What is VPN and why do you need one
The fact is, you are never private on the Internet. Based on your IP address, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can monitor and track your online activity, such as websites visited and files downloaded. Even more threatening, U.S. Congress has voted to allow ISPs to sell the collected data to third-parties, e.g. advertising companies.
If you would rather keep your personal data to yourself, using a VPN is the best way to conceal your online activity from your ISP. VPN (a virtual private network) hides your IP address and encrypts your Internet traffic, so your personal data stays secured and private.
There is a number of VPN service providers in the market. Most of them can be acquired on a subscription basis, but there are several free options available as well. However, as we speak about such a sensitive topic as user privacy, paid VPN services are recommended. Providers that charge for the VPN services are more reliable, as they don’t have a need to engage in selling their customers’ data.
For this tutorial, we have set up a Mac computer with NordVPN, a user-friendly program that starts around $5 a month.
How to set up a VPN on your Mac
Once you’re done with the purchasing process, follow these steps to get NordVPN up and running. The process is similar for other VPS services.
Step #1: Download the application for Mac OS X
Step #2: Go to the Downloads directory, find the NordVPN.dmg file icon and double-click on it.
Step #3: Drag the NordVPN icon to the Applications folder.
Step #4: Find the NordVPN icon among your applications and double-click on it. A dialogue box will appear: “NordVPN is an application downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?” Click Open.
Step #5: Once the Nord VPN application is launched, a window with a map will appear. Pins mark the countries where NordVPN servers are located. Click Log in.
Step #6: Enter your email and the password that you created at the time of purchase. Click Log in.
Step #7: Simply click on a country pin and you will be automatically connected to the most suitable VPN server in that country, based on the speed and server load.
Step #8: Congratulations! Now that you have connected to a VPN server, you can go ahead and browse the Internet securely and without your ISP tracking your online activity.
Don’t trade away your security and privacy – use a VPN service, like NordVPN, which will encrypt your Internet data and protect your sensitive information not only from being sold to advertisers, but also from hackers and identity thieves.
~ Steve Dugan
I don’t have a mac — do you have a list of companies that provide this VPN service for PC’s?? Sounds like this needs to be done to insure some privacy from the internet