tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/virtual-private-networks-5014/articlesVirtual private networks – The Conversation2019-02-04T11:39:39Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1091302019-02-04T11:39:39Z2019-02-04T11:39:39ZIs your VPN secure?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255948/original/file-20190128-108334-kvfy4j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=258%2C373%2C6131%2C4416&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Secure communications are increasingly important.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/abstract-secure-network-concept-on-dark-194040659">maxuser/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>About <a href="https://blog.globalwebindex.com/chart-of-the-day/vpn-usage-2018/">a quarter of internet users</a> use a virtual private network, a software setup that creates a secure, encrypted data connection between their own computer and another one elsewhere on the internet. Many people use them to <a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-a-vpn-1831320407">protect their privacy</a> when using Wi-Fi hotspots, or to connect securely to workplace networks while traveling. Other users are concerned about surveillance from governments and internet providers.</p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-a-vpn-to-protect-your-internet-privacy/">VPN companies promise</a> to use strong encryption to secure data, and say they protect users’ privacy by not storing records of where people access the service or what they do while connected. If everything worked the way it was supposed to, someone snooping on the person’s computer would not see all their internet activity – just an unintelligible connection to that one computer. Any companies, governments or hackers spying on overall internet traffic could still spot a computer transmitting sensitive information or browsing Facebook at the office – but would think that activity was happening on a different computer than the one the person is really using.</p>
<p>However, most people – including VPN customers – don’t have the skills to double-check that they’re getting what they paid for. A group of researchers <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NDPIex8AAAAJ&hl=en">I was part of</a> do have those skills, and our examination of the services provided by 200 VPN companies found that <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3278570">many of them mislead customers about key aspects</a> of their user protections.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255939/original/file-20190128-108364-zo4rwk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">How a VPN secures internet activity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mohammad Taha Khan</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Consumers are in the dark</h2>
<p>Our research found that it is very hard for VPN customers to get unbiased information. Many VPN providers <a href="https://www.ctrl.blog/entry/pcmag-vpn-review">pay third-party review sites and blogs</a> to <a href="https://onemorecupof-coffee.com/best-vpn-affiliate-programs/">promote their services</a> by <a href="https://www.ivpn.net/blog/closed-affiliate-program">writing positive reviews</a> and <a href="https://thatoneprivacysite.net/choosing-the-best-vpn-for-you/">ranking them highly</a> in industry surveys. These amount to advertisements to people considering purchasing VPN services, rather than independent and unbiased reviews. We studied 26 review websites; <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3278570">24 of them</a> were getting some form of kickback payment for positive reviews. </p>
<p>A typical example was a site listing hundreds of VPN companies that rated more than 90 percent of them as 4 out of 5 or higher. This is not illegal, but it skews evaluations that could be independent. It also makes competition much more difficult for newer and smaller VPN providers that may have better service but lower budgets to pay for good publicity.</p>
<h2>Vague on data privacy</h2>
<p>We also learned that VPN companies don’t always do much to protect users’ data, despite advertising that they do. Of the 200 companies we looked at, 50 had no privacy policy posted online at all – <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/privacy-and-security">despite laws</a> <a href="https://termsfeed.com/blog/privacy-policy-mandatory-law/">requiring them to do so</a>.</p>
<p>The companies that did post privacy policies varied widely in their descriptions of how they handle users’ data. Some policies were as short as 75 words, a far cry from the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/privacy-policies-flooding-your-inbox-how-to-cut-through-the-gibberish-1526565342">multi-page legal documents</a> standard on banking and social media sites. Others did not formally confirm what their advertisements suggested, leaving room to spy on users even after promising not to.</p>
<h2>Leaking or monitoring traffic</h2>
