Protect your data and your privacy with a VPN
If you like watching Youtube as much as I do, you may have noticed that your favourite Youtubers got sponsored by different companies offering a VPN service. But what is a VPN? Is it really useful ? What is currently on the market?
In a era where we spend more and more time online, protecting our data and privacy is the key to surf safely.
VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is basically a shield to protect you from hackers. How? With secure and encrypted connections, VPNs give you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. VPNs mask your IP address so your online actions are virtually untraceable.
If you travel a lot or if you go shopping, it’s very tempting to use free Wi-Fi: please don’t! As mentioned in one of our previous article, one of the easiest way to get hacked. This is why a VPN is useful : it protects you no matter what you do online, you won’t have to worry about getting your bank details or passwords stolen.
While surfing online, a VPN can hide a lot of information that can put your privacy at risk, such as your browsing history, your IP address and location, your location for streaming, your devices and your web activity.
Although, there is one feature that might interest you if you watch Netflix a lot…
Geo-localization
Have you watched every series and movies on Netflix during quarantine? Is there a specific show everyone is talking about online but you can’t have access to it because you live in another country? Dry your tears, because thanks to VPN services, you can geo-localize yourself anywhere in the world.
Most of VPNs will show you a map with different private networks you can choose from. Say hello to the American catalog or, even the Japanese one! Depending on the country, there are even exclusive series you’ve never heard of. Just make sure you activate your VPN before lauching any app, software or browser. Of course, this trick also works with Youtube and Disney+.
On another note, if you are doing research on a specialized topic and you struggle to find further information, geo-localizing yourself elsewhere might be interesting to get access to extra-studies, papers, articles in other languages you know.
What’s on the market?
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, SharkVPN…There are plenty of fish in the sea. Most of these services offer you a free trial or 2-to-3-years plan for an interesting price (look out for those sponsorships I talked about at the beginning, it’s a bargain at that price). You can also protect several devices at the same time: computers, smartphones, tablets…
Depending on your needs and the price you are ready to invest in a VPN, it’s up to you to choose. Some VPNs are easier to use, some are more complex.
In conclusion, for the past years we saw how vulnerable our data and privacy are when they’re unprotected. Even the biggest companies got hacked because they didn’t have enough protection. Let’s use a VPN shield against the bad guys!
