Tech & Innovation - December 17, 2024

Understanding VPNs and the Importance of a Kill Switch

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VPNs are now widely used to enhance online security, improve privacy, and spoof location information. They can be set up at the router level to protect all devices on a network. However, a VPN doesn't make you anonymous online. Your activities on sites like Amazon and Google will still be logged as usual. But with a VPN, your devices don't connect directly to websites and servers. They establish encrypted connections to nodes set up by your VPN provider, making it harder for others to see what you're doing online. A key feature of VPNs is the kill switch, which is activated when a VPN loses connection.

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How VPNs Work

With a VPN, your devices don't connect directly to websites and servers. Instead, they establish encrypted connections to nodes set up by your VPN provider, and you connect to your intended destinations from there. This makes it harder for sites and apps to pin down your location and device information. It also makes it more difficult for others to monitor your online activities.

The Importance of a Kill Switch

A kill switch is a critical feature of a VPN. It is activated when a VPN loses connection. VPN servers can go down, and unexpected issues can occur at your end, breaking the connection with your VPN provider. If this happens, your online activities become exposed. A kill switch shuts everything down, automatically cutting off your internet access when the VPN connection is lost. This prevents your data from being accessed by others.

The best VPNs won't make you anonymous, but they will make your browsing more private and secure. The more serious your reasons for using a VPN, the more important it becomes to have a kill switch in place.