<p>Much of the security of a VPN depends on ensuring that all the user’s internet traffic goes through an encrypted connection between the user’s computer and the VPN server. But the software is written by humans, and humans make mistakes. When we tested 61 VPN systems, we found programming and configuration errors in 13 of them that allowed internet traffic to travel outside the encrypted connection – defeating the purpose of using a VPN and leaving the user’s online activity exposed to outside spies and observers.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=245&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255947/original/file-20190128-108367-1j5n6tg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=308&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">When VPNs don’t work right, users’ data leaks out.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mohammad Taha Khan</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>Also, because VPN companies can, if they choose, monitor all online activity their users engage in, we checked to see if any were doing that. We found six of the 200 VPN services we studied actually did monitor users’ traffic themselves. This is different from accidental leaking, because it involves actively looking at users’ activity – and possibly retaining data about what users are doing.</p>
<p>Encouraged by ads that focus on privacy, users trust these companies not to do this, and not to share what they find with data brokers, advertising companies and police or other government agencies. Yet these six VPN companies don’t legally commit to protecting users, regardless of their promises. </p>
<h2>Lying about locations</h2>
<p>A huge selling point for many VPNs is that they claim to allow customers to connect to the internet as if they were in countries other than where they really are. Some users do this to avoid copyright restrictions, either illegally or quasi-legally, like watching U.S. Netflix shows while on vacation in Europe. Others do this to avoid censorship or other national rules governing internet activities.</p>
<p>We found, though, that those claims of international presence aren’t always true. Our suspicions were first raised when we saw VPNs claiming to let people use the internet <a href="https://vpn-services.bestreviews.net/countries/vpn-iran/">as if they were in Iran</a>, North Korea and smaller island territories like Barbados, Bermuda and Cape Verde – places where it’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37426725">very difficult to get internet access</a>, if not <a href="http://www.northkoreatech.org/2015/07/06/a-peek-inside-north-koreas-intranet/">impossible for foreign companies</a>.</p>
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<span class="caption">Where in the world is that traffic really from?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/world-map-3d-set-infographics-elements-337874288">MSSA/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>When we investigated, we found some VPNs that claim to have large numbers of diverse internet connections really only have a few servers clustered in a couple of countries. Our study found they manipulate internet routing records so they appear to provide service in other locations. We found at least six VPN services that claim to route their traffic through one country but really convey it through another. Depending on the user’s activity and the country’s laws, this could be illegal or even life-threatening – but at the very least it’s misleading.</p>
<h2>Guidelines for VPN users</h2>
<p>Technically minded customers who are still interested in VPNs might consider setting up their own servers, either <a href="https://hackernoon.com/using-a-vpn-server-to-connect-to-your-aws-vpc-for-just-the-cost-of-an-ec2-nano-instance-3c81269c71c2">using cloud computing services</a> or their <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/221001/how-to-set-up-your-own-home-vpn-server/">home internet connection</a>. People with a bit less technical comfort might consider using the <a href="https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en">Tor browser</a>, a network of internet-connected computers that help <a href="https://theconversation.com/securing-web-browsing-protecting-the-tor-network-56840">guard its users’ privacy</a>.</p>
<p>Those methods are difficult and may be slow. When selecting a commercial VPN service, <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3278570">our best advice, informed by our research</a>, is to read the site’s privacy policy carefully, and buy short subscriptions, perhaps month-by-month, rather than longer ones, so it’s easier to switch if you find something better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109130/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mohammad Taha Khan is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinous at Chicago. This research was made possible by funding provided by the National Science Foundation and the Open Technology Fund. Also, a special thanks to the International Computer Science Insititue at Berkeley for supporting the initial phases of the project.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez recibe fondos de National Science Foundation de USA, el Ministerio de Economia de España, y la Comision Europea.</span></em></p>Virtual private network companies make lots of promising claims about their services. Most people don’t have the skills to double-check their providers. So this group of researchers did the testing.Mohammad Taha Khan, Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science, University of Illinois ChicagoNarseo Vallina-Rodriguez, Research Assistant Professor, IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, Spain; Research Scientist, Networking and Security, International Computer Science Institute based at, University of California, BerkeleyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/822222017-08-22T14:18:34Z2017-08-22T14:18:34ZWhy you should care about China’s VPN crackdown<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181558/original/file-20170809-16146-cpaslp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Internet censors have a new target. The Chinese and Russian governments recently announced plans to block the use of “virtual private networks” (VPNs), which are a key tool for people trying to avoid internet restrictions and surveillance.</p>
