Do Son Every day, businesses and political organizations understand more about the advantages of analyzing data. Increasingly, the more they understand, the more the public becomes concerned about privacy. Because the field of data analysis is still new, there is much debate about the ultimate impact.
Meanwhile, it seems like news of data breaches is released almost every month. Governments around the world work to mediate the political impact of internet access. Internet Service Providers (ISP) and media companies also work to manipulate the internet experience to their advantage.
While many of these privacy issues are beyond the control of individuals, a number of solutions are evolving. The use of Virtual Privacy Networks ((VPN) is one such option. VPNs can allow more private connections between various parties communicating over the internet.
While this solution does not provide complete anonymity, it may be time to download VPN for Linux for your protection.
Six Reasons Why A VPN Is A Necessity For Linux Users
Sharing Proprietary Information Between Remote Workers
One of the first uses of VPNs was to facilitate private communication between employees working for the same company. This technology likely made it possible for the wave of remote working jobs that exists today.
The gig economy, however, has changed the traditional dynamics of working situations. Increasingly, professionals find themselves doing short term projects for multiple companies. This remote working arrangement potentially exposes companies to additional security risks.
Using VPNs is a great way for independent contractors to tout additional security measures.
Hiding Your Location
In the old days, the desire to live “off the grid” was stereotyped as hermit behavior. Today, however, there are many legitimate reasons why a person would want to hide their location.
For starters, burglars often watch social media to identify vulnerable homes. Since so many websites track and broadcast your location, it can be difficult to maintain privacy. The last thing you need is to accidentally let unsavory individuals know you are out of the country. VPNs can also enable you to watch content or access services only available in another country.
Prevent Being Logged By Websites
Many users want to read websites, but not as many want to be read by those websites. It is true that collecting a user’s information can dramatically improve the experience on some sites.
For example, collecting the default page size can potentially save a user from repeated manual adjustments. People who are bad with passwords certainly appreciate a page remembering their last login.
However, many people do not appreciate having social media sites track their browsing habits in order to more effectively target ads. Even more disturbing is the idea of having political misinformation campaigns targeted based on user information.
Most users would rather opt-in to sharing whatever information they want people to know.
Avoid ISP Restrictions And Tracking
We depend on our ISP to connect us with the world. However, there are two specific areas of concern that drive many people on Linux into using a VPN.
- ISP Throttling. Many ISP companies practice intentionally slowing the internet speeds of certain customers. This can particularly impact gamers and people working in fields requiring the transmission of large data packets.
- ISP Tracking. Advertising drives much of the internet and media. In the past few years, many companies have learned that the value of offering targeted advertising can outpace nearly all other revenue sources. Accordingly, consumers increasingly find companies seeking more data to exploit.
Protection On Public Wi-Fi
One of the drawbacks of remote working is social isolation. As a result, many professionals relish opportunities to work in public coffee shops or other locations. Often the lure of using the free Wi-Fi signal is too powerful to ignore.
Although public Wi-Fi should never be considered secure, the additional protection of VPN encryption services is helpful.
Unforeseen Future
Perhaps the most important reasons to use a VPN for Linux come from unforeseen future consequences. Twenty years ago we could never have anticipated the sheer number of data breaches happening today. Ten years ago, most people would underestimate the value of everyday browsing data to ISPs.
Research at the University of Oxford identified ten emerging scenarios of concern based on a compilation of predictions. Among the most interesting is the potential for the Internet of Things to bring cyber risks into the real world. Imagine an ISP being able to track a user’s diet, bedtime, and sexual habits based on the usage of various internet-connected devices.
Similarly, a white paper by Stanford Medical addresses a future where wearable devices and home testing equipment provides important data for patient care. Physicians would use this information in preventive care for patients, reducing costs and strain on hospitals. However, once again this data must be transmitted in a secure fashion to the intended party only.
Users of Linux often value simplicity and control over their software. For these same reasons, many of its users refuse to trust their privacy to entities with other interests. VPNs provide those users with extra security to protect their information.