3 reasons a VPN is the next app you should install.

I'm not a fan of every app touch and step taken being monetized and monitored from my mobile device. In fact, my closest friends will confirm that I'm one to leave my phone at home when out at the lake. ...and on that note, I must share info about a not-so-new, but highly underused tech tool that counters the growing state of online surveillance - VPNs. As technology continues to intertwine with every part of our lives, and if we value security, privacy, and freedom, we each must take responsibility for our online activity. My message is: a VPN is an affordable and an easy-to-use tool that you can implement today. When your device is protected, even unsecured and open networks are a nonissue, and censorship meets a formidable adversary. In this blog you’ll learn how VPNs (virtual private networks) play a crucial role in · safeguarding you and your digital communications · providing secure access to resources, and · enabling access to information that’s censored by outside agencies I’ll also compare top VPNs and provide you with a link here and at end of my blog to buy NordVPN, a VPN I recommend.

Buy NordVPN here.

VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a solution that creates a secure, private, and uncensored connection between your device and the internet. A VPN setup allows for your true address to be masked by issuing you a different address based off a VPN server located somewhere else, often in another country. This mask removes restrictions to information and services imposed by external organizations and government policies, while maintaining your privacy. Your data is encrypted, wrapped (encapsulated), and transported in a tunnel to keep your activity confidential.

Overall, a VPN establishes a private and secure connection, enhances privacy, and allows for unrestricted access to the internet while maintaining your confidentiality and encryption of your data. Here's how:

1. Authentication and Authorization: You or your device initiates a connection request to the VPN server, usually using an app. The server verifies your credentials and authorizes the connection. 2. Encryption: your device encrypts the data you send and receive. This encryption ensures that the information is unreadable and secure from hackers or anyone attempting to spy on your internet activity. To understand what encryption is, here’s a simple example using a substitution cipher. In this specific case, Caesar cipher is used. It involves shifting each letter in the sentence a certain number of places down the alphabet. Original sentence: "Show me how this sentence looks like encrypted." Encrypted sentence (with a shift of 3): "Vkrz ph krz wklv vhfuhw ohdu dqgohg orxg lqjhu hvsdflwru." Of course, this is a very weak encryption method and can be easily decrypted, so it is not suitable for secure communications. Cryptographic algorithms like AES or RSA are commonly used for secure encryption and use a much stronger encryption algorithm. Blockchain is a type of cryptographic algorithm. The main purpose of blockchain technology is to create a decentralized and transparent system for recording and verifying transactions. It allows multiple parties to have secure and immutable (unable to be changed) records of transactions without the need for banks or governments. Blockchain technology provides transparency, security, and trust by using cryptographic algorithms to ensure the integrity and consensus (collective agreement of all parties involved) of the data stored on the blockchain. Blockchain goes well beyond cryptocurrencies, and can be applied to supply chain management, decentralized file storage, digital identity verification, voting systems, and more. 3. Tunnel Initialization: Upon successful authentication, the VPN client and server negotiate the parameters to establish a secure tunnel and involves determining the encryption algorithms and protocols to be used for securing your data's transmission. 4. Data Encryption: Once the tunnel is initialized, the actual data sent from the your device is encrypted using an agreed-upon encryption method. This ensures that your data remains protected and unreadable to anyone IF the tunnel is breached, and the data intercepted during transmission. 5. Encapsulation: The original data packets, which could be any form of Internet Protocol (IP) traffic (web pages, audio, video, files and more), are encapsulated or wrapped within a new data packet, known as the outer packet. The outer packet is created by adding an additional header to the original data and is specifically for transmission through the tunnel. 6. Routing: The encapsulated packet, which contains your original data, is then routed through the established tunnel between the VPN client (app on your computer or phone or smartwatch or tablet) and server. This routing ensures that your data remains separate from other internet traffic and is directed towards its intended destination, versus redirected. 7. Decryption and Decapsulation: Once the encapsulated packet reaches the VPN server, it is decrypted, and the outer packet is removed. Your original data packet is extracted, and headers added during encapsulation are discarded. 8. Delivery: The decrypted and decapsulated data packet is then forwarded to its destination over the public internet or local network. From the perspective of the receiving party, it appears as if your data originated from the VPN server rather than your device and your true location - made possible through the process called IP Address Masking. By creating a tunnel in this manner, the VPN ensures that your transmitted data is protected from unauthorized access, eavesdropping, and interception while maintaining your privacy and security. Let's explore these important processes a little more: 9. IP Address Masking: When you use a VPN, your IP address is replaced with one provided by the VPN server. This disguises your real location and identity, making it difficult for websites, services, or hackers to trace your online activities back to you. It helps protect your privacy and anonymity online. If the VPN server resides in Panama, that is where the receiving party (like Netflix) believes you are located. 10. Bypassing Restrictions: VPNs allow you to bypass regional restrictions or censorship imposed by schools, workplaces, and governments. By connecting to a server in another location, you can access content or websites that may be blocked in your country or network. This is possible as the VPN server acts as a representative of you to the internet. 11. Anonymity: Using a VPN adds an extra layer of anonymity to your online presence. Since your internet traffic appears to originate from the VPN server, it becomes challenging for anyone to determine your true identity, track your online behavior, and physically locate you.

