What does my ISP see when I use a VPN
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The VPN guarantees anonymity which means that no matter what, prying eyes will not be able to get an idea of your online activity. However, the question that still looms large is “what does your ISP see when using a VPN?” Can my ISP see the sites I visit? First of all, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will be able to tell that you are using a VPN because you are going through a network to connect to your VPN, right? But is that the only thing they can see?
Now that VPN promises to protect your privacy, let’s check to see what your ISP can and can’t see under the surface –
Read also: What is a VPN and what does a VPN do?
What does your ISP see when using a VPN?
When you connect to a VPN, your ISP knows that you are connected to an IP address owned by the VPN
– The VPN connection you are using
Your ISP will be able to see that you are connected to a server (a server provided by the VPN) but the provider will have no clue what you are doing. The reason is that all reliable and popular VPNs have military grade encryption where every little bit of information is encrypted.
– Your browsing time
Even though your ISP can’t see the sites you visit with a VPN, they know when you’re online, how long you’ve been browsing and when you’ve left. In other words, the ISP is aware of the connection timestamps.
– Thorough examination of samples
Source: pcwdld
ISPs sometimes use a technology called Deep Packet Inspection or DPI to analyze your VPN traffic, something they might use if you use a VPN often. In this technique, the data packets you send are analyzed and VPN traffic patterns are analyzed. OpenVPN is one of the protocols that is easy to identify because it has a unique signature.
But, that still doesn’t mean that your internet provider can see what you’re looking for with a VPN.
The amount of data being sent and received
You may use a VPN for various purposes – for streaming NetflixLibraries/HBO/Amazon Prime/Hulu not available in your country or playing exclusive games not available in your country, no matter your intention, your ISP knows at least how much bandwidth you are using. They will also know if you downloaded a large file and also how much traffic is being sent and received by your device. do not worry! This data is still encrypted and unreadable
The port of the protocol you are using
In the beginning, we mentioned that your ISP is at least able to detect that you are using a VPN. One of the reasons why it does this is because it can see your port number based on which it can guess your protocol. IKEv2, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), or any other protocol all have specific port numbers.
MUST READ: Different types of protocols used by VPN
What can’t your ISP see when using a VPN?
- The websites you visit or your web activity
- The time I spent on each site
- Files you download from websites
- What do you write in your research?
Therefore, unless you are using a VPN in a country where it is prohibited, you should give the VPN a chance to protect your data online. And as far as your ISP is concerned, yes! There are certain things they can see but not enough to affect your privacy online. Here are also some common uses of a VPN.
And if you are looking for a VPN, here are some of the best VPNs out there. SystweakVPN, for example, is one of the best-reviewed VPNs for Windows 10.
Systweak VPN Features– 4,500+ servers across 200+ locations in over 53 countries – High speed streaming Strict no-logs policy Military-grade AES-256-bit encryption – IKev2 and Open VPN protocols for speed and security – The Kill switch enables this once the VPN is interrupted, until your internet connection drops – Smart DNS the price: $71.40 per year and $9.95 per month Money Back Guarantee: 30 days Click here to download Systweak VPN |
Something to watch out for –
Why would my ISP anyway see the above data?
This is because your ISP brings you to the website you want. It works like this – you send it a request via a data packet, and it tells your ISP to connect to the VPN server location that the VPN is responsible for relaying to the final destination.
– Your ISP can block the IP address of the VPN server
Now, in the beginning, we mentioned that your ISP knows that you are using a VPN. And since they could perceive its presence, they could even block it. In this case you will not be able to connect to the blocked VPN server anymore. But under what circumstances will the ISP have to take such a step?
But, why on earth would they do that?
Under normal circumstances, your ISP would have no reason to block your VPN server’s IP address, but in case your ISP realizes that you are indulging in illegal activity, and downloading things that you are not allowed to do, then they can block the IP address of the VPN server.
And how do they do it?
By implementing incoming and outgoing traffic rules that will prevent you from using a VPN.
wrapping:
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the following readings:
Best VPNs for Mac
Is it legal to use VPNs?
Top 7 Uses of a VPN – When to Use a VPN
Best VPN Apps for Netflix
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