We are spending a growing amount of time online, which means cybercriminals are ready to take advantage. Cybercrime is a lucrative business, so doing everything you can to protect your online life is key to ensure you aren’t a victim.

Imagine the personal and financial implications of someone knowing your bank details or stealing your identity. It’s something no one wants to experience. Everything from business emails to banking is all done using our internet-enabled devices. Installing a VPN is one of the best ways to protect your identity online.

What is a Virtual Private Network?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. They allow you to connect to other online networks

around the world via an encrypted channel. A VPN will protect your personal data and prevent your private information from hackers and cybercriminals. It provides a safe link that hides your location and keeps your online activity confidential.

What is my IP address?

You may have heard that a VPN will hide your location by masking your IP address. If you are considering installing a VPN, you may be left thinking, what is my IP address? The link will give you a wealth of information as well as details of VPN services, but if you want the basics here’s a quick summary:

Your internet protocol (IP) address is a unique code that identifies your device and details personal information such as your location and internet provider. Think of it as your ‘digital address’ which can be used to identify your details online. Each of your devices will have an Internet Protocol (IP address) that is unique to you; a VPN will create a new IP address depending on the server you are connected to, so your real location is always kept private. A VPN will modify your IP address to give you internet anonymity and enhanced protection as well as many other benefits that will help you get the most out of your device.

Browse safely at home and on the go

Whether you’re getting work done on your morning commute or sending emails in your local coffee shop, your activity could be exposed if you’re using public Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi points often have very little security measures, making them a hot spot for cybercrime. Hackers and scammers take advantage of the lack of security and can easily access your private information and details if you don’t have a VPN.

It will also protect your information when you’re using the internet at home. Although your home network is much safer than free Wi-Fi, your internet service provider (ISP) can spy on your browsing activity. They can store and sell this information to marketing companies who will use your data for research and tailored advertising campaigns. Your activity is hidden from your ISP when you have a VPN, so it cannot collect your data, and your anonymity is protected.

Protect yourself from cybercrime

Our devices are always sending and receiving data when we’re online. This data contains information about what we are doing online, as well as the personal details we are entering.

A VPN will encrypt this data and make it invisible to cybercriminals. It will break down your data and scramble it so it cannot be understood by virus or hacking software. Suppose you feel uneasy when entering your payment details online or sharing sensitive business emails. In that case, a VPN will give you peace of mind, allow you to reclaim your internet freedom, and browse worry-free.

Get more from your device

Protecting your identity is one of the key benefits of a VPN, but it has lots of other useful features too. A VPN will bypass geo-restrictions so you can access content from all over the world. You can access Netflix and Amazon libraries from different countries as well as any websites that are blocked by censorship.

VPN for gaming

Hiding your identity can be invaluable to any keen gamers out there. Not only will a VPN increase your bandwidth speeds for faster downloads and reduced lag, but you can connect to other servers to allow you to access games that are banned in your country. You will also be protected against DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) and swatting attacks, which knock you off the server and also gives the attacker access to your location.

With a VPN, you are protecting your devices and yourself from prying eyes, as well as enjoying all the other benefits they have to offer.