VPNs have been around since the mid 90s and have evolved considerably. I’m a big fan of history. History provides meaningful perspective for the journey. Here are the milestones in the development of VPN technology, which I think prove how important this tool in this age of technology:

Early Encryption Techniques: In the early 1990s, as the internet became more widely used, the need for secure communication over public networks arose. Cryptographic technologies, such as the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), were developed to encrypt data and establish secure connections between remote users and private networks. IPSec Standardization: In the late 1990s, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) introduced the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) suite, which standardized the protocols used for secure IP communications. IPSec provided enhanced security and integrity for VPN connections, enabling secure tunnels between networks and remote users. Rise of SSL/TLS VPNs: As the popularity of VPNs increased, SSL/TLS VPNs emerged as an alternative to traditional IPSec-based VPNs. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and its successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS), enabled remote access to web-based applications and allowed secure connections without requiring additional software. SSL/TLS VPNs gained prominence due to their ease of use and broad compatibility. MPLS-VPN Technology: In the early 2000s, multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) technology was integrated with VPNs. MPLS-VPNs allowed service providers to create virtual private networks by utilizing MPLS routing protocols for traffic segmentation and quality of service (QoS) management. This approach facilitated secure connections between multiple sites or branches of organizations. Mobile VPNs and Remote Workforce: With the proliferation of smartphones and portable devices in the 2010s, the demand for secure connections for remote workers increased significantly. Mobile VPNs were developed to provide secure access to corporate networks while utilizing 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi networks. These solutions allowed employees to work remotely without compromising security. Advanced Encryption and Authentication: As cyber threats became more sophisticated, VPNs adopted stronger encryption algorithms and more robust authentication methods. Protocols like OpenVPN, which uses OpenSSL, gained popularity due to their flexibility, high level of security, and open-source nature. Additionally, two-factor authentication became widely implemented, adding an extra layer of protection. Cloud VPNs and Software-Defined Networking: The advent of cloud computing and software-defined networking (SDN) brought about the concept of cloud-based, scalable VPN solutions. Cloud VPNs provided the flexibility to connect distributed resources and offered seamless integration with cloud platforms and virtual machines. Privacy and Anonymity Concerns: In recent years, concerns about online privacy and internet surveillance have led to increased interest in VPNs as a means to protect user data and maintain anonymity. Many VPN services now prioritize privacy features, such as strict no-logs policies and obfuscated servers.

NordVPN offers 3 service plans – Standard, Plus and Complete - that you can purchase monthly, yearly or every 2 years.

I’m a fan of the complete package because the plan includes:

1. a cross platform password manager, a feature that ensures you have secure, easy to use passwords

2. a data breach scanner, that will notify you if a website is attempting to scrape information off your device, and

3. 2 TB of data located in a secure, central-to-you place, for important digital information like contracts, wills, family photos and other valuable information that you would traditionally put in a safety deposit box. To expand that...

2 TB (terabytes) = 2,000 GB (gigabytes) = 2,000,000 MB (megabytes) (To learn how incredibly important your passwords are, read my post Password pain stops the wrong people from getting in. Knowledge is power.) When you breakdown the amount by month, purchasing the Complete app for 2 years is very affordable. Also know, these prices are only benchmarks and NordVPN regularly offers amazing discounts. Well established in the industry, there is only an incredibly small chance that NordVPN will disappear from the market.

• more than ten years of experience

• a leading VPN provider

• military-grade protection online

• access all your favorite sites without restriction

• your activity is never logged on their servers, which are operated under the jurisdiction of Panama, where there are no mandatory data retention laws

• a subscription is linked to an email and can cover up to 6 different devices associated with that email

NordVPN unblocks these major streaming services:

For years VPNs have been used to secure corporate, financial, and government resources. Because of their recognized value in the age of technology, VPNs continue to adapt and transform. Once basic encryption tools, solutions have become more versatile, incredibly affordable, and a part of secure modern network architectures. With technology becoming more everyday and everywhere, it's crucial everyday-people embrace tools that promote our best possible future - a place where words like security, privacy, and freedom describe our nation. I believe VPNs are an important part of our journey now. Take this step, and when you meet friends and clients at the coffee shop, teach them about VPN. Darcey Lynne Thorn of the Wildrose Need technical support? Contact us. We’re able to help you virtually, where you are. Don't miss a lesson - Subscribe to our newsletter here, and we'll email you every 2 weeks with a list of what's new at The View from Inside.