Virtual private networks have grown from a niche networking tool to a major industry. You’ve definitely seen the Super Bowl commercials, podcasts, and adverts from your favourite YouTubers touting the benefits of the Best VPN Reddit virtual private network (VPN) in making you anonymous online and granting you access to free video streaming. 

Are the claims made about the products true? Virtual private networks (VPNs) can help you stay anonymous online, but before you use one, you should know how it works. 

Just What Is a Virtual Private Network?

“Virtual Private Network” signifies what a VPN is. While most people picture a commercial VPN being sold to individuals for everyday usage when they hear the term “VPN,” the concept of VPNs actually has far-reaching potential. Companies have been using virtual private networks (VPNs) to provide employees remote access to company resources even before COVID-19 made telecommuting usual.

A virtual private network (VPN) establishes an encrypted link (also referred to as a “tunnel”) between your device and a remote server run by the Best VPN Reddit provider the moment you turn it on. This tunnel carries all of your data as it travels to the server, and from there, it goes out into the public internet as normal. Everything that goes out to the internet also goes back to your device via the VPN server, encrypted connection, and the internet.

How does a VPN Work?

A third party is not required to set up a virtual private network (VPN). Set up your own with a few options, including Outline. While the actual process is easy, the requirement to own or rent a server makes it more complicated. 

Making self-hosted VPNs easier to access is an ongoing endeavour, but it’s still best left to tech-savvy hackers and do-it-yourselves.

Are You Really More Anonymous When Using a VPN?

Your online activity might be more difficult, but not impossible, to trace when you use a virtual private network (VPN) to encrypt and redirect your data. While no VPN can guarantee complete anonymity, they can greatly enhance your privacy.

VPNs additionally render it more difficult for anyone to trace your online activities, such as advertisements. In a typical scenario, your device’s IP address is used to send data from the internet to it. 

Anyone monitoring your online activity will only be able to see the IP address of the VPN server while the VPN is operational, masking your actual IP address. Anonymizing your online activity by masking your IP address is one-way virtual private networks (VPNs) protect you from prying eyes.

That being said, virtual private networks (VPNs) do not provide absolute anonymity when communicating online. Advertisers, for example, can track your online activities in a variety of ways. In an effort to identify you and your online activities, websites use tracking technologies and cookies to monitor your movements.

Advertisers and websites can also track your online activities by collecting information about your browser and screen resolution, among other unique attributes. This data is innocuous by itself, but when collected in sufficient quantities, it creates a distinctive signature; this is known as browser fingerprinting. 

Also, when we pay for services, we often have to give up some privacy. You can’t escape Amazon, Google, and Meta (formerly Facebook) because they are now essential parts of the modern internet infrastructure. Data harvesting will continue even after you delete all accounts and never use them again.

Alternatives to VPNs are necessary to address these privacy concerns. A few browser add-ons and independent apps, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Privacy Badger, are designed to block ads and trackers, which helps with some of these issues.