A VPN (virtual private network) is a service that uses private servers in remote places to create a secure Internet connection. All data sent between your computer, smartphone, or tablet and the VPN server is secured.
The most common case in which you might utilize a VPN is when you’re working remotely and using a computer to connect to a specific private network, thereby securing sensitive data. However, using a free VPN service should not be confined to computers and laptops; you may have essential data on your Android or iOS smartphone that you want to protect from hackers and snoops.
Why smartphones are vulnerable
Nowadays, our smartphones are always connected to the Internet, exchanging data and syncing emails, social media accounts, and other profiles. But what if someone intercepts that communication and obtains your banking information, Facebook password, private emails and texts, and browser history?
This is highly likely, particularly when utilizing insecure public WiFi networks, which have no encryption, even at the network access level. Even if the WiFi networks are marked as safe, more caution is needed.
Consider how a smartphone is built
Data collectors can obtain personal information about you, including what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and where you’re doing it. Several technologies, such as GPS and location services, Bluetooth and location tracking based on which mobile provider you’re linked to, allow them to determine where you are at any given time. Scanning a QR code with your smartphone can also reveal location data. It may all become relatively accurate and appealing to advertisers, businesses, and governments.
Data broker businesses easily capture this information from countless devices, generating billions of data points and creating large lists of focused information when combined with your phone activity. And the details become precise. Some data brokers collect hundreds or thousands of data points per person, allowing them to provide interested buyers with an overview of who you are, where you live, who’s in your family, where you shop, and what you like to buy—right down to your favorite detergent. And that’s just the beginning.
What about those pesky privacy policies?
It’s no wonder this data brokering activity feeds a global economy worth USD 200 billion, as calculated in recent years. And this is primarily because of the privacy policies you may or may not have read.
Device makers, social media corporations, app developers, and others will describe what data they collect, under what conditions, what they do with it, and whether they share or resell that data to third parties in those policies. However, if you’ve read the tiny print of a privacy policy, you’ll notice that what’s said there is more complicated. Consider all of the apps on your phone and the privacy regulations linked with each one; your personal data privacy picture becomes even more hazy.
How a VPN protects you
With a VPN connection, your phone’s data is transmitted through an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server before being routed to its internet destination. That means your ISP and other third-party providers can no longer see that data, avoiding the prospect of them monitoring things like your browsing habits, which could be used for financial gain.
With this encrypted tunnel, a VPN also provides security, especially when you’re away from home and using your phone on the road with potentially unsecured public WiFi networks, such as at a café or airport. Even if an attacker intercepts data transferred from your smartphone in these higher-risk scenarios, where the WiFi network is potentially hacked, they won’t be able to do anything with that data because it’s encrypted.
Using a VPN on your smartphone can significantly increase your online anonymity. A VPN can reduce the amount of data exposed when it transmits to and from your smartphone. As a result, firms and data brokers may learn significantly less about you, your purchases, your travels, your habits, and any other information that they may acquire and benefit from.
Besides privacy, it is your best travel companion
When you’re going abroad with only your smartphone, a VPN on your devices might help you avoid censorship and restrictions. Some governments, for example, prohibit particular services or social media networks; but, with a VPN, which can make it look as if you’re in a different place (specifically, where the VPN server is), you can circumvent these restrictions and still access the online information you require.
Final thoughts
Of course, you may worry about using a VPN on your smartphone. Sticking to a reputable provider should alleviate any concerns. After all, the risks of not utilizing a VPN outweigh not having one in the data-centered world we live in. If you want to take back control over your data and privacy, a VPN on your smartphone is a smart move to make.