Whether you want to protect your data or just stream content from another location, a good VPN can help. Our product editors review two of the best virtual private networks to sign up for right now RSRecommends
Originally, it was mostly businesses and governments that used VPNs, as they had employees logging in from all over the globe, and needed to keep data secure and private. But nowadays, VPNs are available to anyone, and expanding streaming services are just one advantage they offer, with the biggest being a serious boost in security.
As our devices become interconnected and hackers’ tools gets better, we strongly recommend everyone with an internet connection use a VPN if you’re not already.Every time you send out information online, a VPN creates a secure pathway, guarding your data so others can’t see or steal it. Normally when you visit a website, your device communicates with their server, which then responds back with loading the site you want. But with a VPN, an extra secure step is added – first your device sends information to the VPN’s server, andon to the website’s server. It may seem like adding an extra step is making the process more complicated, but there are a host of benefits to this, even besides the obvious one of beefed-up security.
And it’s not just for streaming either – changing your location is a major advantage when booking flights and hotels, as their rates often change depending on where they see you’re connecting from. Every connected device has an IP address, or a unique sequence of numbers, sort of like an online license plate. But using a VPN will mask that IP address, freeing you up to be anonymous in the eyes of any site you go to.
This works in reverse too: When you’re traveling in other countries, and want to get on to a site from your home country that’s blocked, a VPN lets you effortlessly get around that blockage.Without a VPN, websites have full view of your information, and hackers have the chance to grab data being sent between you and the website you’re going to.