If you’re looking for tips on using and making the most of Virtual Private Networks, help is at hand. There are many things you can do to make your experience using VPNs a positive one. VPNs can help you increase your security and privacy levels and hide your activity from prying eyes.
They have been used by businesses seeking to cater for remote workers that need to access files and other data for many years and have become heavily associated with other activities like upgrading security and watching geo-restricted content over recent times.
Read on for tips that will help improve your security and privacy even further when using VPNs.
Activate your firewall
Once you have found a VPN provider that you trust and are ready to start making use of their services, you should activate your firewall. You should be keeping your firewall switched on at all times in any case, but you may also need to invest in a more efficient one that enables you to change the settings as opposed to a firewall that comes with an anti-virus product and won’t let you tweak them. There are many reliable firewall products on the market that allow for enhanced customisation.
Use incognito mode
Make sure your browser is in incognito mode. This will ensure all cookies and your history are wiped once your session comes to an end. It can be easy to overlook the amount of information your browser gives away, so if you are concerned about privacy incognito mode is a must. If you don’t want to reveal your location, make sure you disable geolocation services. Don’t forget that your mobile device may have a number of tracking features. Make sure you switch off your GPS if you don’t want your real location to be leaked.
Need to block cookies?
Cookies can also give away a great deal of personal information. Cookies are often changed into tracking scripts which generate information about your activity so details can be sold to advertisers, but they can also be used for potentially more worrying purposes. You can opt to block cookies altogether or clear them at the end of your browsing session. Some VPNs are better at blocking ads than others, though there are add-ons available that will help if you are hoping to remove ads from your browsing experience.
Bitcoins and untraceable currency
You may also wish to purchase your VPN service using untraceable currency if you’re not willing to give away your credit card details.
When you pay with Bitcoin, it will be impossible for your payment details to be handed over. Many people worldwide use VPNs to access information that is censored by their Government. China is notorious for internet censorship, which is why so many of its citizens have used VPNs to obtain information their Government did not want them to see. China has effectively banned the use of VPNs due to their censorships concerns. Many journalists working in dangerous areas have also used VPNs to hide their real locations and avoid putting themselves at risk.
VPNs and Wi-Fi hotspots
One of the most common reasons for using VPNs is to get secure internet access when using public Wi-Fi hotspots, which have become synonymous with lax security. When you use a VPN, you can log on with your credentials so your activity is concealed from ISP providers. Hackers will find it much harder to steal sensitive information when you are using a VPN. Geo-spoofing is the practice of changing to a fake location and is used for many purposes including accessing information and content unavailable to you in your real location.
The future of geo-spoofing and streaming
If you are using the internet abroad and wish to access a geo-restricted streaming service, you may be able to use a VPN to view the content that you are interested in, though more and more companies are clamping down on this.
Netflix have been making bigger and bigger attempts to stop people gaining access to overseas versions of their service. Though we don’t know quite what the future holds for VPNs, it’s safe to say that they remain just as popular as they have ever been.