The world has easily embraced the Internet due to its power to offer global connectivity, purchase real goods and services, and make life more convenient in many ways. As our dependence on the Internet grows day by day, though, we end up sharing a lot of sensitive information online, including banking credentials, personal details, locations, and even the rights to monitor our web activity. 

Although there are many modern encryptions in place to keep our online data secure, some people with malicious intent continue to create ways to infiltrate secure systems, track other people's online activities, and subsequently steal their sensitive information for various purposes. While you don't necessarily have to add layers of protection for all of your online activities, you may want to keep your sensitive information with the help of a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

What is a VPN?

A VPN is basically like a virtual sandbox that takes in data originating from your system in an encoded form before sending it out to the Internet. Similarly, data that is headed your way is encoded by the VPN before it reaches your system.

A VPN can mask your IP address, geolocation, and several other details that people with malicious intent are usually after. So, if anyone wants to trace the data packets, they'll arrive at the conclusion that it is originating from the VPN network instead of yours.

Outfox Advertisers With a VPN

When visiting a website, you will usually be asked to accept cookies before you can view the content. In some cases, there won't be any prompt at all. By accepting these cookies, you basically agree to share data about yourself that advertisers can use for targeted advertising. Unfortunately, this could become a gateway for hackers if the website gets compromised. 

Since a VPN hides your IP address and reroutes your data through their worldwide servers, your privacy will stay safe. You will be able to avoid risks of data hacks, as well as advertisement spam.

Prevent Identity Theft

Wi-Fi networks, particularly in public places like coffee shops and airports, could be vulnerable, too. These unsafe networks might be swarming with hackers who are hoping to steal information from people. So, if you are on-the-go and tend to rely on these networks, you could be susceptible to data hacks. 

A VPN adds a layer of security by encrypting and decrypting all inbound and outbound data with a key that can only be deciphered by your device and the VPN network. Since your data will bounce off several VPN servers while in transit, hackers will be less likely to go through the trouble of decrypting your device if you use a VPN.

Protection From Employee Surveillance

Since the onset of the pandemic and the work-from-home culture that followed, many employers have been deploying third-party surveillance software to remote workstations, citing that it would help them monitor employee performance. Little do employers know that these surveillance software could take remote control of webcams, read personal chats, and even take screenshots of your computer activity that might not be essential to understand employee output. 

VPNs offer a simple solution by protecting your identity. When using a VPN, outbound data will look like gibberish to those attempting to track and monitor it. So, any online activity taking place outside of your work window will be masked and won't be tracked by your employer.

Prevent ISPs From Capping Your Internet Speed

If your data consumption is very high, your ISP might choose to reroute your data through slower channels. This process is called bandwidth shaping or throttling. 

In order to identify users with high bandwidth consumption trends, ISPs monitor Internet traffic to selectively limit their Internet speed, especially for activities like downloading mega-sized files or using HD streaming services.

By using a VPN that protects your identity and masks your IP address, your ISP won't be able to detect the origin of the high bandwidth consumption, and will fail to trace or monitor your system. Subsequently, they will fail to subject you to bandwidth throttling. 

Get Access to Your Favorite Content Anywhere

If you are on vacation and want to check out a new episode from your favorite Netflix show, there's a chance you might not be able to find it due to licensing agreements, which are particular to each country. This could be quite frustrating for digital nomads and frequent travelers.

If you travel to Europe from the US, for example, and face content censorship, you can simply use a VPN and select a server from the US to reroute all of your Internet traffic through it. This way, you will still be able to check out any content released in the US, which you might not have access to in a different country.  

While there are several global leaders in the VPN industry, NordVPN offers over 5,400 superfast servers spread across 59 countries. Their secure servers eliminate data censorship and protect you from anyone trying to snoop in on your online activity. You may secure multiple devices with your NordVPN account, as well, and it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Don't miss their ongoing Black Friday deal and enjoy 72 percent off on their membership today.

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