Many people seem to believe that there is no such thing as privacy on the internet anymore, and they might just be right. In recent years, we have seen many different instances of people’s privacy being invaded. What’s even more concerning is that their ISP have often been the culprit.
Since your ISP is the one who provides you with your internet, this is incredibly disturbing. All is not so terrible though, as there are other ways through which you can have a secure and private internet experience apart from simply cutting yourself off from it. We will tell you the easiest way to have the best possible protection on the internet, followed by why you should have it.
How to enjoy a safe and private internet experience
The best way for you to make sure that no one is able to intrude on what you are doing online is through the use of a VPN. A VPN uses their secure servers to route all of your internet traffic through them. This way, only your connection to the VPN is visible to the ISP.
You need to be careful about which VPN you select. It is best to have a VPN which is hosted in a country with strict privacy laws. On top of that, it is best to have a VPN with a no-logging policy so that none of your browsing history is ever stored on their servers.
ExpressVPN is one of the better VPNs available in the market right now due to their excellent security and decent speeds. However, the location of the servers is in the US so only purchase it if you are comfortable with it.
VPNs will also encrypt your data and ensure there are no DNS and IP leaks along the way. Because of this, you can be sure that your ISP can not know anything about you.
Your ISP can sell your browsing history
Recently, new legislation has made it so that it is legal for your ISP to sell your browsing history to the highest bidder. This is shocking news since it means that none of your internet history is safe anymore.
Although the chances of your ISP selling only your browsing history are probably not great, using a VPN is still a good precautionary measure. For the most part, marketing corporations will try to buy the browsing history of thousands of people at once so as to target them with specific ad campaigns and get to know more about their personalities.
ISPs have to hand over your browsing history to the government
There has been a ton of legislation in numerous countries akin to the Snooper’s Charter. Although the charter itself has been outlawed and the government has been told to come up with a better alternative, this sort of legislation is still rampant in other countries.
What the Snooper’s Charter essentially states is that the government is allowed to request anyone’s browsing history as long as it relates to crime or national security. The language of the bill is so vague that it allows any government agency to request a person’s browsing history without providing any proof that they have a valid cause for it.
Your ISP’s hands are tied in this case, as they are obligated by law to store your browsing history and provide it to the authorities whenever they wish. For this reason, the only solution for you is to use a VPN. If you are using a VPN, then there will be no browsing history for your ISP to give.
Are VPNs legal?
As of right now, the use of a VPN is legal in most countries. If you are living in the western hemisphere, then the use of a VPN is almost certainly legal in your country. There is no need to worry about anything whenever you are connected to a reputable VPN service.
Remember that using a VPN will not only protect you from your ISP but also allow you to enjoy a host of other advantages as well. For example, you will be able to torrent safely if you are using a VPN since it will be impossible for anyone to trace anything back to you. On top of this, you will also be able to access services which are blocked in your region such as BBC iPlayer.
Conclusion
Your ISP is not your friend by any stretch of the imagination. Whether they do it for profit or the government forces them to, none of what you do on the internet is completely safe from prying eyes. As such, it is best to have as much protection when browsing the internet as possible.
A VPN is a great solution as it is incredibly cheap and allows you to have a lot more freedom when on the internet rather than just having security.