Why Using a VPN is More Important Than Ever When You’re Online

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If you’re not using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) as often as you can when you’re online, you’re putting yourself at risk. These days, especially with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their hands, scammers, hackers, data brokers, and even some government agencies are doing so.

If you’re not familiar with what a VPN does, here’s a brief recap. It keeps spies, hackers, and others from seeing and tracking what you do online. It does that by taking whatever internet network you’re using and rerouting your connection and traffic onto a safe, secure network, where no one can see what you’re up to.

Using a VPN is the key to it all.

The VPN does one thing primarily and does it well. The main trick a VPN does when it’s on is to hide (or “mask”) your active IP address by assigning you a different one. On top of that, it takes your online connection from the network you’re on (whether at home or on public Wi-Fi) and reroutes your activity through a secure server and network.

Why using a VPN is important, more than ever.

Here are the top four reasons why using a VPN is a very smart idea for anyone in today’s world.

A VPN protects you when you’re using public Wi-Fi. When you’re on free Wi-Fi at a coffee shop or airport, you don’t need a password. That means anyone can be on that network. Sometimes, anyone can be a hacker. A VPN reroutes your connection through its secure network. The hacker cannot monitor your data or steal any personal information while you’re online. (But he can look at the data of others on that network.)
You can thwart tracking and data profiling by your internet provider. One way for ISPs to make money is by selling their customers’ browsing histories to advertisers. However, if you use a VPN, your internet traffic leaves your ISP’s network, so they’re unable to monitor your activity.
You’ll be able to get around geo-blocks and even censorship. Streaming services restrict customers to their own geographic region, which is why some sporting events are blocked for users. Some governments will block internet access for their citizens, preventing IP addresses from reaching content in other areas. A VPN, which masks a user’s actual IP address, gets around those blocks and restrictions.
Staying a step ahead of AI. Artificial intelligence is here, and it’s in the hands of scammers, fraudsters, hackers, and thieves. If there’s ever a time to strengthen your digital defenses, it’s now.

“I recommend signing up for a top-rated VPN to anyone who uses public Wi-Fi or unsecured networks.” – Chris Parker

Choose from the best VPNs: We can give you a head start.

Many top-rated VPNs cost just a few dollars a month when you opt for a two- or three-year subscription. Better still, some well-regarded and well-rated VPNs (PrivadoVPN, Proton VPN, and Windscribe, for example) offer free versions with some feature limitations. However, they might be all you need.

To see which VPNs are the top-reviewed and highest-rated, visit our exclusive VPN TruRank list.

A refresher course on the IP address.

But first, a quick lesson on IP addresses, if you need an overview refresher. Note: You can do more research later by checking out the easy-to-read, non-technical articles in our VPNs menu on our home page.

An IP address is the heart of an internet connection. You might think your computer, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or a browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari is the key to your internet connection—for sure, they all play a role. But your IP address is at the heart of being connected to the world online. If you’re wondering “what is my IP address right now,” just click here (to our home page) to see it.
Your IP address doesn’t belong to you and doesn’t follow you wherever you go. It is temporarily assigned to you by your internet provider for the network you’re on. So, when you leave home and use the free Wi-Fi at the coffee shop down the street to write your novel, your IP address will change.
The IP address you’re using at any given moment is public. With just a few clicks, any website you visit or person you email can see your IP address. That’s not inherently a bad thing. To send you information or reply to your email, their computer or network needs your IP address. It’s the heart of it all.
You share the same IP address with others on your home or office network. Your IP address isn’t unique to you; an ISP gives an office, home, or coffee shop a single IP address. Other systems and technology sort it all out so that you interact with the outside world one-to-one. So even though your roommate or family may have the same working IP address, other computer identifiers
Marketers, your ISP, companies, and others can track your home internet activity using your IP address. Law enforcement and government agencies can easily link a home address to an IP address.
Finally, your internet provider (or a public Wi-Fi network) isn’t concerned about your privacy. Making your IP address less accessible to the world and protecting your privacy aren’t your ISP’s concerns. They connect you to the world, which is great, but that’s about it.

There are risks to not using a VPN, and the reasons are growing.

Both internet security professionals and privacy experts will tell you there are risks to not protecting your IP address or ensuring you’re always using a secure network. Here’s why.

One of the major problems stems from data brokers that collect information about all of us. As it turns out, data brokers do collect, share, and sell IP addresses.

More than that, using other tools, they can zero in on your geographic location, build a profile of the users at the IP address, and sell that information to marketers and advertisers.

They can even go a step further and milk your IP address for all its worth. Here’s how:

Tracking and profiling. With your IP addresses in hand, data brokers can follow your activity across the internet and build a profile of it.
Location tracking. You may not know it, but it’s possible for anyone to determine where you live by using tools that home in on your IP address, which is public record. Although websites can’t get your name and address directly from your IP address, they can pinpoint your location fairly well.
Putting a face (yours) on IP addresses. It’s called “de-anonymization,” and it’s the final step in invading your privacy by linking your IP address to other information collected about you. With millions of data points, brokers cross-reference IP addresses with your personal information and, bingo, can put a name to a number… your IP address.

It’s time to use a VPN as often as you can.

Opening a VPN account is easy and fast; you don’t need advanced technical skills. Plus, you can use it on several devices, sometimes as many as 5-10. (That means you can share your account with family members.)

In short, there’s no reason to risk exposing your IP address—and your personal information—online anymore. In today’s world, that’s more important than ever.

Visit our Learning Center for more resources.

To learn more about protecting your privacy and boosting your security with a VPN, visit the WhatIsMyIPAddress.com Learning Center. There, you can browse hundreds of articles and interviews to help you stay safe.

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