The data you transmit through the tunnel can't be read by attackers on your network, evil-doers operating malicious Wi-Fi networks, corporate shills at the ISP, or NSA spooks. What's more, the NSA's mass surveillance operations reportedly had access to just about every piece of information flying across the web.Ī VPN protects against all these threats by creating an encrypted tunnel between your Mac and a server operated by the VPN company. Congress has given the green light for your ISP to sell anonymized data about your activities. There's also no way to tell that the Wi-Fi network is what you think it is-just because it is named Starbucks_WiFi doesn't mean it isn't being operated by a ne'er-do-well intent on stealing your information. An attacker on the same Wi-Fi network may be able to snoop on your activity. The simplest case for using a VPN is this: When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, your traffic isn't nearly as secure as you might think. If you aren't familiar with VPNs already, it's worth your time to learn why you need a VPN. A VPN service, is the best and simplest tool for protecting your web traffic from interception by attackers, your internet service provider (ISP), or any of the various three-letter intelligence agencies who might be surveilling you.
