In recent years, it has become increasingly important to hide your online activities, personal data, and information. Companies, private agencies, governments, and certain individuals all try to take advantage of this information and use it for various purposes. Some of them are not really harmful or dangerous, but others can be rather detrimental and malevolent.
But even if you consider yourself to be an average internet user who does nothing particularly interesting or mysterious while surfing the WWW and has 'nothing to conceal', we still strongly recommend you hide your online preferences and activities. There's simply no better way to do this than to opt for a reliable VPN service. Here are some more reasons why you'd want to do this.
Your Internet Service Provider Doesn't Need to (and Shouldn't) Know Your Activities
Many people don't even realize that their ISP has complete access to their internet browsing history. As we've said - even if you think that this isn't such a big deal since you're not doing anything illegal anyway, this is about something else. You have a basic right to stay completely anonymous while scrolling through different webpages.
No one should lurk or look over your shoulder when you're behind closed doors in the comfort of your own home, so why should you give up that right when using the Internet? With a reliable VPN service, you can be pretty certain that no one's jeopardizing your basic civil rights.
Don't Let the Government's Internet Censorship Affect You
Although there are some countries that still value the idea that their citizens should enjoy certain freedom when it comes to their online preferences and activities, there are also others that don't share these beliefs.
China's Great Firewall is a prime example of a country that tries to put a limit on the way their citizens use the Internet. If you find yourself to be in such a position, or you travel to a place where personal freedom in regards to using the Internet isn't valued very highly, you should definitely consider breaking these virtual walls and browse the web risk-free with a VPN. Don't let anyone limit your freedom and always have an ace up your sleeve.
Risk-Free Use of Public Wi-Fi
If you're prone to using the free Internet access provided by restaurants, cafes, airports, universities, schools, and other public places, then you should really keep in mind that these connections are nothing but safe.
Even though some of us have this piece of information in the back of our minds, we still somehow manage to omit the fact that someone can track our browsing and logins. The reason why this happens can be explained rather easily - we all like free stuff. But we shouldn't put in jeopardy our personal data by doing so. A good-quality VPN service will provide you with the basic protection needed in such situations.
Access Streaming Content Anywhere In the World
Staying incognito doesn't just protect your privacy, but it also enables you to enjoy some of the things that would be impossible otherwise. For instance, if you're a Netflix / Hulu / Amazon Prime (or any other streaming service) user, sometimes you won't be able to watch your favorite content due to geo-restrictions.
If you live in a country where these streaming services are available, but you travel to another country, region, or continent where these are blocked, you could be facing a huge difficulty when trying to stream. Luckily, chilling with Netflix won't be affected even if you find yourself in a distant place, far away from home. Nothing can stop you from binge-watching your most-liked shows and movies when a reliable VPN option is available.
Stop Browsers From Tracking Your Activities
We all have different browsing habits, but why should these be public and available to others? Even if you love some of these browsers and are thankful that they're still 'free', rest assured that they're still profiting heavily from their users.
Most browsers actually keep track of each thing you search or download. This kind of behavior should be unacceptable to all of us, and we definitely need to do something about it. Hiding your IP address with a virtual private network can be a way to go and a great start, so we shouldn't really hesitate.
The Bottom Line
It doesn't matter if you're a researcher, journalist, activist, whistleblower, or consider yourself to be an average user - it's strongly advised that you opt for a VPN service that can provide you with the basic protection. Staying anonymous online can be pretty challenging at times but, as you've seen in this article, there are still some ways to achieve this. Don't let the government, different agencies, or individuals track your online activities and preferences. This is your basic human right and you shouldn't give up on it that easily.
