When the VPN is active, your true IP address is hidden, and anyone watching you can only see the IP address of the VPN server. Normally, data is transmitted from the internet to your device using its IP address. VPNs also make it harder for advertisers and others to track you online. Not even your ISP can see your web traffic when you use a VPN. If you don't like that a company you're already paying is profiting from your data or if you have concerns about ISPs hoarding detailed information about your activities, a VPN will help. Worse, thanks to Congress, your ISP can sell anonymized data about its customers.

The FTC issued a report in 2021 (Opens in a new window) outlining exactly how much your ISP knows about what you do online, and it's a lot. No VPNs provide total anonymity, but they can help improve your privacy.įor example, your internet service provider (ISP) is probably the single entity with the most insight into what you do online. While there are some efforts to make self-hosted VPNs more accessible, it's something best left to tinkerers who are eager to get their hands (digitally) dirty.īy encrypting your traffic and routing it through a VPN server, it is harder but not impossible for observers to identify you and track your movements online. Doing so is fairly straightforward, but you'll either need to maintain your own server or rent one, which is less simple. There are a few options out there to set up your own, such as Outline. Keep in mind that you don't need another company to set up a VPN.

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