Today is International VPN Day. Who needs it? Maybe hundreds of millions more people than you realise… here’s why.
Are you ready to celebrate International VPN Day? As it’s the first, probably not. Maybe you’re wondering what it’s about, whether it’s really necessary. After all, you could argue that consumer VPNs have been around for a long time — popular provider HideMyAss was created in 2005. They’re not a secret, they’re even advertised on TV. And if you regularly use public Wi-Fi or have ever wondered why your favorite Netflix content is only available in some other country, chances are you already know many of the VPN basics. While there’s a lot of truth in this, it’s not the whole story. The VPN world is changing, fast, and making people fully aware of online threats, cybersecurity issues and the tools that can use to protect themselves has never been more important. VPN technology might be familiar to experienced users in the West, but there many others who haven’t yet got the privacy message, and they’ll be joined by hundreds of millions over the next few years. A Malwarebytes survey found US VPN usage has grown from 1.5% in 2011 to 36% in 2021. That’s a very positive privacy result, but it still leaves 64% staying VPN-free, and the survey also found that 42% of respondents didn’t even know what a VPN was. Keep in mind that VPN usage alone doesn’t guarantee safety, either. Just look at the tens of millions who think they’re secure because they’ve installed some no-name Android VPN app run by an obscure company with no website or privacy policy, and only a Gmail address for contact. Let’s be realistic, there are plenty of people who use a VPN but are still taking serious risks.
