A Virtual Private Network [VPN] is a method in which to connect to the internet privately & securely while encrypting your internet traffic to protect your online identity.
There are 2 types of VPN: Personal & Corporate.
| PERSONAL | CORPORATE |
| Designed for personal use and anonymity. | Used to connect to your company’s internal network remotely. |
For this article we’ll be discussing Personal VPN only, and at a very simple, high level explanation. Now lets just breakdown “VPN”:
- Virtual means its actual a software and not a physical device located in your home.
- It’s Private because it is encrypted and uses its own IP Address making you anonymous.
- A Network is a group of interconnected virtual and/or physical computers.
So what is a VPN? A VPN will redirect your internet traffic through the VPN remote servers, so you can access global and censored websites privately and securely from their servers’ location without any local restrictions, or having your logs sold from your internet provider to advertising or government agencies.
To connect to the internet your computer uses an Internet Protocol [IP] address. When your traffic is redirected through a VPN, its given a different temporary IP address from them, concealing yours so you can’t be tracked. Now visiting websites can be safe, encrypted and anonymous, without the fear of a hacker going back into your home network directly.
With using a VPN now you can:
- Visit censored or country-restricted websites
- Stop local internet providers from interfering
- Deter hackers while using public Wi-Fi
- Keep your online identity anonymous