Little by little, people are starting to realize that they need to put a premium on online security and privacy. There have been enough scandals in the industry for them to know what’s going on. Hackers and cybercriminals have their way with naïve, innocent people, and they are stealing all kinds of assets and, ultimately, making tainted money.
The online security industry, therefore, is in a constant state of flux, looking and researching to find answers and to make the Internet what it was 15 or 20 years ago: a safe place for healthy entertainment and all-around solutions for all areas.
Of course, the Internet has advanced to a point in which we can’t argue that it isn’t better now than what it was at that time. It’s just that back then, users didn’t have to deal with hackers, ransomware, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, phishing, smishing, scams, identity thefts, hacked social media and banking accounts, and more.
However, the rise of those threats made possible the appearance of one universal solution for privacy, security, and anonymous browsing: Virtual Private Networks, which are often shortened to VPN.
VPN: everything you need to know
VPN are Internet-based services for data encryption and anonymous browsing that come in the form of apps or clients compatible with most platforms, devices, and operating systems known by the society: Linux, Android, MacOS, Windows, iOS, and more.
They have the ability to encrypt the user’s content in such a way that it is undecipherable by any external agent lurking around the web and eager to get a hold of it. Hackers, all forms of malware developers, governmental surveillance agencies, online advertisers, and even Internet Service Providers (ISP) are among the most prominent threats that won’t have access to the customer’s traffic if he, or she, were to implement a VPN.
Sometimes ISPs are the most dangerous of the bunch: they claim to provide you a service, but they may throttle your connection if you perform bandwidth-consuming activities like streaming or gaming, and they might store logs of your data and feed them to cybercriminals or online stores that direct advertising to you. VPN technology will create a virtual tunnel for your traffic to pass through to remote servers, away from your ISP’s claws.
Also of adding security and privacy to your online experience, VPNs can also hide your IP address and lend you one for temporary use. You can choose a country to connect to, assuming that your VPN provider has servers there.
| Pick a VPN! | VPN | Price for 1 month sub | Site Rating | Buy Now |
| Best VPN |  | $5 a month (code "best10VPN") | 9.9 |  |
| Good VPN |  | $9 a month | 8.9 | |
| Decent VPN |  | $6.95 a month | 8.8 | |
Unblocking the world
Once you connect to a nation, you will be able to unblock pages, services, and sites that would be restricted if you enter without the VPN. Geo-blocking platforms identify people’s location via their IP number, and if you can manipulate it, you will be able to enhance your accessibility.
Hiding your IP number and your traffic is perfect for using free Internet at public Wi-Fi hotspot, commonly located at coffee houses, airports, libraries, and similar places. Those networks are full of hackers since they are incredibly vulnerable, and connecting without the VPN’s encryption may mean trouble for you.
So, you may ask yourself: if the VPN technology has so many attractive features and security alternatives, why more people don’t use it? Why hasn’t it morphed into a truly universal and worldwide spread solution? Here are a few reasons:
- Lack of awareness
While it is true that VPNs have been increasing in appliances, uses, and popularity, they aren’t quite universal yet. They seem to be on the verge, but a sizable number of people still ignore its existence and don’t know the first thing about it.
Tech-savvy Internet users are familiar with its uses, but let’s be honest: millions of Internet users still consider it “safe” when that couldn’t be further from the truth. A lack of awareness seems to be the primary reason why more people don’t use a VPN.
However, the industry seems to be trending in the right direction, as marketing and publicity are populating the web and people in different places of the world are beginning to understand what a VPN is for various reasons. Some citizens battle censorship, other want to torrent in peace. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
- The technological-generational barries
People, especially older generations, are somewhat impatient when it comes to technology. They don’t seem to have a hold on it, and they don’t want to invest a significant amount of time learning about it.
Bottom line: when an innovative tech solution, like VPN, shows up in these people’s lives, they enter in a denial phase as they fear it may be too complicated for them to understand and successfully use. Implementing a VPN, while relatively simple in the big picture, can be difficult at first for people that are unfamiliar with technology.
- Price and investment
VPNs are useful tools, and there is little doubt about it. However, everything comes with a cost: most reliable VPN apps have a monthly price of at least $7 or $8, and the truly elite options may cost $12, $13, or even $15 when all is said and done.
Of course, the financial impact will always depend on each person’s pocket. For some people, $15 debited each month is nothing, but at the same time, it can be a significant figure for others.
The market offers free VPN apps in addition to paid, custom brands. However, they can be extremely costly in other aspects: they often have data caps, they are unreliable, slow, they show annoying and dangerous ads, and they can sell your data around the web.
- Lack of concern and personal experiences
They say that the best way of learning something is by enduring it, not by seeing others do that. A similar scenario presents itself with VPN technology: unless people haven’t had privacy issues or have suffered hacking, smishing, phishing, or identity theft attacks, they won’t address the issue.
TorGuard: the market’s gold standard
The best VPN brand you can consider is TorGuard, and that is saying a lot, as numerous companies can be regarded as reliable. TorGuard has a broad server network with more than 3,000 in 55 nations, which is why you will have endless content unblocking possibilities.
With a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and some of the most robust encryption in the industry, you can be sure that TorGuard will protect your traffic, online identity, and digital assets like no other brand. The enterprise also offers multiprotocol availability, the possibility of connecting five simultaneous devices under the same account, and the best and most responsive customer service staff.
In conclusion, the world needs VPN, and it is starting to realize it. However, there are a few reasons that explain why more people don’t use it: money, a lack of awareness and concern, and fear of complications top the list.