<p>This crackdown isn’t surprising, given the two countries’ histories of monitoring their citizens and blocking certain websites and online services. But it raises the question of whether other governments will follow this lead and introduce their own VPN bans, especially given how VPNs currently allow citizens to avoid the extensive internet surveillance that Western governments practice.</p>
<p>China and other countries block many websites they don’t want their citizens to access, including sites such as Twitter and YouTube that allow users to freely post almost anything they like. But Chinese internet users wishing to evade these restrictions can currently use VPNs to visit these sites, because they provide access via a separate encrypted server that can’t be monitored by the government.</p>
<p>Since Chinese internet service providers only filter out connections to the likes of Twitter and YouTube, users can still connect to sites which offer VPN services. VPN acts like a proxy, accessing the banned sites on the users’ behalf and allowing them to effectively bypass the restrictions, as well as avoiding government snooping. But now the Chinese government has ordered national telecommunications firms to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/11/china-moves-to-block-internet-vpns-from-2018">block VPNs</a> as well from February 2018.</p>
<p>Russia doesn’t block access to as many sites as China. It allows access to Facebook and Twitter, for example. But it still practices <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/04/russia_is_trying_to_copy_china_s_internet_censorship.html">significant internet censorship</a>. And now it has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/31/russia-follows-china-in-vpn-clampdown-raising-censorship-concerns.html">followed China’s lead</a> by also restricting VPN services, stating the measure is intended to clamp down on anonymous access to unlawful content.</p>
<p>These events come as little surprise given China and Russia’s track records. China, in particular, has introduced a number of similar restrictions on VPNs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/13/china-cracks-down-on-vpn-use">in the past</a>. These clampdowns were vigorously enforced for a period of time and then relaxed.</p>
<p>Although the new restrictions seem to be more comprehensive, it’s worth noting that they may also be temporary, with the official statement indicating that the measures would run until March 31, 2018. This may have something to do with the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China being held in Beijing <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-10/27/c_135785420.htm">in the autumn of 2017</a>. </p>
<p>It’s also worth pointing out that both China and Russia are heavily invested in developing their industries and economies and keenly aware that this cannot occur without businesses and researchers being able to access internet resources. Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, stated at the Davos economic summit in January 2017 that <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/full-text-of-xi-jinping-keynote-at-the-world-economic-forum">he wanted to</a> “redouble efforts to develop global connectivity”. This must include access to the internet. </p>
<p>However, there is <a href="https://trends.ifla.org/literature-review/increased-censorship-and-surveillance">significant concern</a> from internet anti-censorship organisations that these kinds of events indicate a growing global trend. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/government-censorship-21st-century-internet/385528/">Governments are increasingly</a> monitoring, restricting or censoring the internet activities of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhWJTWUvc7E">their own and other nations’ citizens</a>.</p>
<p>This trend includes most major Western governments. For example, the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), have been the subject of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/20/nsa-gchq-snoopping-because-we-can">considerable debate</a> for their practices of internet snooping and the mass collection of citizens’ data. </p>
<h2>Western laws are vulnerable to VPNs</h2>
<p>If the recent laws in China and Russia are alarming, so too are those such as the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12333.html">US Executive Order 12333</a>, authorising the collection of data inside and outside US borders for “national security purposes”. This order permits the collection and storage of communication metadata and content without a warrant, court approval or reporting to Congress.</p>
<p>The UK’s <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/25/contents/enacted">Investigatory Powers Act 2016</a> isn’t far behind, requiring internet service providers to keep a full list of users’ connection records, including a list of every website that people have visited, for a year. The UK government has also announced plans to <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-uk-government-wants-to-control-porn-viewing-habits-69374">restrict access to pornography</a> to over-18s and ban material it deems harmful altogether, something China <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-and-china-not-such-strange-bedfellows-in-war-on-porn-16553">has done for years</a>. A major flaw in all these plans is that the surveillance and restrictions can be bypassed using a VPN.</p>
