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VPNs, what they are for and why they are so fashionable

VPNs are on everyone's lips, not just techies. They were born as a solution to join distant corporate networks using the Internet, but remaining in the private sphere. Now they have become a system to obtain particular advantages in the use of online content or to increase one's level of privacy protection

VPNs, what they are for and why they are so fashionable

VPN, an English acronym that stands for “Virtual Private Network” or virtual private network, is one of the new magic words of the web. It is not only used by insiders, on the contrary. Knowing what it is today is the critical mass of Internet surfers. It would seem strange at first glance, since it is in any case a system used – in general – by those who have the task of creating network topologies within medium-large companies. But as soon as some of the new applications of these technologies, everything easily returns to the rails of predictability (https://surfshark.com/servers/italy).

Before the advent of broadband, before web 2.0, a VPN was primarily a way to save money make a connection without laying a dedicated cable or to do it where it was otherwise impossible. In this way, two branches of the same bank, two departments of the same university, two or more offices of the same company communicated through the terminals, remaining within their own local network. It was abargain for systems engineers network, a technical task that didn't involve so much the concerns of end users. Basically, the network remains private, but the connections take place between terminals that use, as transport technology, a public and shared transmission protocol, such as the suite of Internet protocols.

Gradually, companies and even more so government organizations have started to see VPNs as the best compromise to maintain the same level of security of local networks while being "immersed" in the global Internet. It is very probable that today, a manager who works remotely, makes daily use of VPN technology to be able to process shared project files on which many other colleagues work on site.

However, there is someone else who is very interested in VPNs. And this time it's about private user. It's people who are worried about their own privacy. They range from actual paranoia to concrete cases where it is vital to remain anonymous and save yourself from prying eyes of some governments dictatorships and liberticides. There are authors and reporters who write about important and sensitive topics. By using a VPN they protect themselves from retaliation and thus it becomes personal security. This is because, in principle, the VPN guarantees anonymity and non-traceability of the connection (from the outside).

So much so that someone uses VPNs not to hear each other monitored in online searches or not to be profiled and made the subject of advertisements personalized. Plus – and here's the kicker – you can use a VPN to escape the geographical restrictions use of certain content on the Internet. This aspect is probably exactly the killer application for VPNs around the world.

In this way, for example, it is possible to see the whole Italian TV and live streaming from abroad without blocks or restrictions. In some cases you can also see sporting events or other content offered by the IPTVs of the various countries. Some people use VPNs to download files Torrent hiding your identity. And here, in some cases, we are dealing with illegal activity. Along the same lines, there are those who manage to take advantage of VPNs to convert a subscription from one account to one content providers audio, video, or online software in one simultaneous access of 2 or more users who log-in simultaneously (it is the system exploited by those who resell the illegal streaming of platforms such as Sky, Netflix, Hulu, Infinity).

Does your colleague or neighbor, who has never understood anything about computers, talk about VPN? He's not the one who's suddenly become an expert. It is you who is left behind...

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