VPNs are a fantastic service for internet users, and their invention has greatly increased the overall usefulness of the internet, especially for people in countries with content restrictions and limitations. Unfortunately, not all VPNs are created equal, so finding the best VPN provider is essential if you are going to reap the full benefits of using such a service.
What’s important to consider is what a VPN can do with your data once you start using its services and what control you have over its use. For instance, free VPNs will often have fine print that enables them to keep track of your browsing habits, store it, and then sell it to companies that use this data for nefarious purposes. So what are all the things a VPN can do with your data, and what are the potential consequences of using such a service?
Let’s take a further look into what happens when your data is sold off, and what ramifications this could have for your online activities, and ultimately, your privacy.
How Does A VPN Work, and Why Do You Want One?
VPNs are basically just a secure channel between you and the internet. The technology generally relies on different types of encryption to keep your data invisible to outside parties, making it an ideal form of private communication.
But it doesn’t end there. VPNs are also able to offer a unique geographical advantage as well, especially for people who live in countries where certain services are restricted. So if you’ve paid for a subscription to a streaming service for movies or music, but it’s inaccessible in your country, you should be able to access it by connecting to a VPN server located in a different country. As a result, users will appear to be connecting from within the other country and can therefore watch or listen as if they were actually there.
VPNs are also very useful when traveling abroad, especially if you have security in mind. Some internet banking services only allow users to access their sites if they are connecting from the country of origin, so connecting to a VPN server back home will allow your bank to accept your login request via the VPN.
The biggest and perhaps most reassuring benefit is that of security and the peace of mind that comes with it. Knowing that all of your communications are safe and secure means that you can browse all of the secure sites that you would normally connect to, but without the uncertainty of connecting through an unsecure connection
This is a difficult question, mainly due to the fact that not all VPNs have the same standards. Generally speaking, most VPNs do not have any access to your information unless they stipulate otherwise. The data that they could have access to can include: data logs, connection logs, source IP addresses, destination IP addresses, and error logs. On the surface, this information might not seem important, but in the wrong hands, it has the potential to leave you vulnerable to cybercriminals and hackers.
What is Data Logging?
Data logging is the process described above, where records are intentionally kept and saved for later use. A decent VPN service will not keep such information and will usually tell its users exactly what kind of data is saved and for how long. Free VPNs, however, might not tell you about the types of data that they track and log, making it extremely difficult to trust them with keeping your information private and confidential. What’s worse is that these services sometimes sell your information to third parties, making you vulnerable to outsiders that have information about your web browsing history and online transaction logs.
What are Zero Logs and Data Leaks?
“Zero logs” is the way that VPNs describe their logging policies, which means that they keep no information about your online activities at all. This is a sign that the VPN takes your privacy seriously, and that they have no intention of tracking your online behavior or keeping a record of it.
The term “data leak” is actually a cybersecurity term, and it describes the process whereby data is disseminated to other parties. This can be done by mistake, through theft, or by selling information to third parties.
By signing up with a VPN that uses a zero logs policy, you are far less likely to fall victim to data leaks or any other security breaches. This is why it is critical to ensure that the VPN provider that you choose does not log data or store your history.
Free VPNs seem like a good idea, but when you dig beneath the surface, a few details emerge that make free VPNs less attractive. The first thing to note about any online service offering is that in almost all cases, the motive is just like any other business: to make a profit. Therefore, even though a VPN might offer their services for free, they need to cover their overhead by generating revenue somehow.
Free VPNs accomplish this by harvesting your data logs and selling them to outside parties. These companies then use this information to target their users by injecting ad campaigns, leaving you vulnerable to unsolicited advertising. Other free VPNs sell your email address and other personal information, making you the target of spam emails and other bandwidth-wasting advertising methods.
As you have probably gathered by now, these practices defeat the whole purpose of employing a VPN in the first place, which makes them more harmful than practical. Free VPNs throttle and shape their connections and usually block protocols such as torrents, making the connection to such VPNs worthless to torrent users.