The rising popularity of the internet in 2000 enabled avid techies young and old to start surfing the World Wide Web.
With this, came fame, fortune, and a completely new way to find information. From news sites, to online encyclopedias, social media networks and much more.
However, a far more sinister incentive drove certain criminals to try and squeeze personal, private information from web users when they visited websites, or innocently surfed the net.
Often, these web users would have no idea that their data was being tracked, and traced and potentially used to extort money.
Web security systems flourished, claiming to create fire walls and virus scans. Some companies can even legally keep data about an individual for marketing reasons, which are sometimes just as unwanted as those trying to steal data without consent – it’s very difficult these days to know just how much of your data can be gathered while online.
One extremely popular option for web users who wish to keep their data anonymous, is to use a VPN.
VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network”. This brilliant invention, allows users to create a protected network connection whilst surfing the internet. A VPN can ultimately encrypt usage of the internet and disguise online identity.
By doing this, a VPN can make it extremely difficult for unscrupulous third parties to track someone’s online navigations, thus preventing data theft.
VPNs hide the most important piece of data we have when going online, our IP address. The IP Address is a stamp our computers use to let the websites we visit know who or where we are located in the world, in many cases this is fine, and can even be a help, it also presents a privacy issue where this is not the case.
A remote server run by a VPN host acts as the source of your data which prevents the Internet Service Provider or, ISP, from seeing the websites a user will visit, it also protects any data you send or receive online. It changes visible tangible data into something completely indecipherable – a nightmare for hackers or criminals after your data.
Here are our top three VPNs we recommend considering when looking to protect your data online:
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- Atlas VPN
Securing your data online can be a necessity especially if you are working remotely in a public place, and need a secure connection for work purposes, whatever the reason, your data should be private and not open to people who you do not know, from bank details, to passwords, to private personal conversations, the reasons are endless as to why it is important to use a VPN in the 21st Century.
Stay safe online, and consider the benefits of VPNs.