The USA has a tradition of free and open access to the internet. Americans want assurances that their security and privacy will be protected from those who would spy, steal, and come between them in their quest for information and e-commerce.
Our online freedoms have been under constant attack. Protection against privacy breaches, malware, and identity theft requires Americans to adopt a siege mentality behind firewalls, malware detectors, and a strong password regimen to protect their personal privacy online.
An additional and especially effective weapon in the battle against surveillance and intruders is a VPN like Surfshark and similar services that provide VPN for the US.
Basics
Virtual Private Network–secures the user’s web browsing. It is an encrypted connection that goes through a virtual “tunnel.” The user’s internet traffic is safe from prying eyes because it masks the user’s “return address,” hiding the user’s identity and location.
The term “virtual” denotes the software controls that form the end-to-end connection. Rather than using hardware or dedicated lines, the connection is “tunneled” using an encrypted data packet wrapped within another packet.
The tunnel is through a server located away from the user’s actual location. The VPN shows the user’s IP address as the server the user logged into. When the VPN routes the connection to and from another destination site, the data is encrypted and secure.
To take advantage of the masking and encryption provided by it, the user must subscribe to a VPN client. The connection software provides the user with a choice of VPN servers, and the user can select the US or foreign location. With premium features like double tunneling and location hopping, the user whitelists some sites for a faster connection and search for faster servers.
Again, the chosen Virtual Private Network server appears as the user’s local IP address, and the connection is encrypted. Even the user’s internet service provider (ISP) cannot detect the websites the user visits—provided, of course, that it has a no-logs policy.
Definition of a “Strong” Virtual Private Network
Of the many VPN providers on the market today, only the truly strong VPN’s provide a no-logs policy, top-grade encryption, and multi-device protection.
Look for No-logs Assurances
“No logs” means that the provider maintains no records of the client’s activity online. That also means that the client could not, even under subpoena, provide any information about the client’s web activity.
Avoid Free Services
Free VPNs remain free by meeting their expenses in other ways. They track their users and sell the activity data to marketers and online advertisers. Some free services deposit trackers on the user’s browsers and others have been detected as facilitating third-party cyber-attacks.
Then there are the troublesome performance and speed issues with free VPN services. The user’s internet speed drops as ads are loading in the background and inserting annoying popups. Free clients of this service can also experience restricted bandwidth—or throttling—during peak hours.
Read more about the pitfalls of free services on this.
Everyone in the USA who does business or stays connected with others online needs a strong Virtual Private Network. The best and strongest VPN connection is through a paid subscription. For just a few dollars per month, the user can take advantage of a no-logs, full-featured software with state-of-the-art encryption as well as premium features like CleanWeb.
- In addition to the built-in firewalls and the user’s computer operating system’s security features, a strong VPN protects against viruses and known malware threats. A strong USA VPN is an important layer of continuous security and privacy protection.
- USA customers need the VPN’s added security not always provided by their financial institutions. The key feature and top advantage of it is that it protects financial data—fund transfers, invoices, etc.–in transit between the customer and the bank. It makes the principals far less vulnerable to surveillance and malware attacks.
- In the USA and elsewhere, public Wi-Fi sites are everywhere. Signing on to an insecure public Wi-Fi server without a VPN’s protection makes the user vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack. A VPN on the user’s mobile device is the best protection from hackers who perform real-time spying, spoofing, and luring unsuspected victims to fake websites.
- We already alluded to bandwidth throttling. It bypasses ISP bandwidth throttling, which slows online gameplay. Also, with it, the user can gain entry to restricted or locally banned games. Besides ensuring online anonymity, another VPN benefit is its shield against interference by rival players, denial of service attacks, and site banning by tyrannical game admins.
- With a strong Virtual Private Network service, the user can access streaming services like Netflix from outside the area. Those services often cannot broadcast the same popular series outside their coverage area because of programming policies or copyright restrictions. It can unlock vast amounts of out-of-area content without resorting to pirating program content from dangerous websites.
- A strong one can bypass unfair pricing practices. Online businesses and e-commerce sites can resort to blocking shoppers or displaying different prices for more affluent areas. For example, airlines frequently show different prices based on the location of the user’s ISP address. Often, shopping for the same airline ticket at different IP locations can access lower pricing for the same trip.
- A strong service can provide wide protection across all devices that connect to the internet. Those connections can be handled through the home router. The home router can be a gateway to compromising personal privacy. Installing a VPN on the router is the most reliable way to protect every device that accesses the internet through that router.
Conclusions and Takeaways
A VPN protects Americans from spying and adds another layer of online security. The VPN masks the user’s location and encrypts online traffic.
Free VPN services are generally less secure and have performance issues that slow down the user’s internet connection. On the other hand, premium VPNs with no-logs policies are the best online protection for financial transactions and preventing man-in-the-middle attacks on public Wi-Fi networks while bypassing bandwidth throttling.
A premium Virtual Private Network provides more reliable access to streaming sites and can protect against unfair pricing practices. Installing a VPN to the router protects every device serviced by the router.
