Can We Make the Internet Great and Free Again?

Thirtysomethings can still remember the days when Internet meant open, secure, and neutral space to share, search, and communicate. It promised democracy, equality, and knowledge. A decade or two ago, user privacy meant being online with no one else peeking over your shoulder. But times have changed…

Recent scandals prompted new debates on how secure the Internet is. Though some debates, both online and offline, exposed net-illiteracy of a big group of society, the simple truth is that in reality there’s very little privacy left when you are online.

And it’s no surprise, as "data collection" is becoming one of the core business models of the Internet industry. Of course, by sharing your data you get more relevant ads and information. It might help if you’re lost traveling abroad or stuck in a traffic jam. But recent events proved that your data might as well end up somewhere you do not want—from governments to hackers, cybercriminals and other shady individuals.

And we are talking not just about people’s personal privacy—corporations’ security may suffer, too. In the days when private browsing is not that private, we turn back to… technology. Again. Can it protect our privacy online? Well, it seems that at least it can help to do so. Of course, we are all still responsible for when and where we upload our photos or publish personal details, but technology can hide our browsing, chatting, or purchasing activities from the all-seeing-eye. This technology is VPN or virtual private network.

The Upcoming Spread of VPNs

The popularity of virtual private networks has grown dramatically, especially in the wake of all the recent data leaks and customer data theft scandals. Even if you trust your service providers or apps you are using, your data can still be leaked without any notice. But if you are using a VPN, like NordVPN, a middleman comes in between your computer and the Internet to protect you.

VPN service can be compared to a simple old-school letter. When you are sending a letter, usually you put it into an envelope to keep its contents from being read by a postman or courier. NordVPN does the same with your internet activities. It encapsulates and encrypts the data you’re transmitting over the Internet and even if someone manages to get it, all they will see will be random letters, numbers, and symbols. That means that no one will be able to track sites you are visiting or content you submit.

NordVPN is very popular amongst people who travel a lot. Usually they work from hotels, airports, or coffee shops using public WiFi and those networks are ridiculously easy to hack, making them especially unsafe. If you are using a NordVPN, you can surf safely even on public WiFi’s. VPN should already be part of the toolbox of every Internet user.

Here comes another NordVPN advantage. Internet providers and governments can be very selective about the content (or even pricing) they make available, but with NordVPN you can choose to route your data through a server located in another country. In this way, you can access content that for either economic or political reasons is off-limits to residents of your country.

I’m not interesting enough to be spied on.

Why is using NordVPN a good idea? So there are three main reasons. First of all, using a VPN service can keep your browsing history private, secondly, it allows you to access blocked websites and content, and finally, secure your browsing on public WiFi. By the way, some VPNs are getting handier if you are an active smartphone user. For example, NordVPN has dedicated Windows, Android, and Mac/iOS applications so you can feel safe on mobile networks.

While there exists free VPN services, they are almost always better when you have to pay for them. Free ones usually come with ads, are slow, or can have bandwidth limits. Have in mind that your VPN must be up to date in security, have enough maintained servers in different countries, and then a few dollars per month starts to sound like a reasonable price to pay for your privacy and security.

And if you ever had an idea that you are not especially important to be spied on… think twice. The fact is that at some point we all share data that can get us into trouble. If you want the ability to take control of your privacy and security while online, at the moment NordVPN is the most effective solution.