Privacy, explained simply

A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the internet and hides your real IP address behind one of our servers. That stops your ISP, network owner, or anyone snooping on public Wi-Fi from seeing which sites you visit, and stops websites from seeing your true location.

What a VPN is not: it isn’t magic anonymity. If you sign into an account, that service still knows it’s you. Use a VPN alongside good habits — strong unique passwords, two-factor authentication, and keeping software updated — for real protection.

Throttling is when your provider deliberately slows certain traffic. Tell-tale signs: video that only buffers in the evenings, one app (streaming, gaming, torrents) that’s slow while everything else is fine, or speeds that jump when you connect to a VPN.

Because a VPN encrypts your traffic, your ISP can no longer tell what you’re doing and therefore can’t single it out for slowdowns. Run our Speed Test with and without the VPN to compare.

Cafés, airports and hotels are convenient — and risky. On open networks, attackers on the same Wi-Fi can attempt to intercept unencrypted traffic or set up fake hotspots.

Turn on your VPN before you connect to anything, and enable auto-connect on untrusted networks so you’re protected automatically. With encryption on, even a compromised network only sees scrambled data.