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In the past, people used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) mainly at work, especially at large companies. In recent years, people are increasingly discovering the benefits of such a VPN at home. Especially because with such a network you can gain access to hidden content on streaming services. In your search for a vpn you regularly come across free offers. Can you choose that or should you be more careful?
Free with a catch?
With a VPN you can surf the internet more safely. The idea is that your data is encrypted and unreadable by outsiders. In addition, you connect via a server abroad, which makes your IP address anonymous. This also has the advantage that you can bypass the region blocks of Netflix, for example, or that you can also watch Uitzending Gemist abroad.
So very handy. During your search you may come across free VPNs. It is worth remembering that there is no such thing as truly free. With free VPN services you are the product yourself. For example, your surfing behavior is tracked or you are shown unsolicited advertisements. There is a good chance that the VPN provider collects all kinds of other data about you and sells it to third parties.
Dangers of a free VPN
If you don’t mind the invasion of your privacy, your jaw will probably drop in surprise when you hear this: free providers can steal bandwidth from you. In that case, your own connection will become slower or your computer will become slower. Malicious providers can even spy on the device you are connected to and make you a victim of malicious practices. After all, with free providers you never know who you are doing business with.
Choose a paid VPN
A free VPN can be a great option if you are not that concerned about your privacy and you are only going to watch films and series on the VPN, but we cannot recommend it for sending data. Actually, the general advice is that it is better to choose a paid provider. Of course, there are also providers where you can take out a trial period. We recommend this, because then you know exactly which provider suits you and you still have a free VPN (for a while). You can then still switch to a paid provider.
Paid providers give you a full experience: fast servers on the network, good security of your data, and a good paid provider does not log any of your data. This way you really surf anonymously. And also useful, of course: most paid providers do not make a fuss about the data traffic you use, unlike free VPNs.