VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, are gaining popularity and it’s hard to navigate the Web these days without seeing lots of ads for VPNs. They claim to protect and secure your privacy and they can be valuable. But they can also be expensive.
Should you use a VPN?
The question is rather complex because there are many factors to consider. First, I would want to know whether you’re using a VPN for privacy reasons or if it’s just a way of accessing blocked content. The latter could be seen as completely acceptable while the former not so much.
VPNs offer privacy
If you’re using a VPN for privacy reasons, then it’s likely that the government is already monitoring your IP address. The power of the state to monitor and track citizens has increased dramatically in recent years which means if they want to find out what you’re doing online, they can. Using a VPN would be seen as an attempt to avoid this but it’s not really feasible.
Of course, using a VPN can help you to avoid the mass surveillance of your government. But it’s unlikely that they wouldn’t target you for other reasons. For example, if I were in a country with freedom of speech and expression under threat (like China or North Korea), then I would be more than happy to use a VPN as often as possible.
The issue with using a VPN in countries like this is that it can be seen as an attempt to undermine the government because you may be accessing content which criticizes the regime. It’s not just freedom of speech that the state tries to control, but also free flow of information.
I’d say it’s better to use a VPN as little as possible and only when absolutely necessary. You don’t want the government or anyone else for that matter to know what you’re doing at any given time.
The other side of the coin is, if you’re using a VPN for something completely innocent like accessing geo-locked content or just hiding your identity to remain anonymous online, then there’s no real problem with that. It’s quite difficult to get caught doing this sort of thing and unless you do it excessively and in an obvious way, the chances are you’ll be fine.
What are some popular VPNs?
There are so many to choose from, and like I said, you can barely get through the Web without seeing a lot of ads and promotions for them. There are also plenty of lists of the best ones. Some popular ones include:
Are VPNs risky and dangerous?
VPNs can be dangerous. From my neutral and objective position, I can honestly tell you that VPNs have done more harm than good for privacy. And they do not always work as advertised.
The biggest problems with VPNs is the fact that they provide a false sense of security, while also undermining basic human rights such as net neutrality.
Also, not all of them are used for illegal purposes.
Many people just use VPNs to watch their favorite shows from other countries they can’t access otherwise. Again, the problem is that it creates a false sense of security and undermines net neutrality.
I have thought about the issue of privacy a lot. And I can also tell you that VPNs do not protect your privacy at all, it’s just an illusion. I am not saying that VPNs are the main reason why bad things happen, but they certainly contribute to it.
You can say that VPNs are dangerous, but they do have one positive impact on society. And that is the fact that people use it to watch different shows from other countries than their own, which will increase international understanding and unity.
But I don’t think VPNs are dangerous. Just a little risky.