A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet traffic and disguises your online identity by creating a private network for a private internet connection.

It is a key privacy tool that can be used when in a public wi-fi hotspot (such as a coffee shop or hotel lobby) and you wish to prevent malicious actors from positioning themselves between yourself and an unsecure connection point, where they can potentially steal your data.

Recently, VPNs have become popular due to their ability to allow users to change their perceived location, but VPN’s have a number of significant security advantages that can help you secure your data privacy online. Here are three ways VPNs improve your data privacy.

Making public WI-FI safer

As there is no need for authentication to establish a connection on public wi-fi, malicious actors can use WI-FI hotspots to get access to unsecured devices that are on the same network.

If malicious actors succeed in positioning themselves between your device and the connection point, you will be sending all of your information directly to them instead of the intended location.

Through using a VPN, even if a malicious actor manages to position themselves as such, the data you are sending will be strongly encrypted, making it much harder for a malicious actor to decode your information.

More secure anonymous browsing

The private browsing options that most popular browsers use do not completely ensure the information on your browsing sessions are kept secret.

VPNs encrypt the data trail you leave when browsing the internet, and give you an IP address that can’t be traced back to you. This makes for a much more secure anonymous browsing that other actor will find more difficult to gain access to.

Secure remote work

As an employee, your company can establish a private VPN network to ensure staff, that are working remotely, can access the business or company’s network securely. This means that sensitive company data can be shared securely in the knowledge that the communication is encrypted and the network secure from the threat of cyberattacks. If your company has an IT security team, consult them first for guidance on what VPN solution to invest in, as they will be the best suited to understand what software is best suited to the security needs of your work.