What does a VPN hide (and what it does not)?

Everything you do online is susceptible to tracking by hackers, governments, ISPs, and marketers. If you want these third parties off your back, using a Virtual Private Network is an effective solution. But you might be wondering, “what does a VPN hide?”

Well, a VPN hides an array of things, such as your IP address, geolocation, and personal data. Below, we will a closer look at what a VPN can and cannot hide, allowing you to make informed decisions about your online privacy:

What does a VPN hide?

1. Your internet protocol (IP) address

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is your device’s unique online identifier. Unfortunately, it also allows greedy advertisers, spying governments, and hungry cybercriminals to trace your online activities back to you.

This includes the searches you make, the websites you visit, the videos you watch, and more. A VPN masks your true IP address with one of their own so that you can browse privately and without worrying about someone watching your every move. 

2. Your geographical location

Unable to access certain websites or content? Whether it is due to geo-restrictions or censorship, one thing is for sure – such roadblocks can be quite frustrating! Fortunately, you can get around them using a VPN as it hides your physical location.

With access to thousands of servers in dozens of countries, you can spoof your location as per your needs. The result? You are able to unblock geo-blocked content, access government-censored sites, and even book cheap flights. 

3. Your buying patterns

By analyzing your online spending behaviors, advertisers and other entities can figure out a lot about your personal life. That is one of the main reasons why you see dozens of ads every day that are relevant to your buying patterns.

A VPN creates a protected tunnel between your device and the websites you purchase from. Since your buying habits can’t be connected to your IP address, you no longer have to be concerned about targeted advertising.

4. Your personal data

Individuals with malicious intentions and basic technical knowledge can easily intercept and steal your login credentials, passwords, and other sensitive information you might be transmitting on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

A VPN encrypts all traffic before it leaves your device, ensuring that your personal info becomes indecipherable. By transforming your data into encrypted gibberish, a VPN prevents shady individuals from gaining access to it.

5. Your search history

A VPN provides protection for your search history by securing your traffic using top-of-the-line encryption, ensuring that your online data becomes unreadable to ISPs, government entities, and cybercriminals. 

While the VPN effectively hides your search history from external parties, your default web browser can still have visibility into your searches, especially if you are logged into a Google account and using Chrome. 

6. Your downloads

While torrenting itself is legal, downloading copyrighted material like TV shows and movies without proper authorization can lead to legal issues. ISPs can track your download activity, and the government may also monitor this data.

Engaging in unauthorized downloads can result in receiving warning letters or facing substantial fines. A VPN provides an additional layer of anonymity, making it challenging for anyone to track your downloads, including the amount, timing, and content.

What does a VPN not hide?

1. Your complete online identity

Achieving 100% online anonymity is impossible. Cybercriminals and intelligence agencies employ sophisticated methods like browser fingerprinting and background scripts to gather valuable data. It is important to recognize that a VPN alone cannot counter these techniques.

Furthermore, the information you voluntarily share online plays a significant role in your online identity. A VPN cannot undo the information you post on social media or other platforms.

2. Your device from all online threats

Contrary to popular belief, a VPN does not provide immunity against all online threats such as malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, or computer viruses. While a VPN helps protect you against data interception and monitoring, it should be used alongside robust antivirus software for comprehensive protection.

Why choose PureVPN?

Looking for a high-quality VPN service to reclaim your online privacy? Here is what makes PureVPN the best choice:

• Proven no-logs policy: PureVPN has a transparent and verified no-logs policy, ensuring that your online activities are not recorded or stored.

• Global server network: With 6,500 servers in 70 countries, PureVPN allows you to connect to servers worldwide for unrestricted access to geo-blocked content.

• Must-have features: We offer features like a kill switch, obfuscation, DNS leak protection to keep your privacy and security intact at all times.

• Robust protocol selection: PureVPN supports a wide range of protocols like WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and IPSec.

• Privacy-friendly jurisdiction: We are based in the British Virgin Islands, which has strict privacy laws and no data retention requirements.

Easy-to-use apps: With apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Fire TV Stick, Android TV, and more, you can set up a VPN connection on any device instantly.

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Frequently asked questions

Does a VPN hide your IP address?

Indeed, one of the key functions of a VPN is to conceal your IP address. When you connect to a VPN, it redirects your internet traffic through a remote server operated by the VPN provider. The server transmits your requests to websites using an IP address from the VPN network. Consequently, the websites you visit will only detect the VPN’s IP address, while your actual IP address remains hidden and anonymous.

Does a VPN hide search history?

Yes, a VPN hides your search history from external parties like governments, ISPs, and hackers. However, the same cannot be said for the search history stored on your browser and device. We advise switching to private browsing mode and/or clearing your browsing history regularly in conjunction with using a VPN.

Can browsing history be tracked through a VPN?

No, browsing history cannot be tracked through a VPN. A VPN uses data encryption and IP address masking to make it difficult for ISPs, governments, or other third parties to monitor or track your online activities, including your browsing history. 

Does a VPN hide you completely?

No. A VPN or any other tool cannot provide complete invisibility online as you can be identified and tracked via various other methods like browser fingerprinting, your social media presence, and more.