In general, we do NOT need a VPN - well, unless you happen to 🙂

On why, in fact, in everyday Internet use VPNs are not useful and sometimes even make things worse.

 

I'm Maciej from eonea talking about data security today I'll talk about VPNs, VPNs are pointless .... END

 

Well, okay maybe I "slightly" rushed and simplified considerably but one step at a time.
What is this VPN at all why is it actually not needed in most cases well and of course when is it really needed.
I will tell ... invite you to read

 

Let's start with how such a VPN works.
It is a virtual generally encrypted tunnel between two or more devices on a network.
In practice, it is most often used to send data between two points through an encrypted tunnel over the public Internet. The whole thesis of the game is to ensure the confidentiality of the information exchanged and to authenticate the user.
Ok because with this somewhat dry introduction, let's ask ourselves how this relates to the average user in everyday Internet use? Well, exactly. bland.
The key words here are: "encrypted" and "two points"
As average Internet users, we use at least several applications, services, websites at once. Each of these services also often links to several sources of information.
Not in the slightest does it look like a combination of two points.
Commercial VPNs most often offer a service that in practice consists of Creating an encrypted connection between your computer/phone and their servers. That is, traffic instead of going from your Computer through our Internet cloud to the servers of the services you use. It goes from your computer through the encrypted VPN to the VPN provider's servers and from those VPN servers, already without this additional protection through the Internet cloud to the service servers. That is, your traffic is yes encrypted and additionally protected, but only between your device and the VPN provider's servers then from the VPN provider's servers it is not additionally encrypted.
In practice, we just introduce an additional element through which information passes and "slow down" our use of the Internet.
So... the encryption argument only makes sense if we have serious indications that our ISP is taking an "exaggerated" interest in where and when we surf the Internet. In fact, it might as well, more or less consciously, be eavesdropping on our VPN provider or its ISP or the three-letter service from our VPN provider's country of tax residence. Who knows.

 

On the other hand, the vast majority of data transmitted from our devices is encrypted anyway. For example, most Internet sites, instant messaging, mail or banks.
The providers of these services have done a great deal to make it impossible to "eavesdrop" on our communications with them one way or another.
A certain weakness here is the DNS service, mostly unencrypted, which is responsible for exchanging site names for IP addresses.
In any case, in the worst case scenario, such a "rubber ear" listening to our movement will overhear when we have communicated with what service but is unlikely to know the content anymore.

 

I have seen in several cases information about protection against malware by filtering malicious sites. This is an Interesting argument but I would rather not recommend such a solution instead of some antivirus or at least changing DNS to 1.1.1.2. I made a video about it. [link]
Besides, if they filter the content contained in the pages then they can also learn about it.

 

So VPNs are pointless....

 

Well, definitely not 🙂 🙂

 

If we want to hide our real IP for some reason then such a VPN swaps our IP with its own and it looks like we are in a different place than we are. Sometimes it is possible to get around the so-called geo-blocking in this way, for example, in streaming services. You can then watch a movie normally not available in our country. From rumors we hear that Platforms are trying to block IP addresses of such VPN servers.

 

A bit on the different side of this whole discussion of ours are corporate VPNs.
If we need to get into the corporate network where our programs, servers, printers and whatever else may be on such a network and it is obviously inaccessible to the public, then a VPN is a super solution.

 

In conclusion VPNs are very useful tools but are worth using ONLY if you have a sensible reason.