Do You Trust Your VPN? Are You Sure?

Virtual Private Network (VPN) – the ultimate platform to ensure security of data on the internet and protection of privacy. Whether you access your desktop, laptop or even smartphone from home or from your assigned office cubicle, a VPN guarantees protection of data from snooping and manages user access as well.

Now, you might be overwhelmed with questions like what exactly a VPN is, how effective it is, and how to find the best one among a plethora of options.

Let’s start with the definition of a virtual private network service.

What is a VPN?

VPN or virtual private network service is intended to provide ultimate security to your internet connection and online privacy. By creating an encrypted tunnel for your data, VPN helps in protecting your online identity by hiding your IP address. Henceforth, this network service ensures safety usage of public Wi-Fi hotspots.

What is the need of a VPN?

Even if you have nothing to hide, it’s obvious that you don’t like to be watched and tracked. And here comes the need for virtual private network service.

• Hackers are familiar with various methods to sneak your data secretly while browsing through public hotspots. But VPN allows you to browse in full privacy even when you use public Wi-Fi.
• VPN is also used for free and safe access of content from any corner of the world. The network service changes your IP address and helps you get connected to the Internet via a remote server.
• It is true that many agencies and governmental bodies track your browsing activity, and even collect messages, other personal data. Virtual private networks protect you from that too. It encrypts your traffic and hides your IP address to ensure protection to your browsed data & activity.

Using virtual private network service helps protect your data from theft and getting hacked by experts. However, it is quite challenging & confusing to be sure of the fact that your VPN service is actually protecting your browsed content, data and activity.

There are numerous things to consider before you opt for VPN. Moreover, there are some signs that you can take care of to ensure authenticity of your VPN.

While selecting a virtual private network service, you might be overwhelmed with reviews and options suggesting to you the best VPN service providers. And this brings up a crucial question like; how to know that the claims the providers make are reliable? How to figure out which VPN service can ensure ultimate online privacy & data security.

Well, the below mentioned points might help you answer these questions.

1. Have a Clear-Cut Policy about Logging

It is quite difficult to be aware of what kind of information a VPN service is logging. There are many service providers who keep a track of all your data logs, especially of your IP address and your time of logging on and off. However, this step might hamper your online privacy, and there are chances that the network service provider collects more than the needed information.

You are also advised to have a thorough reading of the log policy of your service provider before signing up. Also, make sure that you make some time out to do a comparison of some VPN service providers. Remember no two service providers will have the same policies.

2. Don’t Hesitate to Ask Questions

Never hesitate to clarify things with your chosen virtual private network service provider before you make the final deal. You might be unsure of the working technique of your dedicated provider. Make sure that you ask them questions and clarify things about vital things like: logging policies, kill switch, Warrant Canary, ip leaks,  data storage system, privacy maintenance and so on. Furthermore, make a note that the services are available only for premium customers like you, or anyone can avail the services at zero cost.

3. Make Sure it is Paid

It is pointless to say that a paid VPN service is definitely more safe, secure and trustworthy than a free one. Free virtual private network service often makes money by selling advertisements. On the other hand, paid VPN service doesn’t rely on ads to get their revenue.

Even after opting for paid VPN service, if the service provider offers a free plan, it is highly imperative to check out their terms of service and privacy policy. You are also advised to be aware of the fact that the service provider has another set of standards for premium users.

The Bottom Line

It is likely that you will come across VPN service providers who compromise with the security and privacy of their premium users. Henceforth, it is essential to make comparisons and research to figure out that your network service provider can actually make your browsing safer.

Author Bio

Alice Jackson is a blogger and Digital Marketing Consultant at a crowdsourcing company. She is a social media enthusiast, online market analyst, amateur designer, logo creator, and an avid author. She has written on several topics including social media marketing, content marketing, business phone number, designing trends, startup strategies, and e-commerce. When not writing, she loves spending her time reading romantic novels