<p>While the restrictions on VPN services in China and Russia may be temporary in nature, they do form part of the increasing appetite of governments the world over to monitor and limit the activities of internet users. If Western governments begin to see VPNs as a threat to their own internet regulation, there’s a real chance they could follow the lead of China and Russia and introduce their own bans. Online privacy could be a concept heading for extinction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82222/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Omair Uthmani has received seed funding from Scottish Enterprise for a spinout company.</span></em></p>Virtual private networks help citizens around the world evade state surveillance – how long until more governments take action?Omair Uthmani, Lecturer in Networking and Security, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/508332016-02-01T11:08:14Z2016-02-01T11:08:14ZNetflix’s VPN ban cannot cure TV studios’ chronic headaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/110058/original/image-20160202-6959-18sa6v7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's time to rethink content distribution. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hackingnetflix/2917850847/in/photolist-5rQKpe-8WmyQW-6Hw5rf-6Hw1po-BymrSb-9ihTfE-uqvAhB-kHDfX-GvGt4-dqqKVM-24m3oZ-hso5f-3eaSpJ-6YJhDH-5UsZgf-6HvXK3-4CGm3s-6HvZCE-pY4mm1-rRvohY-4MuUCR-6dfH1v-a1WxHN-6HvFws-pY4kWU-54d4P8-97zC3Q-dd9WN5-hsiD4-7tXu7L-CKo1kq-7vRVVJ-hso5g-7ztKW9-7w4etY-4MRr1-E3wTU-7TABZG-2gF567-6gz5h-eA5nMs-8ZEzKY-4VvQgm-4VvQ4E-4VrBpD-enTcF-nmTGcA-9GTy3n-4c2ZsU-A8jFhN">Mike K/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In mid-January, Netflix announced a <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/01/netflix-will-block-vpns-for-now-but-its-real-goal-is-global-tv/">ban</a> on the use of proxies, unblockers and virtual private networks (VPNs) – all technical work-arounds to view movies and TV programs unavailable in the subscriber’s country. This announcement coincided with the company’s global service <a href="https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/netflix-is-now-available-around-the-world">launch</a> into more than 130 new markets.</p>
<p>With the new ban in place, Australian subscribers will no longer be able to watch U.S. shows until they become available Down Under. Likewise, U.S. subscribers who are addicted to British shows will have to wait for those shows to come stateside.</p>
<p>The content providers’ <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/why-you-cant-have-everything-the-netflix-licensing-dilemma/">desire</a> for this ban is easy to understand. If Australian fans have already watched a U.S. show via Netflix, who will tune in when the show finally arrives in Australia?</p>
<p>Thus far, movie studios and TV producers have repeatedly <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2685611/major-studios-pressure-netflix-to-block-vpn-access.html">criticized</a> Netflix for turning a blind eye to unlicensed viewing. Had the company continued to ignore geographical licensing restrictions, some of these providers might have eventually pulled their content from the service.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the recently announced ban is unlikely to provide a long-term cure to the content providers’ chronic headaches. The problem lies not with Netflix, but with the unmet consumer demand in foreign markets. If we are to successfully address this problem, more comprehensive copyright reform will be needed.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109547/original/image-20160128-27130-lmb86j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Streaming to the world: Netflix launched service almost worldwide in January 2016. (Countries colored red are served by Netflix; black are not.)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NordNordWest/Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The benefits of geographical restrictions</h2>
<p>Using geographical restrictions to protect entertainment products is nothing new. DVD <a href="http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdlaserdisc/a/aaregioncodesa.htm">region codes</a> provide the most recognizable example. The U.S. is Region 1 for standard DVDs and Region A for Blu-ray DVDs.</p>
<p>These region codes are deployed to support releasing movies or TV programs – and later DVDs – in geographic sequences. There are at least three reasons.</p>
<p>First, actors, directors and producers cannot promote entertainment projects around the world at the same time. To ensure optimal marketing, the release of movies and TV programs may have to be staggered geographically.</p>
<p>Second, producers may select different release times to maximize viewership. For example, a movie that is released in the U.S. around Thanksgiving may perform much better at the box office if it is released around Christmas in other parts of the world.</p>
<p>Third, interest in foreign markets may grow considerably after a movie or TV program has succeeded in the local market. In the U.S., TV stations often import foreign programs after they have been well received abroad.</p>
<h2>The Internet as a paradigm shift</h2>
<p>As far as the Internet is concerned, digital piracy is the most widely discussed issue among movie studios and TV producers. To <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/nov/26/films-tvs-global-piracy">minimize</a> damage, many have begun releasing material worldwide on the same day.</p>
