There are many reasons why you should use a VPN when online.
- Protect your data from hackers and identity thieves – Identity theft is a scary reality that affects millions of Americans every year. If your browsing on an unsecure internet connection, hackers will be able to gain access to your private information. A VPN will encrypt your data, even when you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi on a mobile device, and make sure that your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
- Avoid Censorship – Whether you’re traveling to Russia or China or you’re online at school or work, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to access a website only to find out it’s been blocked. A VPN will mask your IP Address and change your computer’s location, which will allow you to enjoy whatever online content you want.
- Avoid Geographic Restriction – Imagine that you’re going on a trip abroad, doesn’t matter if it’s to Canada, Europe, or Australia, and at the end of the day you want to sit down and watch Netflix. You may be surprised to see big changes in your Netflix library. This is because every country has access to different shows and movies. Use a VPN that gets around Netflix geo blocking and will allow you keep up with all your favorite shows.
It is legal to use a VPN in the US.
There are some countries such as China that are trying to ban them, but it is very hard to outlaw software that changes your computer’s locations and encrypts all your online activities.
A VPN can have a positive or negative effect on your internet speed. If you notice a slowdown in your internet speed, you can try and change the server you are connected to. Generally speaking, the closer your actual location is to the server, the faster your internet speed will be. Another issue that could slow you down is the number of people connected to a specific server. Changing servers, or purchasing a plan with a static, or dedicated IP, would avoid that slowdown.
On the other hand, you can also see an increase in speed when connected to a VPN. Your ISP has the right to throttle your internet speed based on what websites you are visiting. These are typically sites that can slow down the servers, such a media streaming sites. By encrypting your online activities with a VPN you will be hiding from your ISP, who won’t be able to throttle your speeds.
If speed is important to you, we recommend using ExpressVPN, which is the fastest VPN we tested.
It depends on which VPN you are using.
You should never download torrents or P2P files without a using a VPN. That being said, there are even some VPNs that don’t allow users to torrent on their servers.
Find a VPN, such as NordVPN, that doesn’t keep logs and has servers that are specifically used for torrenting. In the “Options” menu, you can choose to connect to the best server for P2P. This will ensure that your download speed will be quick and you won’t be leaving a footprint for some government agencies to follow.
