飞达精选:VPN是怎样运作的？
发布于: 5年前 4'0" 162wpm
What is VPN?
You probably heard of a VPN before. It’s even possible you’ve used one before. But did you know what it does?
A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network which basically means it gives you privacy online. Originally VPN was only used in business settings where big businesses, organizations or governments wanted to secure their data centers since people worked remotely and needed to connect online, Businesses needed to create a secure connection. Otherwise, they were at risk for hacking or other loss of data.
Nowadays VPN is used by everyone, specifically because it ensures your location stays private, your data is encrypted and you can surf the web anonymously.
But how does it work?
Let’s back up for a second to understand how the internet works.
When you visit a site like Facebook or Twitter, you type in a domain name. That domain is basically a nickname for the website’s IP address, and IP address is just like your home address, only it consists of numbers and not street names. Since it’s much easier to remember names in a string of numbers, we give website’s domain names and a server translates them. Your computer has an IP address too, and so does every device browsing the internet. When you type in the website’s domain name on your browser whether you’re using Chrome, Firefox or even Internet Explorer, you send your data into the internet until it reaches a server. That server then translates the data and sends you back the website you requested. The problem is when you send that data to the server, you’re sending them your IP address and a lot of other information too.
This is where hackers can intercept your information. Imagine you’re sitting in a coffee shop using their public Wi-Fi on your phone, and you want to check your bank account, someone else with the laptop can easily log into the network and get a hold of your passwords, emails and other information you might have.
But if you use a VPN they won’t be able to access that. The websites you visit can also gather your information. But they tend to do it in order to study their demographic. Usually, it’s not a problem, but sometimes you want to protect your identity and privacy. So how does a VPN protect my privacy?
When you send information online, a VPN creates a tunnel that encrypts your information. This way if someone gets a hold of your data, they won’t be able to read it. The tunnel also makes it harder to hack in. But don’t be fooled it is still possible, just much harder to do.
A VPN also adds in an extra server we spoke about how you send data from your computer to a server and then that server pings you back with the website. But with VPN your data goes to their server first and then it’s sent out to the website. This extra step helps in a lot of ways. First, it can change your location. A lot of video streaming websites like Netflix and Hulu have strict content depending on your geolocation.
Let’s say you wanna watch your favourite show on Netflix but it’s not available in your country. You send your information to one of the VPN servers in America and that server sends it to Netflix website. Netflix now thinks you're in America and you can stream your show without any problems.
A VPN tricks them into thinking you're in a different location because the signal was coming from a different server. Hurrah right? Changing your location can also be helpful while booking a hotel or flight. Research has shown that hotel and flight prices change depending on your location, and a VPN can potentially save you lots of money.
But let's get back to your privacy.
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