As more of our lives happen online, we should all be looking to improve the ways in which we secure our information, especially when accessing the internet while we’re away from home. This is where VPNs come in. A VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, is a tool that provides you with a private connection to the internet. And VPNs, such as Encrypt.me, help keep your information safe and secure.

How companies collect your information

To understand how VPNs help keep you safe, let’s first explore why they’re needed. Every time you visit a website, you send a request to the website’s server, and the website sends data back, which loads as a website on your computer (ok, it’s a little more technical than that, but we’re trying to keep things simple). While most of us understand how we receive data from a website, we often overlook just how much data is sent to these companies.

The dangers of public networks

Many are aware that public wifi networks aren’t safe, but now that we understand a little bit more about the way in which information is sent online, we can understand why these public networks are so problematic. By providing others with access to the network on which we’re sharing information, we become vulnerable to those individuals stealing this data. Hackers can steal entire sets of data from the network, and can even snoop on your device, essentially listening in on your activity, including but not limited to passwords and other sensitive information.

How VPNs keep your information safe

A private tunnel to protect your data from prying eyes

VPNs work in two primary ways to protect your data. The first is that they provide a private channel for your online activity. For example, imagine that you’re on a public wifi network, which in networking terms is like a public street. Using encryption, the VPN creates a private tunnel for you to send information down. This tunnel protects your information from prying eyes.

An anonymous intermediary

The second way it protects you is by serving as an anonymous intermediary. As discussed, when you access a website, data is transferred from your computer to the website’s server. With a VPN, your traffic is sent through the VPN’s server first. The VPN then sends the request to the website’s server—hiding where the original request came from—retrieves the website’s data through its server, and then it sends that data to your device. Encrypt.me does not store any of the data they receive from their customers. Accordingly, your network address information isn’t passed to or stored on other website servers that you may visit.

eero Secure+ and Encrypt.me protect your sensitive information

All eero Secure+ members receive access to Encrypt.me, a world-class VPN that helps keep your sensitive information from being exposed or stolen. With Encrypt.me as your VPN solution, you can safely access public networks and can secure your data against common wifi vulnerabilities.

Learn more about how eero Secure+ with Encrypt.me can help protect you and your family from the risks of using public wifi networks.