VPN,such as TikVPN, is a virtual private network, a safer or private way to connect to the Internet, a way to send data through an encrypted tunnel and hide your real IP address-making it harder for someone to track your online activities.
In a business environment, VPNs are usually used by employees who need remote access and need secure access to the company's intranet. In addition, most VPNs are used for one or more of the following purposes: to bypass Internet censorship in countries with no freedom of expression; to bypass geographic-based restrictions on streaming services such as Netflix; and to use peer-to-peer networks Ensure privacy when downloading torrents; hide Internet activities from local network hosts (such as those on university campuses); or securely transmit user login credentials on public Wi-Fi when using outdated applications or operating systems.
When deciding on a new VPN service, the following terms can help you navigate the field and understand the services provided by the provider.
Encryption
Use algorithms to securely encode data to make it look like random, unidentifiable digital information. Once the encrypted data arrives at the destination, it will be decrypted using a password. VPN uses a variety of encryption types, with different strengths. AES-256 (often called "military-grade encryption") is the industry standard. If the website address starts with HTTPS (not HTTP), AES is used.
Five Eyes
The name of a large-scale surveillance and intelligence sharing agreement between countries. Five Eyes members include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Other international surveillance cooperatives have also expanded the number of members, including Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes, whose existence was revealed in documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2013. If the headquarters of the VPN provider is located in one of the countries involved in one of the monitoring groups, it usually follows the data sharing practices of the group, so it is generally recommended to choose a VPN with the headquarters outside these countries or regions.
Geoblocking
The process of preventing access to online content or restricting it to certain locations. One measure of VPN strength is its ability to bypass the geoblocking practices of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, so you can access paid content no matter where you are.
IP count
The number of IP addresses used by the VPN provider. A VPN that provides more IP addresses can provide higher speed for a single user. Therefore, users with a small number of IP addresses may provide users with a slower speed, but may also indicate that a larger percentage of users on the network are sharing IP addresses. Sharing IP addresses with other users makes it more difficult for others to distinguish between your personal Internet activities and the Internet activities of users you share with.
Jurisdiction
The country where the VPN provider's headquarters is located must comply with its laws. For example, VPNs with jurisdictions outside the "Five Eyes" or "14 Eyes" countries or regions are not subject to the data retention policies of these countries or regions, and privacy is generally better protected.
Kill switch
An essential feature provided by most VPNs, if your VPN connection is disconnected for any reason, it will terminate your Internet connection to prevent others from suddenly seeing your data.
Leak
When the VPN service fails in some way, it may expose personally identifiable information or unencrypted user data to websites, network members, or Internet service providers. During the review process, CNET conducted the following types of leak tests on VPNs: IPv4, IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC.
Log
VPN providers may keep two kinds of logs-connection logs and usage logs. VPN providers usually keep connection logs for a short period of time to assess the broader maintenance needs of their server networks. The connection log contains non-personalized information, and it is highly unlikely that the user will be identified, such as the general server connection type, the length of the connection, and whether a VPN desktop or mobile application is used to create the connection. On the other hand, never use logs. The usage log includes personally identifiable information, such as your IP address and records of the websites you visited. If you find that VPN keeps usage logs, we do not recommend that you use their services.
Confused
Make Internet traffic through VPN look like regular non-VPN Internet traffic. This is important in countries where the use of VPNs is prohibited, but it is also critical for access to certain streaming services and websites that prohibit the use of VPNs.
Full positive secrecy
A widely used encryption function that uses one of two established key exchanges to create a higher level of security. A good VPN uses the "perfect forwarding secrecy" feature to ensure that any stolen encryption key cannot be used to decrypt past or future Internet sessions.
Proxy
Proxy services are often used to bypass content geoblocking. It can hide your real IP address by inserting it between the IP address and the website you are trying to visit and making it look like your IP address. The proxy is usually not encrypted. They are considered to be lightweight temporary workarounds that provide little practical privacy. Many services advertised as VPNs are actually proxy services.
Number of servers
The number of servers maintained in the VPN network. In general, using a large number of servers in a large number of locations is usually a strong indicator of speed.
Split-tunneling
Sometimes different methods are used to create two VPN tunnels at once. Generally, one VPN tunnel will be used to protect Internet activities you create in a browser, while another VPN tunnel will be used to protect Internet activities created by an application connected to the Internet on a mobile phone or computer. Some VPNs provide this feature, while others do not. Split tunneling is not necessary for most people ’s needs, but it may be particularly convenient for those with higher privacy concerns about potential leaks.
Tor
Acronym for "Onion Router" or "Tor Network". Tor aims to allow completely anonymous communication on the Internet by encrypting data and bounce it from several receiving points called volunteers called "nodes". Tor was originally designed by the US Navy and is the subject of intense debate among privacy enthusiasts. Tor is not a VPN, but some VPNs now provide Tor-compatible services.