Is a VPN Worth It?
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The truth about internet privacy is that there is no perfect shield or protection. A VPN will not cover all your privacy and security needs while browsing or using the Internet, but it is one way to start securing your time online and regaining access to your personal data. The internet is still a wild frontier where your explorations put you at risk. But a VPN will reduce this risk.
There are a lot of premium VPN providers out there, but three are market leaders as well NordVPNAnd ExpressVPN, And PureVPN. Each offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test with confidence.
Even with everything I wrote in this VPN thread, I’ve had conversations with a few friends about whether a VPN is really worth it. Most of them felt, yes, it was worth it. Some of them tell me they do it differently with the TOR browser for more privacy and anonymity, but my experience with TOR is that my high speed connection drops to a hard breath. Both are worth researching if you find that a VPN is not worth it for you.
Here are two main reasons why I think subscribing to a VPN service is worth it:
Your privacy is important.
If nothing else, getting started with a VPN makes you think about how unsafe and valuable your data is to others. If you read only a few of the posts in this series, and the related links, you will discover that big tech companies, among others, are selling your data. Anything you can do, and I can do, to reduce this data transmission improves our digital well-being.
At the very least, a VPN will help cut off your ISP (Internet Service Provider) snooping on you. In addition, many people have reported that accessing their banks or other websites from public Wi-Fi locations (hotels, cafes, airports) occurs when they are hacked.
It is important to note that a VPN will not secure your information once you start sharing it if that website or business is hacked. For example, a VPN will not prevent your information from being shared if Facebook, your bank, or your credit card company is compromised by hackers. It is equally important to decide how to share information with any company.
It is not difficult or expensive to set up a VPN service.
True, your security is as good as the actual service you install or purchase (rent, really, since it’s a monthly service fee). As I pointed out in a previous VPN story, there are free services. While I’ve often agreed with many other people who say “You get what you pay for,” there are high-quality free VPN services out there that can help you secure your online travels. Do they get better when you pay? Often times, yes. But if spending an extra $100 to $200 a year on a VPN breaks your bank, grab and use the free services. Add to that some ideas suggested by the additional privacy links at the end of this post.
Over time, I believe we will have to be more vigilant in managing our personal and private data. The government and public and private companies are unlikely to do the heavy lifting. Some of the people who make these decisions don’t really understand what they are doing or the effects their decisions will have on our future. So take your future in your own hands and ask yourself if a VPN is worth it.
I think you will find the answer is yes.
Resources if you’re still not sure if a VPN is worth it:
Again, a VPN will not make you completely anonymous. If that’s what you’re looking for, search and visit the Tor Project. This excellent Firefox browser service with privacy issues fixed. They invented what’s known as “onion routing” (think: layers) to give internet users as much privacy as possible. The basic idea was to route traffic through multiple servers and encrypt it every step of the way.
If your main concern about using a VPN is to increase your security against government surveillance, I highly encourage you to research the PrivacyTools.io website. They discuss a number of issues around where the servers are located, country-specific data and advice, and a host of other security topics.
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