NSA Whistleblower and privacy advocate Edward Snowden once said:
“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”
The next time someone tries to tell you they have nothing to hide, be sure to ask if they have curtains in their windows or a lock on their bathroom door!
We all have a right to a private life, and using a VPN can help ensure that.
How does a VPN protect my privacy?
When you use a reliable VPN service like hide.me VPN, your device establishes a secure, encrypted connection to the VPN server.
This means if your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is monitoring your traffic, it’s almost impossible to tell which websites you’re visiting and which web apps you’re using.
As your connection is routed through the VPN server, your device’s IP address (and, therefore, your location) is hidden. This makes it harder for websites to track your online activity.
What if I’m not doing anything illegal?
Hackers and other cybercriminals sometimes use VPNs to break the law, as they offer some degree of anonymity. Still, there are perfectly lawful reasons to protect your online privacy, too.
For instance, if you’re visiting a website to get a life insurance quote, would you want them to know that you’ve just been searching online for books on how to quit smoking?
Similarly, if you’re buying a surprise birthday present for someone, you may not want websites to display ads for similar gifts after the purchase in case they see it.
Can a VPN protect me from online advertising?
Even if you haven’t registered an account, many websites try to serve you advertising content based on your IP address. If you regularly connect to the internet via different VPN servers, sites will find it harder to serve you relevant ads.
This said some platforms use browser fingerprinting to gather unique information about your hardware and software to identify you. Using a VPN in itself won’t protect you from this kind of profiling.
This is why we recommend using an open-source web browser with fingerprint-resistant features like Brave.
If you use the hide.me VPN client, you can also deploy SmartGuard to block ads, trackers and harmful websites.
What if I don’t care about everyone knowing all my online activity?
Even if you think no one could use your online activity against you, VPNs are an important tool for resisting censorship.
For instance, in China, many popular Western websites like Facebook and the New York Times are blocked.
When you use a VPN, the server fetches the content you need. If it’s based outside the country practicing censorship, then you’ll be able to access blocked websites.
Even countries with good human rights records sometimes censor websites. For example, after the Snowden revelations in 2013, the US Military blocked the website of the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ for all troops stationed abroad.
What if I just use the internet for streaming video/playing games?
If you only watch streaming content or play video games, it’s unlikely that anyone could use this information against you.
Still, using a VPN can help you in this case as it protects you from ISP ‘throttling.’ This is the practice of deliberately slowing down or even blocking certain types of content. As your VPN traffic is encrypted, your ISP will be unable to interfere with videos you watch or games you play.
What if I only use the internet for work?
Virtual Private Networks were originally invented as a way for employees to securely dial in remotely to their corporate intranet.
These days, a reliable Business VPN can still offer workers a way to access files and network resources safely. Encrypting traffic in this way also hugely reduces the chance of a data breach. This makes your organization much more likely to be compliant with data protection legislation like GDPR.
What if I want to do online banking? Don’t they block VPNs?
Banking websites do have built-in safeguards to prevent unauthorized use. However, it’s a myth that you can’t use a VPN for online banking. Some institutions like Bank of America actually encourage users to deploy a VPN.
Although your connection to the bank will almost certainly be secured by TLS, using a VPN means that even with access to your ISP’s records, no one will know where you bank, which means it’s much less likely fraudsters target you.
What if I regularly use public WiFi?
Our first advice is always to avoid using Public WiFi networks if possible. It’s relatively easy for bad actors to connect to the same network to try to monitor your traffic. Some cyber criminals even set up a ‘honeypot’ wireless network to trick innocent people into connecting and sharing their personal data.
Still, if you’ve no choice, then using a VPN is the best way to stay safe on Public WiFi. As all your traffic is encrypted before leaving your device, even if a hacker is ‘sniffing’ your data packets, they can’t gain any useful information about your online activity.
Will using a VPN protect me from hackers?
For a hacker to launch a successful attack, they usually need to know that your device exists and its IP address.
This is why VPNs are an excellent choice for online gaming: as you’re connecting to the game server via a VPN, the real IP address of your computer or game console is protected. This makes it much harder for bad actors to engage in ‘swatting’ or ‘denial of service’ attacks.
As using a VPN encrypts your traffic, it’s also very difficult for hackers to know which specific websites you’re using. If they don’t have this information, there’s no way for them to put together a fake ‘phishing‘ message from your bank or email provider.
What won’t a VPN hide?
If your ISP is monitoring your connection, it’s fairly simple for them to detect you’re using a VPN unless you’ve deployed a stealth protocol to disguise your traffic.
As we’ve learned, a VPN can help hide the websites/web apps you access, as well as your device’s IP address.
Still, this won’t provide complete protection against social engineering attacks, such as bogus emails. VPNs in themselves also won’t prevent users from accidentally downloading malware, though some, like ours come with extra features to filter harmful domains.
Using a VPN also won’t prevent your device from recording your browser history, though you can configure it always to use ‘incognito’ mode.
What else can I do to hide my online activity?
To stay safe online, make sure to use a VPN-friendly browser with ad-blocking and anti-fingerprinting features. As we’ve seen, you can also use incognito mode to leave no trace of your browsing on your device.
Given that most malware is designed for Windows consider switching your PC to the Linux operating system, which has built-in support for powerful protocols like OpenVPN.
Make sure your device also uses full disk encryption in case it falls into the wrong hands. If you’re traveling, try to use a private 4G/5G data connection instead of Public WiFi.
When choosing a VPN, make sure it also has a strict ‘no log‘ policy so you can be sure they keep no record of your browsing data.
We love bringing you this content and hope it helps keep you safe and secure online. Feel free to share it with your friends, too.
Here at hide.me we are all about internet freedom, and we are happy to be in a position to bring that to everyone. That is why we give you a 30-day money-back guarantee on our Premium plan. No questions asked and no logs recorded.
If you have any questions, please feel to contact our 24/7 support team either at support@hide.me or via live chat.
