Why Should Your Family Use a VPN?

Have you ever browsed an online shopping site, only to find the products you looked at showing up in ads on your social media? Have you ever hesitated before clicking on public Wi-Fi, wondering just who might be accessing your device?

If you've ever experienced concerns about internet security over a public network, you need a virtual private network (VPN). Without a virtual private network app, your information is transmitted over a virtual public network for anyone to view. They're are one of the top ways you can protect your family from malicious internet activity.

When you log on without a the encryption a VPN provides, you're exposed to all sorts of online threats, including identity theft and hacking of your personal information and network. The app protects you and your family by encrypting all data every time it enters or leaves your computer. Take a look at the benefits of using a VPN service for your family and household.

1. Protect Your Internet Activity

Whenever you log on to a public network to access the internet, you're immediately vulnerable to sniffers. Sniffers are software tools that "sniffs" all the data being transmitted to and from your computer. That data might include the cookies that show what websites you're visiting. It might include your usernames and any unencrypted passwords. Anything you send over a public network is fair game for sniffers in the hands of bad guys.

Once connected to your VPN, the sniffers can't access all that data flowing to and from your computer. They can't hijack your device or steal your identity, because your encryption acts like the firewall you've already installed to protect the data that your computer already holds. Your virtual private network also keeps your internet service provider from looking at your browsing history.

2. Protect Your Identity

Your computer contains a lot of information that points to your identity, including vital information about your bank accounts, credit cards, and even your Social Security number. When you sit down at your local coffee shop and log in to its Wi-Fi, all that identifying information is open to anyone with the hardware and skills to snatch it out of the air. Your personal VPN encrypts all of your personal identifiable data so it's never available for the taking.

3. Protect Your Children's Identities

You want your kids to have the freedom to explore the world via the internet, and it's not surprising when your teens want to connect to friends on social media. But above all, you want them to be safe. Predators lurk on the internet, and kids are great targets for identity theft since they typically don't have a credit history yet.

4. Protect Your Family's Passwords and Accounts

Every time you enter a password to access a bank account, your employer's payroll website, or even just your social media accounts, that data is transmitted over the internet to allow you access. Yes, you have a little security if you dealing with a site encrypted using HTTPS, but you can't always count on your access request being redirected to that secure site. With a VPN, every packet of data that leaves your computer is encrypted, so your passwords are indeed safe.

5. Keep Your Family Communications Private

You can also install family VPN apps on your mobile devices to protect your communications. A hacker can read all your texts back and forth between you, your spouse, and your children. They can tell when you're not home, where your kids are waiting to be picked up, and all sorts of other private information should they have access to your unsecured devices. Installing that personal extra layer of security on your smartphones provides the extra protection you want for your family.

When you secure your data by using a family VPN, you help keep your entire family safe online. Protect your family and privacy or the future of the internet will leave you exposed for the rest of time.