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A VPN can make a website see the VPN server’s public IP address instead of the address associated with your ordinary internet connection. It does this by routing your traffic through a server operated by the VPN provider. That changes the apparent source of your connection; it does not make you anonymous, and the VPN app’s encryption and privacy practices determine what protection you actually get.
How a VPN changes the IP address a website sees
Without a VPN, your connection reaches a website through your usual internet connection. With a VPN, the route is generally: device → VPN connection → provider’s server → destination website. The website may then see the VPN server’s public IP as the source of the traffic rather than the IP associated with your ordinary connection.
This is a change in the network address presented to the destination, not an erasure of your identity. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) explains that a VPN app routes traffic through a provider-controlled server and says a VPN generally will not make you entirely anonymous. FTC consumer guidance
What a VPN may protect between your device and the provider
Some VPN apps encrypt information sent between your device and the VPN server. When that protection is properly provided for the traffic in question, it can prevent observers on the local network from reading that protected traffic. The VPN provider, however, is the intermediary handling it.
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Encryption is not guaranteed simply because an app is called a VPN. The FTC warns that some VPN apps do not encrypt information, or encrypt only some of it. It reported that technical researchers studying almost 300 apps found potential privacy and security risks in some, including apps that did not use encryption, requested unexpected sensitive permissions, or shared data with third parties. That is a description of a study cohort reported in 2018, not an estimate of how common those issues are among VPN apps today. FTC guidance on VPN apps
What a VPN does not protect you from
- Being identified by information you provide: A site can know who you are if you identify yourself—for example, by entering your email address in a form. Changing the apparent IP address does not remove that information. FTC consumer guidance
- Every kind of online tracking: A changed IP address is not the same as anonymity. The available official guidance supports that distinction but does not establish which tracking methods any particular site uses or whether a particular VPN blocks them.
- Unencrypted or uncovered traffic: If an app does not encrypt traffic, or encrypts only some of it, the VPN label alone does not establish that all of your information is protected. Check what the app says it encrypts.
- Risks created by trusting the provider: Using a personal VPN gives the provider a role in handling your internet traffic. CISA says personal VPNs shift residual risks from the internet service provider to the VPN provider, and cautions that many free and commercial providers have questionable security and privacy policies. This is a caution about provider trust, not a finding that every provider is unsafe. CISA mobile guidance, December 2024
Choosing a VPN app: what to check
Do not treat a free or paid price, or a provider’s marketing, as proof of trustworthy protection. Before relying on an app, evaluate the specific service and the traffic you intend to protect.
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- Check encryption: Look for clear information about whether the app encrypts your traffic and whether that applies to all the traffic you want protected.
- Review permissions: Ask whether each permission the app requests is necessary for its stated function, especially if it asks for sensitive access.
- Read the privacy policy and terms: Check what data the provider says it collects and whether it shares information with third parties.
- Identify the operator: Find out who runs the service so you can assess whose practices and policies you are trusting.
These are the kinds of checks the FTC recommends when evaluating VPN apps. FTC guidance Its companion release also offers consumer tips: FTC tips for using VPN apps.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Enterprise VPN warnings are not proof of consumer VPN leaks
A separate 2024 guide from CISA and partner agencies discusses limitations in enterprise remote-access VPNs, including spoofing vulnerabilities, configuration and complexity issues, and vulnerabilities in VPN products. Those are concerns about enterprise systems; they do not show that every consumer VPN leaks an IP address or DNS query. CISA and partner agencies’ enterprise network-access guide, June 2024
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
