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As the Internet and its usage has only grown the last 20 years, so has concern for security for its users. Large companies have been exposed to be vulnerable to hacking and other security breaches, ranging from the Equifax credit report hacking, Brittan’s hospital hack, and every day there seems to be another prominent company explaining how our data was compromised. It is crucial to be plugged-in in today’s world for both professional and personal growth, but it has also never been scarier than 2019 to have your information out in the world. From online purchases to storing passwords, what can you as a user do to protect your information and yourself? That is where a VPN can help.
A VPN, or virtual private network, gives individual users the opportunity to secure their Internet transactions and ensure that unwanted eyes cannot see or eventually use that information. But increased security is not the only benefit that it offers–the advantages of a VPN extend much further. A huge variable that can deter interested users is cost; people don’t often like paying for something when they can’t visibly see the service it’s providing. But for less than the cost of Netflix a month, or even free if it’s not in your budget, you can have your own VPN protection and the ability to rest easy as conduct business online. It should be noted however that free VPNs will be limited in their server location options and therefore to ensure maximum security and convenience, paid-for VPNs will be much more reliable.
Speaking of Netflix, have you ever heard one of your favorite television shows was coming to the streaming service, only to be disappointed to learn it wasn’t for your country? Fear no more, a VPN can solve that problem too. Sites like Netflix use your location to determine what library of media is available to you, but with a VPN for Netflix, your IP address is welcome in any country. No more “This Video Is Not Available In Your Country” notifications, geographical limitations will cease to be effective with a VPN.
As another added benefit of lifting those geographical limitations, a VPN can act as your new and improved travel agent in the 21st century. Prices of flights or other travel needs like rental cars can fluctuate depending on what state you are browsing from–the higher the cost of living, usually the coastal states, the higher the prices will be. But with a VPN, simply connect and start browsing for deep discounts.
In an increasingly mobile world, the ability to have these securities and on the go and not limited to a single location is just as important as the protections themselves. More often than not, we are working in multiple locations–school, work, coffee shops, public transit, etc. A VPN provides the capability to securely work wherever works for you.
Safely browsing the Internet is not any lesson that our parent’s generation anticipated teaching us, and honestly, it may be us teaching them as older groups seem to be vulnerable to scamming and hacking. But as we become more and more dependent on the utility, it is important that we maintain the security that is necessary to grow with it. A VPN is only one step in this, but it is crucial and one of the easiest steps to be made as we attempt to limit the risks of hacking.
