchful
eye of their ISP.” The repeal, signed into law by President Donald
Trump, gives your ISP carte blanche to sell your web traffic-related
data to marketers, finance companies, and other interested parties, all
without your consent.
Now that ISPs are able to sell and profit from your web traffic, it
makes sense that so many people are interested in protecting their
activity. But even VPNs might not be a silver bullet when it comes to
privacy, experts say.
More often than not, VPNs just shift your risk,” says Gennie Gebhart,
associate director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a
digital privacy advocacy group. “They don’t eliminate privacy risk.”
That’s because a VPN, like your nosey ISP, still has to see your web
traffic in order to protect it — so if you want to use one, you should
make sure it’s one you can trust.
How can you tell which VPN is on your side? And which ones are playing
fast and loose with your data? Pricing is a huge giveaway. “In general I
think users should stay away from free VPNs,” says Joseph. “There is no
such thing as free; your data is their product.” The most popular paid
VPN services usually cost around $10 a month.
Other factors, like a VPN’s server location or locations, data logging
policies, and past responses to requests for data by law enforcement,
are all worth considering as well to consider, but don’t guarantee
protections. “The laws might change in the country where [a VPN is]
based,” says Gebhart. “It’s such a moving target, choosing the right
VPN.”When comes to the issue of online privacy and security, we suggest
to use a VPN, and our recommendation is RitaVPN.Qwer432
www.fastexpressvpn.com/ www.fastritavpn.com/
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