The Internet is usually deemed as a safe space. However, as global dependence on the Internet to connect with people, manage money, and buy goods and services continues to grow, so does cyber crime. Just this year, the user data of over 700 million LinkedIn users was put up for sale. The trove of data acquired by the hackers could be enough to deploy social engineering attacks that could easily compromise users.

Furthermore, the pandemic-induced work-from-culture has encouraged many employers across the globe to use third-party surveillance software to track employee activity and measure their productivity. While companies might be legally entitled to deploy surveillance software to track employee performance, some of these software can track your physical movements, monitor your social media activity and private messages, gain access to your webcam, take screenshots of your screen, and log every keystroke. So, if you use your work laptop at home for things outside of work, there's a good chance that all of your activity is being logged for your employer to see. 

If you are looking for a way to keep your online privacy intact, using a virtual private network (VPN) could be a great solution. In a nutshell, VPNs reroute your Internet traffic through their servers that are strategically located in different countries. These servers aim to help you mask your IP address while encoding all data packets exchanged between your system and the Internet.

VPN Internet Freedom
(Photo : Pexels)

How VPNs Protect You on the Internet 

Rather than directly exchanging information with the Internet, a VPN connection uses various encryption protocols to encode your data while bouncing it off of secure servers located across the world. So, if anyone wants to trace the point of data origin, they'll bump into the VPN server instead. This ensures that you stay anonymous and prevent your employer and other prying eyes from tracking your data outside of your work window. 

It is common for many Internet service providers (ISPs) to selectively cap your bandwidth, as well, especially when your data usage is very high. ISPs typically monitor their users' Internet traffic to offer everyone a positive experience on average. When you mask your IP address through a secure VPN server, ISPs will fail to subject you to bandwidth capping, so you can say goodbye to slow Internet speed.

Moreover, travelers often face Internet censorship when in a different location or country due to licensing agreements particular to that region. Using a VPN server while travelling will allow you to still watch your favorite TV shows from anywhere in the world.

How to Find a Reliable VPN Service Provider 

When choosing a VPN service provider, it is important to check if they store your data and if the encryption protocols allow you to switch between them depending on whether you want higher speeds, enhanced security, or both. 

One global leader in the VPN industry called CyberGhost offers features that aim to keep your online privacy safe with military-grade encryption. They even add an extra layer of protection when you connect to public Wi-Fi at airports or coffee shops. They have over 7,400 servers spread across 91 countries that are secured with 256-bit AES encryption standards and offer multiple widely-accepted protocols like OpenVPN, Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2), and WireGuard, among others.

If you want faster download speeds, you can connect to a server that employs IKEv2 or WireGuard protocol. During online banking, you can select a CyberGhost server that uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is deemed as one of the safest VPN encryption protocols in the world. 

When downloading files, watching movies, gaming, or simply accessing content online, you leave a data trail behind that can be collected to better understand your preferences and essentially who you are. Keeping this in mind, CyberGhost's stringent No-logs policy makes sure that your real IP address, DNS queries, data usage, browsing history, connection and disconnection timestamps, and file downloads are never stored or tracked. They even go a step further to release a quarterly Transparency report for their 38 million users to view online data requests from the police or regulatory authorities, malware activity if any, and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaints. They believe that the best way to protect your data is by not storing it at all.

You can secure up to 7 devices with one CyberGhost membership account and get a 45-day money-back guarantee, depending on the plan you choose. In case of any concerns, you may also get in touch with their 24/7 live customer support team for a quick resolution.

Check out CyberGhost's plans and pricing now.

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