A VPN provides an extra layer of protection when you connect to the internet. While it can do wonders to protect your data, it isn’t the one-click privacy solution many try to advertise these days.
What a VPN Can and Cannot Do for Your Privacy
VPNs promise digital privacy but fall short as a complete security solution. It’s still a good tool to supplement your already existing privacy and security measures, but you shouldn’t rely on it as a stand-alone system. So, what exactly can a VPN do and what it cannot do for your privacy?
A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through remote servers, hiding your real IP address from websites and your internet service provider. This creates a secure tunnel between your device and the VPN server, making it much harder for anyone monitoring your connection to see what you’re doing online. When you visit a website, it sees the VPN server’s IP address instead of your home connection, effectively masking your location.
Aside from tunneling your connection, a VPN also encrypts your data on your device before sending it out to your router. This encryption proves valuable in several situations. On public Wi-Fi networks, where hackers can steal personal information, a VPN encrypts your data, making intercepted traffic appear as scrambled code. Your ISP also loses visibility into your browsing habits, preventing them from logging which websites you visit or potentially selling that information to advertisers.
However, VPNs also have blind spots that marketing rarely mentions. They don’t protect against malware infections, viruses, or other malicious software that can compromise your device. If you download infected files or visit compromised websites, a VPN won’t stop malware from installing itself on your computer. The encryption only protects data in transit, not what happens once it reaches your device.
Another limitation is browser fingerprinting. Websites collect unique information about your browser, operating system, screen resolution, installed fonts, and other system details to create a digital fingerprint. This fingerprint can identify you across different websites even when your IP address changes. VPNs can’t alter these device characteristics, making fingerprinting an effective tracking method that bypasses VPN protection.
Cookies present similar challenges. These small data files store information about your browsing habits and preferences, allowing websites to recognize you on return visits. First-party cookies from websites you directly visit help with legitimate functions like keeping you logged in, but third-party tracking cookies follow you across the internet to build detailed profiles for advertising. Again, a VPN cannot protect your identity in this area.
Lastly, the effectiveness of VPN protection also depends heavily on having a reliable kill switch feature. This safety mechanism automatically cuts internet access if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly. Without a kill switch, momentary connection failures can expose your real IP address and browsing activity. Many users don’t realize their VPN lacks this crucial feature or forget to enable it.
So, while VPNs offer several benefits—including an extra layer of privacy—they’re not quite the one-click solution people often make them out to be.
The Risks of Trusting Your VPN Provider
Jayric Maning / MakeUseOf
Aside from the technical vulnerabilities of a VPN, another big problem to consider is that you’re essentially giving all your traffic to your VPN provider.
When you connect to a VPN, you’re not making your traffic invisible. Instead, you’re shifting your trust from your internet provider to the VPN company. That means your VPN provider can see and potentially log everything you do online, depending on their policies and business model.
Not all VPNs treat your data equally. Some keep only basic connection logs, such as the time you connect, the duration of your online session, and the server you use. Even though these logs don’t show exactly what you did, they can still reveal patterns about your habits and could be used to link your activity back to you. Other providers go much further, keeping detailed usage logs that include the websites you visit, files you download, and even your original IP address. This type of tracking defeats the primary purpose of using a VPN for privacy, as it creates a new record of your online activity.
Where your VPN is based also matters a lot. Some countries have strict privacy laws that protect users, but many others—especially those in alliances like the Five Eyes—can legally force VPN companies to collect and hand over user data. So even if a VPN claims to have a “no-logs” policy, governmental laws might override that promise and put your privacy at risk. So, make sure to check which VPNs are not located in Five Eyes surveillance regions before subscribing to a service provider.
While there isn’t a certain way to ensure that our VPN providers are fulfilling all their promises, we should be cautious about using free or very inexpensive VPN services. For instance, BigMama VPN uses its free clients’ devices as exit nodes in a peer-to-peer system. This means their IP could be used by someone else, potentially for illegal activity. But there are several VPNs that open their doors to third-party auditors who confirm if their claims are accurate.
Related
I Trust No-Log VPN Claims, and You Should Too
No-log VPNs claim they don’t track your internet activity, but can you believe them?
Finally, there is also a risk that VPN providers themselves can be hacked. In 2018, NordVPN suffered a breach when attackers accessed one of its servers through a security flaw at a rented data center. The intruders obtained expired encryption keys, which could have enabled them to impersonate NordVPN servers or intercept unencrypted web traffic from users connected to those servers. While NordVPN stated that no user logins or payment information were exposed, the incident demonstrated that even big-name VPNs can face serious security lapses if their infrastructure isn’t properly secured. This makes it clear that your privacy depends not just on technology, but also on how well your provider protects its own systems.
Ultimately, trusting a VPN provider means entrusting your privacy to them. It’s important to choose carefully, read the fine print, and understand that a VPN is only as trustworthy as the company running it.
Why a VPN Alone Is Not Enough for Privacy
A VPN can hide your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, but it doesn’t make you invisible online. Many of the biggest privacy threats remain out of reach for VPNs, so relying on one tool leaves major gaps.
Websites and advertisers still track you using cookies, browser fingerprinting, and account logins. Even with a VPN, Google, Facebook, and other platforms can build detailed profiles based on your activity if you’re signed in or using the same device. These companies see far more than just your IP address, and a VPN won’t stop their data collection.
VPNs also can’t protect you from malware, phishing attacks, or vulnerabilities in your browser and apps. If you click a malicious link or download a dangerous file, a VPN does nothing to block the threat. Antivirus software, browser security settings, and smart habits are still essential for staying safe.
The trustworthiness of your VPN provider is another critical weakness. Some services log your activity or have weak security, putting your data at risk if their servers are compromised or if they operate in countries with intrusive surveillance laws. Using a VPN shifts your trust from your internet provider to the VPN company, which isn’t always an upgrade.
Real privacy requires a layered approach. Combining a VPN with secure browsers, privacy-focused search engines, encrypted messaging, and regular software updates offers stronger protection. No single tool, including a VPN, can cover every angle of digital privacy on its own.
