Reviews Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary? Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting

Getting Hooked on Quitting

Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary?

Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous

Is College Necessary?

Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear

Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters

‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Reviews Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary? Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting

Getting Hooked on Quitting

Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary?

Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous

Is College Necessary?

Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear

Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters

‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Pros and cons of using a VPN

VPNs offer numerous benefits, but they're not a one-click solution for all of your needs

Published June 10, 2026 12:00AM (EDT)

Salon has affiliate partnerships, which means we may get a share of the revenue from purchases made through links on this article.

With mobile devices, remote work and public Wi-Fi networks integral to daily life, virtual private networks (VPNs) have become a familiar part of public discussion. VPNs promise a way to reclaim control over one’s private data. Amid growing concerns about online surveillance and data harvesting, more people are turning to VPNs.

VPNs create a secure, encrypted tunnel between your laptop or mobile device and the wider internet. All your traffic is routed through a remote server, masking your IP address and shielding your online activity from prying eyes. With a VPN, you enjoy greater privacy, safer browsing and the ability to bypass location-based blocks.

But while VPNs do all of that, they don’t fully obscure your online footprint, and they don’t make you invincible. Some VPNs log your user data, while others may slow your connection or trigger security alerts on banking or streaming platforms. And how do you know you can fully trust your VPN provider? Understanding what VPNs offer — and what they don’t — is essential.

Benefits of using a VPN

VPNs offer numerous benefits, with enhanced privacy at the forefront. They mask your IP address and location, making it harder for ISPs, advertisers or governments to track your online activity. VPNs protect sensitive data, such as passwords and financial information, from falling into........

© Salon