The ability to get the maximum from the internet is becoming harder and harder. Even though the world is rapidly becoming more digital and online, there are many forces at work aimed at cutting down what you can do, and see and the amount of freedom you have.
Only the savviest internet users were aware of VPNs ten years ago – they primarily worked as a tool that kept your privacy and anonymity online, as many were becoming aware of the way data was being treated online. Now, VPNs are used for people who want entertainment as well as security online. If you find yourself searching for putlocker alternatives, you could find your searches being tracked and stored, which can pose a big problem without a VPN.
A VPN works by masking and hiding your IP address, which stops people from knowing where you are in the world. It also creates an encrypted tunnel for when you browse the internet, meaning whatever sites you go on, data you enter, or files you receive, it all is hidden away.
We are finding it common now that cybercriminals are not the only ones looking to steal personal information and online data. Third parties are realizing the value of data and trying many ways to collect it to cash in. They find happy buyers in companies and advertisers who can create personalized advertising campaigns based on what you do online. Statista reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a huge boom in VPN usage for people wanting to be more anonymous and free online.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have encroached on their mark as a provider to become quite nefarious in their activities. Some ISPs collect and sell user data that they get – without any notice or consent given to their customers. It was found that Verizon had sold user data and internet activity to the US government, without telling anybody. Forbes reported that data is becoming more valuable of a commodity than oil, which says a lot about the way many third parties are acting online.
On top of all this, many streaming platforms and news sites are limiting or adapting their content to internet users. This can be based on a multitude of reasons, but online users must be aware. Here are the best ways a VPN can give you more online content:
Streaming Entertainment From Anywhere
A VPN can do so much for those of us who use streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Disney Plus. These major streaming providers have been found limiting their library of TV shows and movies based on where the user is in the world. In an example found on Netflix, if you wanted to watch the hit TV show Bridgerton and were based in the United States, you would have had no way of watching it.
If you were based in the UK however, you could watch it to your heart’s content. This can be frustrating for people who like content from a different part of the world, or someone who is away from their native country and wants the comforts of home through a TV show. Thankfully, a VPN can provide this.
Get Nationally-Exclusive Sporting Events
Some niche sports fans might be frustrated when they find that there are no options to view certain sporting events during the year. An example can be found through the UK Snooker Open, which is broadcast nationally for free on UK television and the UK-based BBC iPlayer.
If you are a big snooker fan and live in the United States, you will find that there is no possible option to stream this event. If you manage to get your hands on a VPN, you could actually reroute your location to the UK, sign up to the iPlayer platform and watch the Snooker Open for absolutely nothing.
Get More Access To News
There is a growing rise of authoritarian governments in today’s world, which means that there is less freedom online for the people in these countries. Places like Russia, China, Iran, and others actively censor and change the news to fit certain narratives, meaning that their citizens are not getting the full picture. Using a VPN however, they can change their location to a country that is freer and more liberal to get a better idea of what is going on.
The same can be done when you are within an institution or organization that is censoring or filtering content. A VPN is a tool to be freer online, which means more access to news and articles across the world. Social media applications like Twitter and Instagram have been found to adjust and filter the content that their users receive, so using a VPN while you are on these platforms is a smart idea.
A VPN gives you so much more access to content that you are either paying for or cannot get entirely. The amount of money it can both save and get value from is fantastic, making a VPN a must-have for someone who wants to maximize their content online.
