Virtual Private Network

A VPN (virtual Private Network) is a connection that adds security and privacy to public and private networks, such as WiFi Hotspots and the internet. It allows you to browse the web safely and privately by routing your connection through a server and also hiding your activities online.

It is paramount to understand what exactlyyou are looking for from your VPN. For instance, if you plan on streaming a wide range of videos on an online entertainment app like Hotstar, then you will need a VPN provider that has a big server network and a good connection speed.  A good VPN provider will give you quick server connections as it will have many servers allaround the world.It will also help you in staying anonymous online and keep your data secure, while giving you access to geo-restricted websites.

How VPNs Work?

The VPN server is basically third-party which connects to the web on your behalf.The VPN tunneling creates a point-to-point connection between two devices, that are often the VPN server and your device. The method of tunneling packs your data into standard TCP/IP packets, which are transferred safely across the internet. As the data is encrypted, even internet service providers will not be able to see or gain control of your information as long as you are connected to the VPN server.

When you use VPN, the destination site will see VPN server as the traffic origin and not you. It will become difficult to identify you or your computer as the source of data and also to track your activity online. Additionally, your data is encrypted, which means that even if someone peeked into your data, they would only be able to see encrypted information and not raw data.

What sets the VPN apart from a proxy server?

The proxy server usually acts as an intermediate between your device and the internet. Your internet traffic will get sent along a different route through the proxy server, by making it appear like it has come from there. Censored content can be accessed via a proxy server, which also masks your IP address. Unfortunately, they do not encrypt your traffic, so any information you pass over the connection can be accessed by others, like hackers or identity thieves.

The VPN provides all the above-mentioned benefits of the proxy server, along with securing and encrypting the data between your device and the internet. In this way, VPN adds a layer of privacy and security to the online experience.

If you want to work remotely along with a secure connection and access the internet, then setting up a VPN will be beneficial to you. On the other hand, if you want access to a censored website, then using a proxy server will be a better option. However, it should be noted that neither a proxy, nor a VPN will protect you completely from the cyber security threats you might encounter like an insider stealing your personal data, a ransomware attack or a synchronized infiltration effort.

Is VPN really secure?

The security that VPN offers is often debatable because the services offered by VPN providers are not identical, as far as security is concerned.The type of VPN technology used by the provider might come with its own set of limitations. There are also the legal and policy limitations which directly affect how the technology is used in that country. The country where the server and the VPN providing company are located play a major role, as the laws of these countries will affect how the company implements this technology in their service.

VPN protocols are set up to define how the service handles data transmission over a VPN. The most commonly used VPN protocols are PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, IKEV2 and OpenVPN. However, not at all devices support these protocols. Most of them are built by Microsoft and you will be able to use them on Windows computers. For Apple, L2TP/IPsec is the default protocol. Many VPNs allow you to choose the protocol you use. Your session will be more secure if you connect through protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2.

To obtain encrypted data, plain data istaken and a key or secret code is applied to transform the data in order to encrypt it. The encrypted data can only be read by someone who has the original key used to encrypt the data. It is advisable to look for a mode of data encryption which uses AES algorithm of at least 128 bits. There are also some VPNs that offer AES-256 encryption: NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN.Your VPN provider may provide extreme security, but it all depends on the connection protocol the encryption mechanism uses to handle your information.

It should be noted that the VPN does not fully make you anonymous online. It really depends on the service you choose to opt. You can determine the extent of your anonymity by checking whether the service keeps logs or not. In some cases, the VPN providers are legally complied to keep records by the government. You should also check if the service kept payment records, and if yes, then you should check whether the records included identifying information.

Is the usage of a VPN legal?

Yes, it is legal to use a VPN, but this is not always the scenario. The first point to note is that the concept of VPN is relatively new and most jurisdictions have made no laws against it. This leaves more room for interpretation and leaves the rules in a grey area. In countries like the US, Canada, the UK and most of Western Europe, it is considered alright to use VPN, as more importance is given to the physical location of the VPN. However, the usage of VPN is prohibited in countries like China, turkey, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Oman, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Turkmenistan.

As far as India is concerned, VPNs are legal in India. There are no laws till date that ban the use of VPN services in India. The exceptions to this rule are if users use a VPN for illegal activities online, which include copyright infringement or accessing blocked websites, then they may have to face legal consequences.

The difference between Free VPN and Paid VPN

Most good things do not come for free; the same applies to VPNs as well. A lot of money is invested into running a good VPN service – quality servers, data transfer, infrastructure, employees and much more. Free VPNs may compromise on the quality of the services they offer. They can have more traffic, slower speeds and data transfer limits as well. Sometimes, free VPNs may log the user activity for their own reasons or they might even sell your data to a third party.Weak and easily cracked security isprovided by most free VPNs.Moreover, there are high chances of your browsing being interrupted by ads often. Other times, they also offer limited features so that you can upgrade to a paid service.

Paid VPNs tend to offer protection to your private data online as you are paying for their services. They also provide great network security. Bandwidth and speed limit are not imposed and you can also get access to more server locations. These are some of the features that apaid VPN provides for a better online experience.Keeping all this in mind, paying for a VPN does not seem like a huge investment.

The drawbacks of using a VPN

Although VPNs come with a range of benefits, they also come with their disadvantages as well. The major disadvantage of using a VPN is that it may decrease your speed. This happens because the connection to the internet with a VPN is rerouted and encrypted through the VPN server, thereby leading to a decrease in the speed. Some premium VPN services do not slow down your internet much, but the speed does not always remain the same. There are also chances of you being blocked by certain services. Streaming devices like Netflix block VPN, as they have contracts with movie distributors who only allow them to show content in specific countries, so they are not in favor of VPNs.They block the IP addresses that access their service with large amounts of people at the same time. Premium VPNs like ExpressVPN allow you to use Netflix.

Another drawback of VPN is that it is illegal in certain countries, as they want to completely control the things you see on the internet.Countries like Russia and China allow you to use government approved VPNs only. VPNs are not necessarily illegal there, but they want control over what their citizens access on the internet. VPN providers like NordVPN have developed special obfuscated servers, which can bypass internet restrictions such as the firewalls on the network.

Consumers may also have a hard time trying to check the quality of the encryption. There is no sure-fire way of determining whether the service being provided is really secure or not. An average PC user may not have enough knowledge on cryptography to tell if the VPN provides what it promises.Therefore, before you commit to a VPN provider, at least try and read some user reviews.

Some VPN providers may also compromise on the security and sell your private data to third parties. Studies reveal that many free VPNs do this and some even mention it clearly in their license agreement that they might do this.Surprisingly, there are also some companies who claim that they do not save your data, but later on have been found to do so. All this again hints at the fact that you should look at several sources and go through their reviews before subscribing to a VPN service provider.

Conclusion

If you are taking your online security and privacy seriously, then it is a good idea to use a VPN. It comes in handy as it is another medium to protect your data online, along with SSL protocols on websites and having a good anti-virus program. The advantages that the VPN carry outweigh its downsides. Keep in mind that you need not buy new equipment, such as a router or modem or hire a bunch of techies to help you set up a VPN. The deeper you get to know about how the internet works, the more convinced you would be to opt for a VPN. Carefully consider which VPN provider is best for you and choose the one that serves the purpose.