How a VPN Changed My Internet Experience

Even though I’m always gushing about how I think the Internet is one of the best things that was ever invented, I’ve never mentioned the other side of the coin – about how it is also one of the scariest things that was ever invented.

While we honest folks use it to communicate with the world or get information, there are a lot of not-so-nice guys who take advantage of our naiveté for their own advantage.

So the question now is, how do you stay safe while online? I’m not just talking about virus and malware protection, but your security from hackers and other online criminals. Every day you hear about someone who has had their identity stolen or their social media sites hacked.

I’m sure you’ve had a friend suddenly post or email about how she’s supposedly stranded in some airport in Ireland and needs you to help her by sending some money – which I hope you didn’t do, because this was likely someone else posing as her.

There are even bloggers who had their sites hacked, with the hacker posting offensive content on the site, like what happened to Singapore’s popular blogger Xiaxue. Yikes!

Like I said, the Internet is a scary place.

But I don’t want to stop blogging or using the Internet because that would be no fun, so I searched for a way to keep doing so in a safer way. That is when I discovered VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

VPNs or VPN Service Providers add on a degree of safety and privacy that you cannot find with regular virus or malware protection, both of which are crucial to the overall security picture.

So what does a VPN do? VPN hides your IP address. This is essential, because if you are hidden, hackers cannot find your information. Imagine not having to worry about someone knowing what site you are visiting, no longer having to worry about accessing sensitive financial information, or the like.

It opens up the Internet to you in a way that it has never been seen before, as the Internet was meant to be seen before online criminals started to emerge.

The former and present companies I work for, both of which belong to the top corporations in the world, use this functionality to protect their information, so this shows me that it really is a great method to stay secure.

But which VPN should I sign up for? This article on Top 10 VPN Reviews gave me a good list to choose from, and I picked the one on the #1 spot because it seems to provide really good value for your money.

So would I recommend a VPN to others? Most definitely… that is, if you are concerned about your Internet security, which you should be. Dangers lurk in every website that you visit in cyberspace, whether you spend a few minutes online or a few hours. If you are serious about protection and want to see the Internet without restrictions, then getting a VPN is the way to go.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.