{"id":344855,"date":"2021-09-27T14:00:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/"},"modified":"2021-09-27T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T11:00:01","slug":"what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/","title":{"rendered":"#What VPNs Can and Cannot Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32b431b8914\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32b431b8914\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Myth_VPNs_Are_a_Bulletproof_Way_to_Protect_Your_Privacy\" >Myth: VPNs Are a Bulletproof Way to Protect Your Privacy<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Fact_VPNs_Are_Just_One_Part_of_a_Larger_Toolkit\" >Fact: VPNs Are Just One Part of a Larger Toolkit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Myth_VPNs_Dont_Collect_Data\" >Myth: VPNs Don\u2019t Collect Data<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Fact_Youre_Taking_No-Log_Pledges_at_Face_Value\" >Fact: You\u2019re Taking No-Log Pledges at Face Value<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Myth_VPNs_Will_Protect_You_Against_Hackers\" >Myth: VPNs Will Protect You Against Hackers<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Fact_VPNs_Will_Protect_You_from_Public_Wi-Fi_Hijacking\" >Fact: VPNs Will Protect You from Public Wi-Fi Hijacking<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Myth_VPNs_Can_Get_Me_Past_Regional_Restrictions\" >Myth: VPNs Can Get Me Past Regional Restrictions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/#Fact_Netflix_and_Other_Streaming_Services_May_Be_a_Step_Ahead\" >Fact: Netflix and Other Streaming Services May Be a Step Ahead<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What VPNs Can and Cannot Do&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-754357 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/shutterstock_1144242137.jpg?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/shutterstock_1144242137.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/shutterstock_1144242137.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The words &quot;Fact Check&quot; displayed on a piece of paper in a typewriter.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/fact-check-heading-title-typewritten-black-1144242137\" data-credittext=\"Dallasetta\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/fact-check-heading-title-typewritten-black-1144242137\">Dallasetta\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever seen an ad for a VPN on TV or on the internet, you might think that these are the be-all and end-all of privacy tools. But the reality is very different from what VPN marketers would like you to think. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_VPNs_Are_a_Bulletproof_Way_to_Protect_Your_Privacy\"><\/span>Myth: VPNs Are a Bulletproof Way to Protect Your Privacy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s get the biggest issue out of the way first: No matter what any VPN provider tells you on their homepage, no VPN can guarantee you complete online anonymity. Thing is, VPNs in essence do one thing, and one thing only: Spoof your IP address and make it <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear you\u2019re somewhere you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n<p>You can read all about how they do this in our article on how VPNs work, but in short, a VPN reroutes your internet traffic through one of the VPN company\u2019s own servers and encrypts that new connection. This keeps you safe from anybody trying to figure out who you are by tracing your IP address.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of other ways you can be tracked, like through browser fingerprinting, or through your <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and Google accounts. A VPN does nothing to prevent these kinds of tracking as they aren\u2019t dependent on knowing your location.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fact_VPNs_Are_Just_One_Part_of_a_Larger_Toolkit\"><\/span>Fact: VPNs Are Just One Part of a Larger Toolkit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As such, VPNs are just one tool in your larger arsenal, albeit an important part. If you\u2019re using a VPN first and foremost as a privacy tool, you should also consistently use incognito mode to sign you out of Facebook, Google, and other online accounts. Use all these programs together, and you can move around the internet leaving very few traces behind.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_VPNs_Dont_Collect_Data\"><\/span>Myth: VPNs Don\u2019t Collect Data<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s another big one: Most VPNs will have some kind of promise to never keep logs plastered all over their website. \u201cLogs\u201d in this case means a record of you connecting to the VPN and from there onward to whatever site you wish. It\u2019s important that VPNs not keep logs as they are the only thing connecting you to what you were doing on the internet.<\/p>\n<p>If logs are kept, then that means that anybody who wants to know what you were up to\u2014usually marketers, but also the authorities in some cases\u2014can call up your logs, as long as they have the VPN\u2019s consent or a warrant. If the VPN keeps no logs, then a search would turn up nothing but empty log files.