<p>Such simultaneous release also helps preserve viewers’ entertainment experience. Photos, spoilers and reviews will inevitably appear on websites and social media after the material has been shown anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>In addition, consumer expectations have dramatically changed in the Internet age. No longer content to patiently wait for movies and TV programs to arrive in their country, many people now expect immediate worldwide access.</p>
<p>To complicate matters, many entertainment products are now consumed online, and movies and TV programs are viewed outside the times designated by studios and producers. As a result, traditional release windows have become less significant.</p>
<h2>Netflix versus content providers</h2>
<p>In the coming weeks, movie studios and TV producers will certainly welcome Netflix’s VPN ban. In the long run, however, it is unclear how much this ban will benefit them.</p>
<p>To some extent, Netflix’s problem reminds us of the early days of Napster, when consumers were eager to listen to music online but could not find legitimate access. That a large number of Netflix subscribers are now viewing movies and TV shows before they become locally available suggests very strong <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/01/netflixs-vpn-ban-isnt-good-for-anyone-especially-netflix/">demand</a> in foreign markets.</p>
<p>If this demand continues and Netflix can no longer meet it, consumers will look elsewhere, and may end up in places that the content providers like even less. Netflix is a legitimate company that is willing to work with these providers, but many illegal streaming services do exist.</p>
<p>Moreover, Netflix is not only a content distributor, but also a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/technology/why-media-titans-need-to-worry-about-netflix.html?_r=0">content provider</a>. By making it difficult for subscribers to view unlicensed foreign movies and TV programs, the ban will help drive consumption to the company’s own productions, such as “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black.”</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/109744/original/image-20160131-3883-ytonvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Netflix is becoming a major content provider, with shows such as ‘House of Cards.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The new policy therefore could make Netflix more competitive vis-à-vis other content providers, even though such growing strength in content production could eventually discourage these providers from streaming material via the service.</p>
<p>Finally, there are questions about whether technologically savvy subscribers will be able to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-announces-crackdown-on-vpn-and-proxy-pirates-160114/">circumvent</a> the ban, just like how they now use VPNs to provide technical work-arounds. Also worth exploring is the ban’s potential adverse impact on those subscribers who need proxies for privacy, security or other <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/01/netflix-cracks-down-on-customers-using-vpns-proxies-and-unblockers/">legitimate reasons</a>.</p>
<h2>The need for global content distribution</h2>
<p>Given the mixed results of Netflix’s ban, it is time we developed new laws and initiatives to facilitate global content distribution. In the past few years, some countries and international organizations have already been moving in this promising direction.</p>
<p>For instance, the EU is now considering a new <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6261_en.htm">regulation</a> on the cross-border portability of online content services, which will allow lawfully purchased materials to be freely accessible throughout the 28 EU countries. This proposed regulation calls into question the appropriateness of tethering copyright protection to national laws.</p>
<p>A few years ago, the director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization also <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/2014/06/06/wipo-chief-calls-for-seamless-global-legal-digital-content-regime/">noted</a> the need for developing “a seamless global legal digital marketplace.” Although this marketplace has yet to exist, his suggestion underscores the importance of comprehensive global copyright reform.</p>
<p>Obviously, these laws and initiatives are only the beginning. Many of them will remain needed even if Netflix can successfully ban the use of proxies to view unlicensed material. After all, it is neither wise nor easy to fight with those who are eager to consume but have no legitimate access.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/50833/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter K. Yu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Netflix’s recent ban on proxies, unblockers and virtual private networks (VPNs) is unlikely to provide a long-term cure to content providers’ chronic headaches.Peter K. Yu, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Law and Intellectual Property, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/323732014-10-02T04:30:27Z2014-10-02T04:30:27ZUnlocking the geoblock: Australians embrace VPNs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60491/original/hkvz4d3x-1412141961.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australians have circumvented geo-blocking restrictions to subscribe to Netflix.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-695464p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Denys Prykhodov</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/editorial?cr=00&pl=edit-00">Shutterstock.com</a>">Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In recent months there have been many reports of Australians covertly signing up for the US streaming service Netflix, using fake postcodes and software workarounds to fool its geo-blocking system.</p>
