Dallasetta/Shutterstock.comIf you’ve ever seen an ad for a VPN on TV or on the internet, you might think that these are the be-all and end-all of privacy tools. But the reality is very different from what VPN marketers would like you to think. Here’s what you need to know. Myth: VPNs Are a Bulletproof Way to Protect Your Privacy Let’s get the biggest issue out of the way first: No matter what any VPN provider tells you on their homepage, no VPN can guarantee you complete online anonymity. Thing is, VPNs in essence do one thing, and one thing only: Spoof your IP address and make it appear you’re somewhere you’re not. You can read all about how they do this in our article on how VPNs work, but in short, a VPN reroutes your internet traffic through one of the VPN company’s own servers and encrypts that new connection. This keeps you safe from anybody trying to figure out who you are by tracing your IP address. There are plenty of other ways you can be tracked, like through browser fingerprinting, or through your Facebook and Google accounts. A VPN does nothing to prevent these kinds of tracking as they aren’t dependent on knowing your location. Fact: VPNs Are Just One Part of a Larger Toolkit As such, VPNs are just one tool in your larger arsenal, albeit an important part. If you’re using a VPN first and foremost as a privacy tool, you should also consistently use incognito… Click below to read the full story from How To Geek
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