Virtual Private Network use has been steadily increasing worldwide over the last few years. With an initial market value of 15 Billion USD in 2016, it has risen to an incredible 23.6 Billion in 2019. This shows a significant percentage of internet users making a VPN service part of their daily internet routine for a wide variety of different reasons.
With the increasing education regarding online security and data protection brings an equal increase in VPN usage. The news is full of reports regarding breaches of data security in popular social media networks and other online platforms which means more and more people are taking an active approach to safeguarding their data and hiding their online behavior from third parties. VPNs are perhaps best known for their ability to protect user information from third parties by way of hiding or moving the user’s location and IP address through the vast network of connected computers around the world.
We consume a massive amount of online media through the use of on-demand streaming services and websites. What these companies tend to do is to change or remove content hosted on their platforms depending on the country it is hosted in. This was made public knowledge a few years ago and statistics of VPN users and their reasons for utilizing a service for web browsing and online activity consistently show that internet consumers are seeking out the content which is made unavailable in their native country. The difference between the UK and USA localized streaming site may differ greatly due to the services demographic, and also international media distribution laws but a VPN can help the user watch any channel in Canada regardless of the availability of the content.
The third main reason VPN usage is on the increase is that a growing number of people are becoming aware that their governments may be monitoring the online behavior of their citizens. According to research from BestVPN.ie, 18% of VPN users use a VPN to hide their web browsing from the government. Agencies such as the NSA have been shown to track and observe people within the United States for a number of different reasons. The USA is not alone in the intrusion of privacy shown by their government, many countries suffer under strict information control and a VPN is often the most efficient way of side-stepping this restriction, allowing access to information certain government agencies would seek to block or amend, to maintain control over their citizens.
A final reason for the increase in Virtual Private Network usage is the internet itself. Millions of people shop online, conduct research for a number of different purchases, or read reviews on a planned purchase for the future, every day. We’ve all become aware of the targetted advertisements which show up on unrelated websites after browsing a product online, and this is all down to Your data being tracked and used by companies, often without consent. While it may manifest as a slightly annoying advertisement to the side of a webpage, information tracking and data collection is something that many people would rather not be happening at all, and a VPN will hide Your presence online and help prevent this from happening at all.
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