Glossary

VPN

Virtual Private Network — encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server you trust.

Definition

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that builds an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server. All of your internet traffic flows through that tunnel, so the network you're physically connected to (home, café, hotel) sees only encrypted bytes — not the websites you visit.

From the public internet's point of view, your traffic appears to come from the VPN server's IP address rather than your own. That hides your real IP from the websites you visit, but it does not anonymize you to the VPN provider, who can see everything inside the tunnel.

Example

On airport Wi-Fi, you turn on a VPN. Your laptop encrypts every request and sends it to a VPN server in Frankfurt. The airport network sees encrypted traffic to one IP. The websites you visit see Frankfurt, not the airport.

Frequently asked questions

Does a VPN make me anonymous?

No. It hides your IP from sites you visit, but the VPN provider can see your traffic. Anonymity requires layered tools like Tor.

Are free VPNs safe?

Most aren't. Running a VPN service costs money; if you don't pay, your data usually does.

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