Why should I use a VPN to protect my internet activities?

As the internet has become an integral part of our daily life, we began to think that this world of connectivity, information, and cat videos as some kind of save haven where we can do whatever we want and be whoever we want to be without a care in the world.  

Unbeknownst to us is what lies beneath this world wide web. What people, organization, and even the government would do with the personal information that we willingly flaunting for all the world to see. You see, the weapon for this modern age of technology is no longer guns or missiles, it's information.  

Just like everything else in life, at the end of the day, we are responsible for our own safety. To make sure we could browse without any fear of our information being stolen, we have to use a VPN. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to find the best VPN for you.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a private connection that you could use to safely navigate the internet. A VPN will create a tunnel between you and the server, in most cases the VPN providers, and while inside of that tunnel you will gain secured and private connection even if you accessing the web through public WiFi. 

Using a VPN is like having a secret, personal tunnel to travel through in the middle of the massive highway where everybody else is visibly moving around. Compared to others, you might move a bit slower while inside the tunnel but you'll have a peace of mind because you know that you are much more secured, protected, and hidden than all of them. 

The concept of VPN could be traced back to Microsoft employees that trying to create a peer-to-peer tunneling protocol (PPTP) in 1996. At the time, all they want to have ia a secure and private connection to transfer important data. Little did they know that VPN will turn into more than 20 billion dollars industry in just two decades later.  

The cybersecurity industry is filled with VPN companies that would cater to anything you want and need at a reasonable price. Do you want to stream geo-locked content? Do you want to do some torrenting? Do you want to download stuff from banned websites? You can do all that and some more. But first, you have to make sure that the company has these fundamental features for the sake of your privacy, security, and protection. 

• Based in a country with the strict privacy policy. Each country has its own law and policies regarding your personal information in the digital world. Make sure to choose a VPN company that is based in a country that has a strong stand on individual privacy. That way you know that the government won't ever request the company to share its user data for any reason. Every company would usually boast about this thing on their homepage, so it should be easy to find this information. 
• Zero-logs policy. A company that implemented a zero-logs policy means that they won't keep any logs of your activity during the time you connect through their network. Not your country of origin, not your website destination, not what you do during those visits, nothing. That means, even if there's any third party who would request users data, they won't have anything to show. 

• The latest encryption method. Most VPN would usually use either 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption method. That is military-grade encryption. Anything less than that is not acceptable.  
• DNS leak prevention. It is not uncommon to have a part of your traffic leak outside of the secure network connection. This leak will behave just like any other normal traffic and thus prone to be tracked by outsiders. To prevent this from happening, make sure your VPN provider has a DNS leak prevention in place. 
• OpenVPN. OpenVPN is an open-source VPN protocol that could be accessed and therefore maintained by the general public which makes any attempt to tamper with the protocol easily detected and fixed. You don't have to use this protocol, but having it as an option is a must. 
• Kill switch. There will come a time when your connection to the VPN network is suddenly cut off. Just like with the DNS leak above, this sudden loss in connection would mean that you are instantly exposed to the open and therefore vulnerable. A kill switch will cut your connection altogether at the moment you unexpectedly disconnect from the VPN network. It is a crucial feature if you want to use VPN safely, so be sure to check whether or not your favorite company has this feature. This feature is one of the most important things in looking for a safe vpn for you.

Will using a VPN enough to keep me safe in the internet 

No, but it will increase your security exponentially. If you're really concerned with your privacy, then you need to be mindful and meticulous with all of your internet-related choices.  

From the website that you visit, the apps that you use, your device, your ISP, what you download, where you get the connection from, who is your roommate, and all of every little choice that you made will determine how secure you truly are.  

But using VPN is certainly the first step towards a positive direction. 

I know it sounds like a daunting task and I totally understand and even relate to those who would simply skip through all of those tiring stuff because you don't have anything to hide anyway. 

But just like Edward Snowden once said, Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say. 

If you are wondering which VPN is best for you and your safety, take a look at our in depth VPN reviews to find the best one for you.