Why You Should Use A VPN For Your Smartphone

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Published on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 16:19

The COVID-19 crisis has brought on a slew of concerns that go beyond the health impacts of the virus itself. With countries like China using, what seems to be extreme surveillance methods to track people and the spread of the virus, it may only be a matter of time before western countries follow suit.

How can we enhance our digital privacy?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPN extends a private network across a public network. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks by encrypting their data.

A VPN is a service that you sign up for online for a small monthly fee. Once you have an account, your VPN service should be "on" when you're online.

Does a VPN protect your device’s connection?

A VPN takes your internet connection and makes it more secure (due to encryption). This helps you remain anonymous and safer while you are connected to the internet.

To secure your internet connection, the VPN lends you a temporary Internet Protocol (IP) address and hides your true smart device’s IP address from every website or email you connect to.

Why is it important to hide your true smart device’s IP address?

Your smart device’s IP address is a behind-the-scenes number your Internet provider assigns to your smart device (phone, tablet or TV) and that allows you to go anywhere on the internet.

It is considered as a piece of sensitive information that needs to be protected because it helps locate you whenever and wherever you are.

Some VPN's available:

There are numerous VPN providers available such as NordVPN, SaferVPN or Cloudflare VPN.

One of the most important features when considering a VPN service is the number of server locations. Having multiple server locations increases the VPN service availability, which means that your VPN connection will most likely not get cut off in certain areas (similar to a phone network).

There are some VPN providers that offer a free subscription, which we highly recommend you try before buying.

Watch this video to learn how to install a VPN.

Eric is a senior Network & Security Engineer with a solid technical background and a highly analytical mind. He has been involved in the Network Engineering field for the last 18+ years and the last 8+ in Information Security. Eric has completed his Master’s degree in Computer Science in South Africa, a Bachelor's Degree in Programming in the Republic of Ivory Coast and a Diploma in Electronics in the Republic of Benin. Eric speaks 5 languages fluently: English, French, Kiswahili, Lingala & Kinyarwanda and enjoys playing basketball. In order to share his knowledge and technical skills with people, he created a technical EJP Network Consulting blog at www.ejpnconsulting.com