Earlier this week, Congress voted to repeal privacy measures that would stop internet service providers from sharing their users’ internet activity with third parties. Those rules were passed in October, but not only does this vote undo them, it prevents the FCC from reinstating similar rules in the future. This is great for broadband companies, but if you’re one of these companies’ users, what are you supposed to do?
One popular recommendation you might have heard is to use a virtual private network, or VPN. You can find a lot of comprehensive online explanations of what VPNs are, but in the simplest terms, they create a secure, encrypted connection between your computer (or phone, tablet, &c.) and a private server somewhere else, preventing anyone else from seeing or modifying that traffic. When you browse the internet, data goes to the server, which passes it securely back to you. When you send data out, it appears to come from the server, not your computer. While it doesn’t make you anonymous — the VPN can see your traffic, and law enforcement can request information from VPN companies — it obscures what you’re doing online.
The right VPN can protect against lots of things, including government surveillance and malware. But the tool isn’t a magic privacy bullet — in fact, experts can’t even agree on a great VPN service, beyond one you make yourself. While a huge number of companies provide VPNs, many have potential security flaws or could put your data at risk. It’s also difficult to tell how secure a VPN actually is, and what it’s doing with your data. So what are you supposed to do if you want to use one? The short answer is to avoid free services, and if you consider yourself tech-savvy, look into setting up your own. Otherwise, make sure a paid VPN has a privacy policy you’re okay with, and can handle the threats you’re relying on it to protect you from. And on a larger scale, remember that the best solution is still policies that would tackle the problem at the source: ISPs’ ability to sell your data.
If you want some more background on all of this, read on.