![]() It's virtually impossible to achieve absolute anonymity online, but that doesn't stop many VPN providers from trumpeting misleading claims about keeping users anonymous. Complete anonymity via VPN is a common misconception that only breeds a false sense of security. And don't let any VPN company try to convince you otherwise. Will a VPN make me totally anonymous online? Keep in mind, though, that engaging in illegal activity online is still illegal regardless of whether you're using a VPN. As a result, in those locations, only VPNs that provide obfuscated servers can safely protect your online data by disguising your VPN traffic as ordinary HTTPS traffic.īut VPNs are totally legal throughout most of the world, and you won't run into any trouble with the law just for using one. The irony, however, is that these are the kinds of places that restrict access to certain apps and platforms, which can therefore only be accessed via VPNs. If you're using a VPN in a country like China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkmenistan, the UAE or Belarus (to name a few), then you may find yourself in legal trouble if you're caught using a VPN. That said, there are countries where VPNs are banned and/or illegal. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking steps to protect your privacy online, and you shouldn't have to worry that using a VPN for privacy will get you in any kind of legal trouble. In the vast majority of countries around the world, VPNs are perfectly legal to use. Read more: How to identify a good VPN Are VPNs legal to use? The encrypted VPN tunnel hides all of that. ![]() And they won't see that you've been on YouTube with Men Without Hats' Safety Dance music video on repeat for the past six hours. They won't see what websites you're visiting, what you're buying, what you're downloading or what personal information you're transmitting. ![]() Once it arrives on your device, the website data is decrypted so you can read it.Īny entity attempting to monitor your activity when you're connected to a VPN will only see a bunch of random gibberish. Then the website sends data back to the VPN server, where that website's data is encrypted and shot back through the tunnel to your device. Your data is encrypted before it leaves your device, it then gets shot through the tunnel to the VPN server, where it is decrypted and passed along to the website you're visiting. Once the handshake is completed, your secure tunnel to the internet is established. In a nutshell, the process works like this: As you connect to a VPN server, your device and the VPN server swap encryption keys during a process known as a "handshake." This handshake process is completed instantly and is essential because it ensures that only the VPN server will be able to decrypt the data you're sending from your device and that only your device will be able to decrypt the data being sent back from the VPN server. Even if that's not the case with every free VPN, most will be limited in the number of server locations offered, data allowance, speed, unblocking ability, features and so on. Some free VPNs have even been known to inject users' devices with malware and are downright dangerous to use. For one, there's a good chance they're going to be selling your data to advertisers and other third parties, which defeats the whole purpose of having a VPN in the first place. We also generally recommend avoiding free VPNs. Go with whatever suits your particular needs and budget best, but remember that more expensive doesn't necessarily equate to higher quality. If you choose a monthly plan, you're probably going to be looking at about $10 to $15 a month. If you end up going with a yearly or multiyear plan, you could be paying what works out to about $2 to $10 a month, depending on the provider. However, given the volatility of the VPN market, we do not recommend purchasing a plan that spans more than two years. Many VPN providers these days offer yearly plans, two-year plans, three-year plans, or even lifetime subscription plans. The longer you commit, the more money you can save in the long run. That depends on how long you're willing to commit to one VPN provider.
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