<p>One industry-commissioned <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/broadcast/more-netflix-pirates-on-board/story-fna045gd-1226842998214">study</a> estimates that up to 200,000 Australians have subscribed to the service in this way.</p>
<p>Geoblocking circumvention is by all accounts a common practice in Australian households – and an industry is emerging to meet the demand for borderless streaming.</p>
<p>Hundreds of start-up companies now offer unblocking and identity-masking services, such as <a href="http://www.hidemyass.com/">Hide My Ass</a> using a virtual private network (<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/53942/virtual-private-network">VPN</a>), <a href="http://www.getflix.com.au/">Get Flix</a> using <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/41620/dns">DNS</a> proxies and easy-to-use browser plugins <a href="http://www.hola.org/">such as Hola</a>. Detailed how-to guides can be found on popular <a href="http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/11/how-to-stream-netflix-and-hulu-in-australia-and-other-stuff-geoblockers-dont-want-known/">tech websites</a> and in the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blog/gadgets-on-the-go/unlock-hulu-and-bbc-iplayer-in-a-click-with-hola-20130124-2d8zu.html">mainstream media</a>.</p>
<p>For a monthly fee of A$5-A$10, a VPN will mask your identity online by routing your traffic through its servers (whose IP address is in another country), and thwart geoblocking. Consequently, VPNs are popular with a diverse range of users: privacy advocates, political dissidents, filesharers, tourists, and – now – Netflix users.</p>
<h2>How common is VPN use in Australia?</h2>
<p>Through the <a href="http://www.worldinternetproject.net/#news">World Internet Project</a> (WIP), we have been looking into this question. The World Internet Project is a bi-annual telephone survey conducted across 35 countries. The Australian arm of the survey is based at Swinburne University, and every two years we phone 1,000 people to ask about various aspects of their internet use.</p>
<p>The last survey included questions about household VPN and web proxy use. The results were rather surprising. Twenty per cent of respondents indicated they use either a VPN or a web proxy, or both, to access the internet and download files at home.</p>
<p>As these figures suggest, there is clearly a high degree of familiarity with privacy software among the Australian population. One in five people know how to use these tools.</p>
<p>This doesn’t mean that all these people are accessing offshore streaming sites, of course. VPNs have legitimate business uses with many companies and government agencies running VPNs so that their staff can work securely off-site. Many privacy-conscious people also use VPNs to keep their communications secure. But we can assume some kind of connection between this 20% figure and people’s streaming habits.</p>
<p>Let’s put this finding side by side with the figure of <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/07/how-many-people-use-netflix-in-australia/">200,000 unauthorised Australian Netflix subscribers</a> that was recently mooted. In the context of our study, that figure seems very plausible – in fact, we would suggest it is probably on the low side.</p>
<h2>An open-ended technology</h2>
<p>Tracking the VPN’s evolution from an IT networking tool to a domestic entertainment accessory tells us something about how the character of digital technologies can shift as a result of their everyday uses.</p>
<p>Until recently, VPNs were used mostly for business purposes and by tech-savvy geeks. They had little appeal to non-specialists.</p>
<p>Today, VPNs are arguably a household technology rather than an obscure networking technology. The past few years have seen VPN providers enthusiastically market their services to domestic consumers.</p>
<p>Some VPNs specifically target the filesharing community, as we can see below:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60478/original/7b9vc739-1412138827.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How VPN operator BTGuard markets its services to consumers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">btguard.com</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Others promote their services on the basis of privacy protection, playing on our fears about cybercrime and government surveillance:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=315&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60480/original/j2vxyp3x-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Privacy as a mainstream consumer concern.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">privateinternetaccess.com</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Others explicitly promote themselves as geoblocking circumvention tools:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=226&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60481/original/pd7dybxj-1412140109.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">VPNs as unblockers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">torguard.com</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is also worth considering how people are using VPNs in other parts of the world. These practices often have little in common with how Australians use them.</p>
