Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are among the most widely used tools for protecting your data online, but while they can mask your IP address and hide your data from your ISP, they are limited in how much privacy protection they can provide. In fact, some VPN providers may actually put your data at greater risk of exposure.
If you’re serious about protecting your online footprint, there are a slew of other protective security measures you should consider, which are not limited to using a VPN. Here’s what you should consider before trusting your browsing to a VPN.
Not all VPNS are created equal
Make sure you're reading the fine print.
While nearly all VPNs will claim to protect your data while browsing online, VPN companies differ in how they approach data protection, and some companies tend to exaggerate just how much their product will protect you online.
A VPN encrypts your internet traffic before it passes through your router and to your ISP. To do so, your internet traffic passes through a VPN server, which decrypts it. That means your VPN server can access your browsing data, and it’s essential to understand what your VPN provider does with it. While plenty of VPNs claim not to log your data, some companies, like PureVPN, have been found guilty of doing precisely that despite making claims to the contrary.
Plus, not all VPNs will protect you from malware, and in some cases, free VPNs may include malware. It’s essential to do a little research before picking a VPN — which includes reading the fine print. Some VPNs may sell or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes, and few VPN companies are transparent about how long they keep your data, even after you delete your account.
Your VPN won't protect you from everything
You should be taking other steps to keep your data secure.
I’ll preface this by saying that no internet browsing is entirely protected. Whenever you share personal information online, you depend on the data privacy measures of the platforms you use. There are a few ways you can mitigate how data is collected or shared, and using a VPN is only one potential solution, and should definitely not be the only measure you’re taking.
For the most part, it’s relatively unlikely that your home network will get hacked if you’re using a password-protected network and taking other security precautions. HTTPS encrypts most modern websites and traffic; though not all websites use it, browsers typically alert you when a site is not HTTPS-encrypted.
It’s true that even with HTTPS encryption, your IP address, physical location, and browsing history are still at risk of being monitored or shared by your ISP. A VPN can help by disguising your IP address and keeping your ISP from collecting that data (and potentially selling it to third parties), but you’re still at risk for other forms of tracking and data theft even with your VPN turned on.
The truth is that your IP address isn’t essential for websites to track and profile you. Advertisers and data vendors can use plenty of other measures, like cookies, tracking pixels, or fingerprinting, to identify you, and your VPN won’t stop that.
Instead of relying solely on your VPN, you can switch to a privacy-focused browser, use free tracking blockers and DNS encryption, or install other free extensions and tools to keep your browsing secure.
Some websites just won't work with a VPN
Even your VPN's IP address can be blocked
You likely won’t be able to use a VPN on every streaming service, and that’s because some websites, like streaming sites or banking services, block IP addresses from data centers or VPN servers. While Netflix may block VPNs to restrict account sharing, your bank may do the same to prevent fraud or criminal activity. When you mask your IP address with a VPN, websites are more likely to suspect you of being a bot.
If you’re accessing your banking information at home, I recommend turning off your VPN or switching to a server closer to home, so that you don’t get locked out. If you’re taking other security measures, turning off your VPN for certain websites shouldn’t be a problem.
VPNs can slow you down and eat up your data usage
Especially true if you live in a house with limited bandwidth to share
Most VPNs will slow down your internet speeds as your data is encrypted and routed through different services. If you’re using a good VPN, you may not notice the lag, and if you do, you can mitigate it by switching to servers a little closer to you. Still, some VPNs may slow down your internet speed by as much as 50%.
If you’re a gamer, have a data cap, or share your home network with multiple users, you may benefit from switching off your VPN at least during peak usage hours. Alternatively, you can try a different VPN protocol or split tunneling to keep speeds up, though I’ll caution that switching from OpenVPN comes with some risks, as not all other protocols have been as thoroughly tested.
There's a lot more to data privacy than a VPN
VPNs are a useful security tool, but their benefits are often exaggerated, and you should definitely not depend on them for all your secure browsing needs. If you’re taking other security measures, like encrypting your network, buttoning up your digital footprint, and updating and configuring your device settings, you can have a little more control over your data.
If you’re tech-savvy and ambitious enough, you can run your own VPN server instead of paying for a provider, which can help you maintain control over your data privacy and avoid many of the drawbacks of VPNs discussed here.