VPNs are more crucial than ever. With news about hacks and data leaks popping up much more often, digital security should be your top priority, and something you shouldn’t overlook. If you haven’t got a VPN on your smartphone, you’re leaving yourself exposed.
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A VPN is just as important on your smartphone as it is on your PC. Think about it: you carry your phone everywhere you go, so chances are you’re using it far more often than any laptop. As more people turn to VPNs to boost their digital security, here’s why you should get a VPN on your smartphone.
Why you should get a VPN on your smartphone
1. A VPN is more secure
Your data isn’t all that secure on a public network. Even if the Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to is password-protected, your banking details and personal account information might not be as shielded as you think it is. Unencrypted data makes a snooper’s job much easier. Worried? That’s where VPNs can help.
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Using specific encoding protocols, VPNs encrypt the data on your device, pushing it through to that particular VPN’s server location, and unencrypting the data only once it reaches its journey’s end. Prying eyes won’t be able to see the data you’re sending over in transit. VPNs are essential for the security-conscious.
2. VPNs can access geoblocked content
VPNs give you the ability to tunnel your connection through a different country. As such, it looks like you’re actually thousands of miles away from your home, when in fact you’re just sitting on your sofa.
Why’s this so good? Well, services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer restrict content from country to country, as do phone app stores such as Google Play. If you want to watch on-demand video content and download apps when you’re not in your home country, you’re out of luck. But signing up to a VPN lets you trick providers about where you are in the world, meaning you can watch away with no restrictions.
3. A VPN can hide your browsing history
The reach of state surveillance in the UK has been extended, with internet service providers (ISPs) now logging all of your web-based activity. Scared? You should be, but there is a way to keep your browsing history away from prying eyes.
Don’t want people knowing what you’re up to? Get a VPN. Because your internet comings and goings are tunnelled through to another country, technically you aren’t in the UK and, as such, ISPs won’t be able to track what you’re doing. If you care about your privacy, you need to use a VPN now.
4. VPNs help bypass web censorship
In some countries, such as China and Saudi Arabia, internet access is heavily censored. You might not be able to access the websites or services you want, but a VPN will help you get around any restrictive firewalls.
VPNs bypass your country’s ISPs altogether, allowing you to jump on networks in another region that don’t have such restrictions. If you want to visit a website or access a service that otherwise would be blocked (be it state-controlled or otherwise), this is the way to do it.
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