Last Updated on September 4, 2024
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is just what it says; Virtual because the network is remote to the VPN user’s device, Private because the user’s access to the VPN is encrypted and available only to that person via a specific connection – and it’s a Network because a VPN often uses an international network of servers scattered around the planet in many different countries.
So how does a VPN work, and more specifically, what are the advantages of a 1click VPN, and what should people look for when choosing a VPN, especially users of Google’s Chrome internet browser?
A VPN works by providing an encrypted ‘middle-man’ connection between a user’s browsing device and the connection to the destination website in question. Without a VPN, the person accessing the internet might use their laptop or iPad to access an online shopping website like Amazon. In that case, the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) uses its servers to connect the shopper directly to Amazon.
That’s all fine, but there are a couple of things going on in the background with that process that can be slightly disadvantageous to the shopper themselves:
Firstly, the shopper’s ISP will log the visit to Amazon, the duration, the specific geographic location from where the person logged onto the internet and record the web page addresses or Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of every Amazon page the shopper visited. The ISP can then sell that (anonymized) information to advertisers wanting to learn the demographics of shopping habits in a particular location. But does the ISP give you back even the tiniest proportion of the money they make from selling your internet history to third parties? Take a guess: No, they don’t. In effect, tech giants like your ISP are making pots of money out of you, but you don’t get a cent of it.
Is a VPN free to use?
There have been attempts at start-ups launching websites like ‘Gener8’ to help users tighten their privacy and use a third-party platform to monetize their online activity, but in general terms, people who don’t use VPNs are involuntary cash-cows for their ISPs. Many VPNs are also free of charge, so there’s no reason not to use one.
Using a VPN prevents your ISP from tracking your online activity and offers other advantages such as protection against malware and phishing activity (by advanced detection systems on the VPNs server). This is because the encrypted ‘middle-man’ server that sits between you and your ISP’s server anonymizes you and prevents tracking. This leads to the second big advantage of a 1Click VPN: Amazon might well be a secure shopping site, but can you be sure that your internet connection to it is equally secure?
Imagine you’re in a burger joint using their free wi-fi, and you access a less well-known shopping site, maybe to purchase concert tickets with your credit card details. The website itself might not be legitimate, and, indeed, the Wi-Fi network you’re using might be a ‘phishing hotspot’ – claiming to be the restaurant network but it’s really set up by a cyber-criminal sitting outside the establishment with a laptop in his little parked car.
When you put in your credit card details and banking password to buy those tickets, Kaboom! That’s your banking security torpedoed! A Chrome VPN would prevent this from happening by detecting the malicious snooping activity before the hacker got anywhere near to tracking your keystrokes with malware. The same goes for restrictions on, say, accessing social media sites from school premises. Using a VPN hides the destination website from the school’s security detection software, so you can still send a sneaky message on Facebook Messenger to your boyfriend or girlfriend while you’re in math class!
How to choose a VPN for Chrome
You should look for a VPN that can easily be installed in one click as a browser extension. This means that it should have no conflicts with, say, the Chrome browser. You just download a tiny installer file, click the ‘install’ button, and your device (whilst using Chrome to access the internet) is protected from hackers, malware and ISP tracking.
You should also insist on a VPN with a strict ‘no-logs’ policy. Some VPNs will sell your anonymized data to third parties like your ISP does, but those VPN providers that don’t keep logs can’t use you as a cash machine. Most VPN providers are either free or offer ‘freemium’ services, where certain advanced facilities are available for a nominal monthly charge. For most people, the free version is perfectly usable and there’s no need to upgrade to facilities regular users don’t require. Small businesses often upgrade, but most domestic users don’t require the extra features.
Contrary to popular belief, good quality VPNs don’t slow your internet connection significantly. In fact, in some cases, your connection can speed up. This can happen if your ISP is data-throttling a particular geographical area for load-balancing data. Imagine if people in a particular area of a city are all watching a streamed documentary about their particular locale, all the ISPs of the customers in that area might get their connections slowed down so that they don’t drain data resources within that region. But using a VPN means that the ISP doesn’t know where in the world you are, so it can’t slow down your connection.
In summary, there are many advantages to using a VPN as a 1Click extension to your Chrome browser, and almost no reasons why you shouldn’t do so. So click away happily…