Understanding VPN’s and their benefits
Africa is an internet freedom friendly continent with countries like Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa dubbed as a silicon Savanna and the next tech investment capital in the world. So many African countries don’t seem to be engaging in online censorship, and this is really impressive. This creates an enabling ground for Africans to thrive and enter international markets.
Using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has been accepted in Africa and across the world as the demand for them is at an all-time high. People living and working from Africa shouldn’t have problems navigating through the thriving VPN market considering the high number of VPN service providers in the continent. These providers are offering affordable services, you’d think picking a VPN is a cherry pie. At some point though, choosing a reliable VPN might turn out to be a difficult task. This is because as much as there is an abundance of VPN Providers, one has to wade through a lot of different after service and rates.
A quick reality check, however, proves that the VPN niche hasn’t really been tapped. It’s hard to differentiate a trusted VPN provider from snoopers due to lack of clear regulations, you, therefore, need to watch out for some red flags when shopping for a VPN.
VPNs Vs Security
VPNs allow from different countries to create a protected connection to a different network over the internet. The good thing about VPNs is that they can be used to access websites from restricted regions and even protect your browsing activity from the prying eyes on public wifi. For example, if you’re in South Africa, using a VPN, you can easily stream US Netflix plus Netflix from 15 other countries, you can also stream HBO Now, Hulu and other popular streaming services by just a few simple clicks.
In simple terms, VPNs basically allows you to access the internet and appear like you are connecting from the U.S. For example, instead of your real location, which could be any African country, by-passing geographical blocks and censorship. It also conceals your traffic and hides it from your internet service provider, advertisers and other intruding parties. A VPN provider runs a chain or structure of servers located in different parts of the world and directs your traffic through them so that you appear like you are browsing from a different location.
This you can do without worrying about security or even cyber-attacks, because VPNs routes the browsing data you send and receive through a secure virtual passage between your computer or TV and the VPN servers.
VPNs and Privacy
One of the most commonly asked questions for people planning to use VPNs for the first time is privacy. Well, privacy is a growing concern in this digital age and this is why most people are now turning to VPNs. This, as we earlier mentioned in this article is because these networks encrypt your computer traffic and routes it through anonymous routers. This hides the users’ identity hence protecting your privacy as well as from anyone who wants to steal or monetize your data.
One of the things you, however, need to look out for when choosing a VPN is ensure that it doesn’t log into your personal and internet activity, ensuring your privacy. Get a VPN with an automatic kill switch. This will ensure that your internet connection is cut off should your VPN get disconnected preventing your IP address from being exposed.
Bottom line, VPNs are a must-have tools if you’re a frequent user of public Wi-Fi hotspots that are plagued by hackers. Security solutions like antivirus apps, softwares and passwords go a long way to keeping you safe online, but a VPN is a uniquely powerful tool that you should definitely include in your security toolkit.