<p>In many nations, VPNs are being used to evade government censorship. Teenagers in Turkey <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26714214">use VPNs</a> to access Twitter and YouTube when they are blocked by the government (a common occurrence). Iranians <a href="http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/3425/tunneling-iran-firewall-socialise-protest">use VPNs</a> to socialise on Facebook. Chinese netizens <a href="https://news.vice.com/article/china-s-laissez-faire-internet-censoring">use them</a> to evade the prying eyes of the state.</p>
<p>Diasporic communities in Australia and elsewhere also use VPNs to access streaming media from home.</p>
<p>Seen from this perspective, Australians’ streaming habits are connected to a complex array of location-masking practices across the world – used variously by price-sensitive consumers, early adopters, filesharers, privacy advocates, tourists, overseas workers and political dissidents. At the centre of all this is the humble VPN.</p>
<p>In coming years, it will be interesting to see how the VPN’s social meaning and uses change further as people find as-yet unimagined applications for privacy software.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32373/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research has been partly funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery grant.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Ewing does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In recent months there have been many reports of Australians covertly signing up for the US streaming service Netflix, using fake postcodes and software workarounds to fool its geo-blocking system. One…Ramon Lobato, Research fellow, Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of TechnologyScott Ewing, Senior Research Fellow - The Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/127412013-03-18T03:25:17Z2013-03-18T03:25:17ZExplainer: what is a virtual private network (VPN)?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21351/original/jmrv7vyj-1363571708.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The ways in which we use VPNs have changed.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stephan Geyer</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you ever wanted to exist in more than one place at the same time?</p>
<p>The laws of physics suggest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole">wormholes</a> through space and time are hypothetical; but wormholes do exist in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberspace">cyberspace</a> and wonders can be found on the other side.</p>
<p>We call these cyberspace wormholes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network">virtual private network (VPN)</a> connections. </p>
<h2>Point-to-point</h2>
<p>A VPN is a point-to-point connection between a VPN client and server, or a site-to-site connection between two VPN servers. In the diagram below the connection between the branch office and headquarters could be a permanent site to site VPN connection. </p>
<p>Home and mobile users are able to create client on-demand VPN connections to the VPN server at the branch office or the headquarters.</p>
<p>All internet-connected devices have a local public or private <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address">internet protocol (IP) address</a> (eg. 192.168.1.20). When connected using a VPN the device gains access to the network at the other end of the VPN and is provided with an IP address on the remote network, even though it is not physically there.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21320/original/24t5wwdk-1363363311.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Gregory</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most devices that connect to the internet today include VPN client software that can be used to create a VPN tunnel from the client computer to the VPN server. Site-to-site VPNs are usually created between firewalls or routers that include VPN server functionality. </p>
<p>The most important thing to know about VPNs is that they provide security and privacy through a combination of the point-to-point <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunneling_protocols">tunnelling protocol</a> used and encryption of the information sent over the point-to-point tunnel using, for example, <a href="http://www.unixwiz.net/techtips/iguide-ipsec.html">Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datagram_Transport_Layer_Security">datagram transport layer security</a> or <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/magazine/2007.06.cableguy.aspx">Secure Socket Tunnelling Protocol (SSTP)</a>.</p>
<h2>Reasons to use</h2>
<p>As the internet has evolved so have the ways in which we use VPNs.</p>
<p>A VPN might be used by <a href="http://theconversation.com/go-forth-and-telework-but-will-it-work-for-you-10682">teleworkers</a> as a secure connection to their office. Students can use VPNs to connect to their school or university.</p>
<p>We can use a VPN to connect to our home network when we’re away from home to transfer photos, documents or other items to our home computer or <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/network-storage--luxury-or-necessity-20111026-1miwf.html">network storage</a> device.</p>
<p>But to understand what makes a VPN special we need to consider how the internet is being used today by business, government and other organisations such as law enforcement or national security agencies.</p>
