If there is one thing you (often) don’t have on the internet, it’s privacy. Your internet provider, the websites and webshops you visit, they all know who you are, thanks to your IP-address. This IP-address is the unique address which connects your computer or mobile to the internet. Based on this address you will receive the correct emails and other information from the internet. Every time you visit a website, it ‘sees’ this IP-address and knows who you are and where you are. For a webshop it’s an easy thing to track which products you are looking at, what your taste is and what interests you. Your internet provider logs all your contacts with other websites as well. Whatever you are doing on the web, it certainly isn’t private! In addition to that there are hackers constantly trying to get secret files, codes and passwords. Read this article to find out how to make your IP-address invisible for other internet users and how to effectively protect yourself against cybercriminals.
How can you hide your IP-address?
Luckily there is an effective way to keep you IP-address hidden. You will surf anonymous on the internet thanks to a so-called VPN-connection. VPN is short for Virtual Private Network. A VPN is not a separate computer network. On the contrary: VPN uses the existing internet lines. There are however, two major difference with a regular connection:
• Data traffic between your PC (or mobile device) and the visited website is encrypted. The VPN-software renders your data traffic unreadable for other internet users.
• The VPN-connection uses an ‘intermediate station’: the VPN-server. All data traffic between your PC and the visited website goes through this VPN-server.
As a result of this VPN-server other internet users will never be able to know your IP-address. To a visited website, it seems that the IP-address of the VPN-server is the internet address of the visitor. Your own IP-address is not being sent by the VPN-server. Nobody is able to know who you really are. That offers unlimited possibilities!
Why surf anonymous?
By hiding your IP-address through a VPN-connection you will get your desired privacy on the web. Below we will list the countless benefits of a VPN-connection.
• The data you are sending and receiving is absolutely safe thanks to encryption. You don’t have to worry about passwords, pin codes and logins. Whatever a cybercriminal is trying to get to your data, the only thing he receives are unreadable codes. The VPN-software allow for very thorough data encryption, making your internet traffic unencryptable for anyone else. Nobody will be able to get to your bank account details or passwords, even if you surf a lot via badly secured open WIFI networks.
• Because website and webshops have no idea who you are, they are therefore not able to send targeted advertisements to your PC. Facebook, Google and other countless sites track data about your internet behavior on a large scale, with the aim to send you targeted advertising. With a VPN-connection nobody is able to track your data anymore. No more annoying targeted ads for you.
• You will be able to contact foreign webshops and pretend to be a visitor from said country. The big advantage lies in the fact that it will gain you access to the complete content of a webshop or streaming service. It allows you to watch the American Netflix selection if you connect to Netflix via an American VPN-server. It is often possible to order goods cheaper at a foreign webshop that way.
• If you are in a country that doesn’t allow access to Facebook or Google, for example, you can circumvent that with a VPN-connection. You just need to make a connection with a foreign VPN-server to get to the desired website. if you are on holiday to China, which prohibits access to Facebook, you are able to still get access to Facebook with a VPN-connection.
• Downloading movies and music is largely illegal. You are risking a hefty fine if you are caught. With a VPN-connection your IP-address is unknown and you don’t have to worry about possible consequences.
• You are able to get access to foreign online sports channels and even online gaming site with a VPN-connection, if you like to watch sports or play online games. Often it is impossible to get access to these sites from your own country.
Which VPN-provider to choose?
To make a VPN-connection you will have to subscribe to a VPN-provider. There are VPN-services for free, but they often provide fairly slow connections. Therefore, it is important to choose a suited VPN-provider. There are a lot of Providers of VPN-services, but not all of them offer the same quality. A good VPN-server must meet the demands as stated below:
• The VPN-provider needs to have a sufficient number of VPN-servers. The larger the server park, the larger the offered bandwidth and the faster the VPN-connection.
• The VPN-software should be easy to install and use. VPN-software should be compatible with operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. When problems occur, a VPN-provider should be able to sufficiently assist.
• The encryption of internet traffic must be done with the most recent 256-bit encryption techniques.
• Some VPN-providers offer their customers a free trial, for a certain amount of time. You are able to try the software and test the quality of the VPN-connection for free.
Choose privacy and security
You are able to surf the web completely secure with a VPN-connection. Your identity is not known and whatever you are doing on the web, it can’t be traced by anyone. You also don’t have to worry about hackers trying to get to your secret codes and passwords. Choose the best VPN-provider and profit from the extensive benefits of a VPN-connection!
