Are VPNS Legal (If Yes, Then Why)?

Using a VPN is like wearing a cloak of anonymity on the Internet. 

They provide you with high security and keep your information private. You can mask your IP address to access all sorts of things while staying secure and anonymous.

At this point, you may be wondering, are VPNs legal? In this article, we will answer this question and offer proper guidelines for VPN use.

Are VPNs Legal?

Consider VPNs as a privacy tool. They help you get around filtered networks, protect your freedom of speech and privacy, and offer many other benefits. Even though many websites, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc., have banned VPNs because they give access to geo-restricted content, it is still legal to use them in the US, UK, and many other countries. Even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recommends them for online privacy.

However, there are lots of illegal activities involved with using VPNs that we will discuss later in this article. Thus, many countries like Russia, China, and Cuba heavily monitor the use of VPN services or even make them illegal.

Why Are VPNs Legal?

Using VPNs is legal mainly due to these three reasons.

1. Secure Workplace

VPNs were initially created for big organizations to conduct their business safely. A secure networking platform is integral to ensuring a business's safety. With the help of high-end encryption technologies, VPNs help organizations prevent their businesses from any attacks or hacking attempts on their sensitive information.

Large businesses and organizations also use VPNs to securely connect all of their offices spread across different cities via a shared network. Over time, VPNs have proved to be very important in providing a secure workplace to remote employees as well. With the help of a secure and shared network, remote employees can access corporate information and data safely. 

2. VPNs Help Maintain Privacy

It’s not just the large organizations or big businesses that use VPNs for their safety. Individuals also use them to maintain their privacy and online security. Now you may be wondering, is it necessary for individuals to maintain their privacy? Privacy is your right, and you should be able to exercise it no matter what.

However, government organizations and internet service providers (ISPs) regularly monitor your internet activity to keep track of any irregularities. ISPs can gather your online traffic data and sell it to third-party companies for target advertisement. Even though this practice is highly unethical, this isn’t the only thing they do. Many ISPs resort to bandwidth throttling if they notice that you are torrenting or downloading large files. With bandwidth throttling enabled, you will not get the internet speeds you paid for, and your ISP might even block you from torrenting.

So this is where VPNs come in to maintain your privacy. With the help of a government-level Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), your online traffic remains encrypted between your destination and the web destination through a VPN tunnel. Put the ability to hide your IP address and location on top, and no organization or ISP can violate your privacy.

 

3. They Make Public Wi-Fi Safe

Using public Wi-Fi is unsafe to conduct any private business. Anyone sharing the same network can intercept your online traffic and track your data. In addition, on an unsecured network, anyone can contaminate your device with malware and spyware. VPNs can quickly help you in this case, as they encrypt all your online activities and send them to the destination over a secured network. So, no one else sharing the network has access to your data. 

However, you may be thinking, what about the VPN providers? They have access to our data. Well, most premium VPNs have a strict no-logs policy. They will never monitor, store, track, and sell your private information to third-party companies.  

When Is It Illegal to Use VPNs?

Even though using VPNs is legal in many countries, there are still rules you must follow. For instance, torrenting is legal if you’re downloading non-copyright-protected content. However, it is illegal to torrent movies, music, and games. 

You must use VPNs ethically and for your safety. Using them to hide your identity while hacking, gaining unauthorized access, and stealing data is still illegal.

You cannot use VPNs to hide your tracks while cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and getting involved in anything illegal.

Buying or selling drugs, weapons, illegal pornography, and other illicit materials on the Dark Web is prohibited, and strict action is taken against the perpetrators.

So, if you were caught using VPNs illegally, you may:

● Lose your internet connection

● Get fined from hundreds to thousands of dollars

● Get imprisoned

Use VPNs Healthily 

If you live in a country where VPNs are legal, then you should consider using them healthily. VPNs are here to protect our privacy and maintain our security. They shield us from attacks and malware. So using them benefits us and only us. Nowadays, VPNs don’t cost much, you can get one for around five bucks a month, and this isn’t too expensive if we consider their countless benefits.

However, you should never engage in anything illegal; this will not only put your life at risk but also give VPNs a lousy name.