Sandra Bullock’s 2009 starrer, The Blind Side, showed audiences that protective instincts for your loved ones can indeed be a formidable force both on a sports platform and on the gridiron of life as well. Just like we consider locking all windows, doors, and walkways to keep our homes safe and secure, we need to learn to protect ourselves online as well. This is why lack of cyber security should be a prime concern for today since the maximum time online is being spent.

And while many digital tools may come in handy, utilizing a VPN correctly can honestly protect your digital self from all kinds of cyber harm!

Defining VPN & Its Use in Daily Life

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is essentially software, which helps protect and secure a user’s online connection in different ways. The VPN is supposed to safeguard the ‘root’ of all your digital activity, i.e. your IP address. The IP address is identical to a physical address. Just as a person’s physical presence is connected to their physical location i.e. their home address, similarly they are connected to the internet via their IP address, which is provided to them by their internet service provider.

For instance, if you reside in Hawaii and you have just acquired a top service provider such as Hawaii Telecom, your devices will receive an IP address by the ISP, which allows sending and receiving encrypted data.

Even though most internet providers now provide built-in security features, which ensure that your connection is always safe from all kinds of cyber risks amidst digital aspects of high vulnerability, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Nonetheless, if you employ a VPN, its goal is to shield all the info that is sent between your device and the respective server, so any kind of onlookers are not able to view the details of your content.

Online Privacy & Digital Security for All

The key benefits associated with VPN are essentially two – online privacy and digital security. Employing a VPN for your service network helps to mask important info such as a person’s IP address or digital location, along with their online search history so that a user is not tracked by malicious spyware or websites to the point that it helps to conceal a person’s online activity from their ISP as well.

The main objective behind the adoption of such privacy measures for any user is to protect their digital identity and sensitive information in the elusive world of the World Wide Web. However, that’s not all. Both parents and academia are now equipping young people to employ measures of responsible internet use since digital exposure has drastically risen due to the pandemic when the world was forced to move their daily activities to online platforms.

Why Kids Have Started Using VPNs More Frequently?

With teens and young kids spending more and more time on the internet, they must be taught to become digitally independent. This is where home VPNs come in handy as young people today are far more aware of online dangers than peers before were. However, that’s also because cybercrime was not as convoluted as it is today.

That’s why, more and more youngsters utilize home VPNs so that they can protect important confidential info such as their actual physical address on social media platforms, where things are not as glitzy as portrayed. Hence, young people today are more self-aware of the kind of information they should share online as cybercrooks are now able to locate a user’s physical location accurately. This major shift has caused many youngsters, even minors to employ a VPN for their shared devices at home or even for their gadgets.

Why Do You Need to Employ VPN When Using Public Wi-Fi?

While ISPs are unable to decipher the digital contents of a user’s online traffic when they are using a VPN, this is especially useful if you prefer to work in public spaces such as coffee shops or co-working spaces.

However, some people prefer to use public Wi-Fi networks for various reasons. One is to save extensively on service costs, as this is less pricey than the residential internet options available in the market. And two, to enjoy the new normal again that was the norm in the pre-pandemic world before the world closed down on everyone.

Nonetheless, if your ISP is not offering you cost-effective deals, you may want to think again. After all, no two providers or their monthly bundles are identical. Take, for instance, Hawaiian Tel internet prices. These are not just budget-friendly but ensure that you don’t have to resort to working with questionable Wi-Fi networks available in public spaces.

Wrapping Up

Even though VPN usage even at home has increased drastically with time, this kind of network is not without its set of drawbacks. The most important thing that one should remember is that it shouldn’t be considered an all-inclusive safety solution for there could be a catch that may be unbeknownst to the average internet user. Moreover, it is best to check the level of encryption that your specified VPN software has assured you to provide. This way you can use the tool with caution and literally at your discretion.