Should You Trust Your ISP or Get a VPN?

In case you’re unfamiliar with the abbreviations, an ISP refers to an Internet Service Provider, and a VPN refers to a Virtual Private Network.

Your Internet service provider (or an ISP) is typically the company that provides consumers and businesses with internet access through your home via a wireless router or via your mobile device through a 3G or 4G network coverage.

On the other hand, a virtual private network (or a VPN) can be any online company that provides you with private and protected internet browsing through the use of various privacy and security protocols such as IPSec, SSL, IKEv2, just to name a few.

Both of these service-based companies have different agendas, beliefs, and business models of how they want the internet to be for the end user.

Your ISP is tracking you

Most people are unaware of how ISPs work, while internet service providers are really helpful for providing valuable internet services to users around the world, they typically hold a lot of power over how people use the internet.

Internet service providers are known for tracking their user’s online behavior and activities, they can basically see everything that you do online.

All the websites you visit, apps you download, your current location, products you purchase, email you receive. In short, your ISP knows everything about you and is constantly spying on you (scary, right?).

ISPs violate your online privacy

In other words, ISPs are in the business of data monetization — not only that, but they’re also responsible for many other unethical practices such as giving out your information at the request of government organizations, limiting your access to certain content, and even slowing down your internet speed when browsing streaming sites and video content.

It is obviously a complete violation of your online privacy. However, it is completely legal for them to do so. Why? well, you can blame the government for that.

With the recent debates surrounding the repeal of Net Neutrality by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Internet service providers (ISP) now hold more power over people’s data and access to the internet.

In the end, it is clear that Internet service providers don’t really want people to enjoy an open, free, and unrestricted access to the internet.

VPNs to the rescue…

A reliable virtual private network (VPN) will usually have all the features and the technology necessary to protect you from the vicious hands of your internet service provider.

While there are many use cases for a VPN software, you will usually be much safer and your private data and browsing history will be encrypted and hidden from your ISP.

As a result, you will be able to enjoy high-speed internet (for watching Netflix), access restricted sites, browse the web anonymously, and protect your data from hackers, governments, advertisers, and your Internet service provider.

Cool, right?

While you will always be in need of your ISP to access the internet, you can think of a VPN software as a protection to your internet browsing and online data privacy.

Should you try free VPNs?

While free VPNs can be attractive simply because of their no overhead cost, they’re usually much less reliable than paid VPNs, and often times, they may sell your data to generate revenue.

Not only that, but many free options offer extremely limited data, take, for example, Tunnelbear, a popular free VPN, only offers about 500MB of free data every month (which is insufficient for even 5 minutes of web browsing).

On the other hand, a premium subscription-based VPN software such as VPN.Express will come with unlimited bandwidth and numerous servers around the world to allow you to browse the web anonymously at all times.

You don’t have to trust your ISP to keep you safe online, a VPN software will easily help you take care of that. Just install it on your devices, connect to a server, sit back, relax and enjoy unrestricted and protected online browsing.