VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, seem to have gained even more popularity since I first wrote about them almost four years ago. In that blog post I generally discouraged users from employing a VPN when at home unless they had a particular reason to (for example, routing your internet traffic through another country to get around geo-fencing restrictions). I recently found this TechCrunch article that more eloquently explains a similar frustration with the proliferation and claims of VPN providers. In short, the article writer says that if privacy and anonymity are of paramount importance then what assurance do you really have that your VPN provider meets that high bar? The article comes off as a little bit too “tin foil hat”, but they do make some valid points. If you are currently using a paid VPN service and like it, then continue to do so. But don’t allow a company to sell you on something under the vague guise of “security”. Make sure you understand what is and isn’t included before clicking “buy”. Good advice for any purchase, I suppose!
Comments