What Can a VPN Do for You?

VPN can help to protect you in a few key ways:

• VPN encrypt all the data you send over the internet

When you’re connected to a VPN server, all your internet traffic is encrypted. This means that nobody can see what you’re doing online, not even your internet service provider (ISP). And that means your ISP can't throttle your speeds either.

Encryption stops hackers from seeing sensitive information that you enter into websites, like your passwords. This is especially important if you’re using public WiFi because it's easy for cybercriminals to monitor your connection on public networks. But a VPN makes sure that even if someone stole your data, they wouldn't be able to decrypt it or even understand it.

• Your VPN also protects your privacy

• Websites and services use your IP to determine your location. When you connect to a VPN server, your IP address won't be visible. Because they can no longer see your real IP, they can’t see where you’re located.

• Some VPNs block malicious websites, ads, and trackers

• Malicious websites can download malware and trackers onto your device without you knowing. VPNs with built-in protection help to prevent infections by blacklisting these sites before they can do damage. Some also block ads and pop-ups. This stops malicious ads from infecting your device with malware.

• How Do VPNs Work?

• Your VPN directs all of your internet traffic through to one of its servers, where it's encrypted. For example, you might be in the UK and connect to a US server. The VPN sends your traffic from the UK to the US, completely encrypted. Because it’s encrypted, your ISP can no longer see your online activity, where you've come from, or track you.

• From there, your VPN server forwards your traffic to the website you’re visiting. The site sees the VPN server as the origin of your traffic, instead of your device. This means that it also sees your VPN server’s IP address instead of yours. The best VPNs use thousands of servers and update their IP addresses regularly, so sites don't have enough time to blacklist them. And that means, you stay completely private and undetectable.