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fact_Youre_Taking_No-Log_Pledges_at_Face_Value\"><\/span>Fact: You\u2019re Taking No-Log Pledges at Face Value<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>However, the idea of a VPN that never keeps logs is a bit problematic. As we discuss in our article about no-log VPNs, actually never keeping any logs is tricky as the internet doesn\u2019t work that way, there has to be some record somewhere of a connection. Instead, what most VPNs do is delete the logs as soon as they\u2019re made, but we guess \u201cno-log VPN\u201d makes for better marketing copy than \u201cdelete-log VPN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite this technicality, there\u2019s also another issue: There\u2019s no good way of checking if logs are truly not being kept, all the claims of independent security audits to the contrary. Proving a negative is hard enough\u2014if not impossible\u2014and it\u2019s made even harder by the fact that the service in question could just move the log files during the audit.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, you\u2019re really just taking VPNs at their word that they won\u2019t collect your data. The best thing you can do is make sure that they don\u2019t have a history of privacy breaches and also sign up to VPNs anonymously, or at least as much as you can.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_VPNs_Will_Protect_You_Against_Hackers\"><\/span>Myth: VPNs Will Protect You Against Hackers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The next myth we want to tackle is thankfully on the way out, but it\u2019s still present enough that we want to tackle it: Using a VPN will not protect you from \u201chackers,\u201d no matter what some untrustworthy VPNs or VPN advertorial sites claim. Whether or not your credit card information, physical address, and other information gets stolen is not down to whether or not you use a VPN.<\/p>\n<p>This is because this kind of information is usually sent over a HTTPS connection, the lock symbol you can probably see in the left of your address bar right now. This means that the information you send to a site via your browser is secured\u2014it has nothing to do with the connection. Because of this, a VPN is of no use to you if identity theft is a major source of concern for you.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fact_VPNs_Will_Protect_You_from_Public_Wi-Fi_Hijacking\"><\/span>Fact: VPNs Will Protect You from Public Wi-Fi Hijacking<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We have a suspicion that this common misunderstanding comes from the one type of hacker that a VPN will protect you from, namely the kind that hijacks a public Wi-Fi connection and steals your data that way. In these very specific cases, a VPN will protect you as the people trying to hijack your connection will only see the VPN connection and nothing past that.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myth_VPNs_Can_Get_Me_Past_Regional_Restrictions\"><\/span>Myth: VPNs Can Get Me Past Regional Restrictions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The last myth is one that relates to getting past regional restrictions, especially those on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and a host of others. Most VPN services will have you believe that all you need to do is hand over some money to them and you\u2019ll be able to access libraries of other countries, unlocking tons more content than what\u2019s available in your own country.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fact_Netflix_and_Other_Streaming_Services_May_Be_a_Step_Ahead\"><\/span>Fact: Netflix and Other Streaming Services May Be a Step Ahead<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is blatantly untrue. Streaming services have a vested interest in making sure people don\u2019t jump borders with their VPNs. Most will have agreements set up with distributors to ensure certain content is restricted to specific regions, and as such have put up some pretty high-end VPN detection software.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to use a VPN with Netflix, you still can, but you can\u2019t always count on it to work. Our favorite service for this is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=htg&amp;data2=753661\">ExpressVPN<\/a>, but even it has run into some trouble lately. As such, expect some frustration if streaming is your main reason for getting a VPN.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/753661\/vpn-myths-debunked-what-vpns-can-and-cannot-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What VPNs Can and Cannot Do&#8221; Dallasetta\/Shutterstock.com If you\u2019ve ever seen an ad for a VPN on TV or on the internet, you might think that these are the be-all and end-all of privacy tools. But the reality is very different from what VPN marketers would like you to think. Here\u2019s what you need to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":344856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/shutterstock_1144242137.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-344855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=344855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/344856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=344855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=344855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=344855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}