<p>Multinationals use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geolocation_software">geo-blocking</a> to segment the world into markets and control access to products and pricing. The Australian government commenced an inquiry into IT pricing in May 2012, and a <a href="http://www.choice.com.au/media-and-news/consumer-news/news/choice-lodges-submission-on-it-price-discrimination.aspx">submission</a> by the Australian consumer advocate <a href="http://www.choice.com.au">Choice</a> in July 2012 highlighted that Australian consumers are paying substantially more for IT hardware, software and digital media such as music and movies.</p>
<p>Business is learning how to identify, gather and track information about us online, and every time we use the internet we leave a trail of data that business collects, analyses and uses for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targeted_advertising">targeted advertising</a>.</p>
<p>Governments and their agencies are also trying – to varying degrees – to identify, track and limit what what we’re doing on the internet.</p>
<h2>Unblocking geo-blocking</h2>
<p>The first problem that a VPN can help solve is how to get around geo-blocking.</p>
<p>If you want to watch a television show that is being broadcast over the internet but is <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5930437/how-an-american-can-stream-the-bbcs-official-olympics-coverage-and-overcome-nbcfail">only accessible by viewers in one country</a> you can use a VPN to gain access.</p>
<p>If you want to buy products from a company and find those products cheaper on, say, the company’s UK online store <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheaper-hardware-software-and-digital-downloads-heres-how-8382">you can use a VPN</a> to gain access to the online store.</p>
<p>The diagram below provides a description of how VPNs can be used to connect home and mobile users to VPN servers in other countries and be provided with public IP addresses in those countries.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21321/original/rfdhrgw8-1363363412.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mark Gregory</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Using a VPN makes it difficult for anyone to identify and track what you do on the internet.</p>
<p>Your traffic is encrypted until it reaches the VPN server at the other end of the VPN tunnel. If the VPN server is in another country it’s not possible for your ISP to determine what is passing over the VPN tunnel.</p>
<p>In practice, when you connect to a VPN server in another country your home computer or mobile device will be allocated an IP address in that country, and when you disconnect the IP address would be allocated to the next VPN connection. </p>
<p>VPN servers being used to provide inter-country VPN connections often have large pools of IP addresses that are allocated randomly to VPN connections as they occur. </p>
<p>Many people, possibly thousands, share a pool of IP addresses and only the VPN service provider would know who is connected to each IP address. That said, VPN service providers that offer inter-country VPN services generally do not keep any records of which IP address was allocated to customer VPNs.</p>
<p>For anyone that captures traffic going to and from VPN IP addresses it would appear as a jumble of information that could be attributed to many thousands of people from countries all around the world.</p>
<h2>Blocking VPNs</h2>
<p>Earlier this month, Iranian authorities <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/News/336078,iran-blocks-vpns.aspx">blocked the use of VPNs</a> out of Iran. Iranians had been using them to bypass the government’s internet filter, which prevents Iranians from accessing websites the government has deemed offensive or criminal – including Facebook, Google Mail and Yahoo.</p>
<p>VPN system developers including Microsoft have been working to develop VPN tunnels that pass through firewalls and internet filters by utilising typically open internet web IP <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_socket">network sockets</a> that use port 80 (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol">HTTP</a>) and port 443 (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Secure">HTTPS</a>) protocols.</p>
<h2>VPN service providers</h2>
<p>There are a <a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/five-best-vpn-service-providers-2/">large number</a> of VPN service providers available today. When choosing one you should consider:</p>
<ul>
<li>whether the service includes VPN end points in one or more countries</li>
<li>what protocols are provided</li>
<li>the level of security</li>
<li>the size of the IP address pool used for VPN connections </li>
<li>whether your connection details are logged or deleted immediately after you terminate a VPN</li>
<li>whether the VPN system includes anti-malware and anti-spyware protection</li>
<li>support for mobile devices</li>
<li>reliability and bandwidth</li>
<li>price</li>
</ul>
<p>There are a number of “free” VPN service providers that provide limited services and gain revenue by serving you with advertisements while you’re connected to the VPN.</p>
<p>Another option is to set up VPNs to the homes of relatives or friends that live overseas.</p>
<p>The most important benefits of using a VPN are security, privacy and anonymity. </p>
<p>Why don’t you use a VPN today?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/12741/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Gregory is a Director of Agama Solutions Pty Ltd which hosts a VPN service provider website.</span></em></p>Have you ever wanted to exist in more than one place at the same time? The laws of physics suggest wormholes through space and time are hypothetical; but wormholes do exist in cyberspace and wonders can…Mark A Gregory, Senior Lecturer in Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.