

A VPN hides your browsing history from your ISP ExpressVPN has VPN servers in 94 countries, and you can switch between them as often as you like. This means you can actually choose which location you want apps and websites to see you visiting from. When you connect to a VPN, however, apps and websites will see the IP address-and location-of the remote VPN server, not your “real” IP address and location. As a result, apps and websites often use your IP address to serve you localized content. But it’s usually enough to identify which country you are in, very often which city, and sometimes which neighborhood. It’s not a precise location like a longitude and latitude or a mailing address. A VPN hides your location from apps and websitesĪnother important thing about IP addresses is that each one is associated with a geographic location. The ability to hide your IP address from apps and websites is also called proxying, and it’s one of the main benefits of using a VPN. Instead, they’ll see the IP address of a VPN server, which cannot be used to identify you. When you connect to a VPN, however, apps and websites you visit can’t see your device’s public IP address, the one that uniquely identifies you. More annoyingly, they may share your IP address-and the activity associated with it-with a network of online trackers and data brokers that follow you around the internet and target you with ads. Because the number is unique, apps and websites often use it to identify you, remember that you’ve been there before, and serve you personalized content. Your public IP address is a unique number assigned to your device when you connect to the internet. A VPN hides your IP address from apps and websites So let’s set the record straight: what data does a VPN hide, and from who? 1. Whether it’s greater online privacy, security, anonymity, or freedom, all of these rely on a VPN’s ability to hide certain data from certain entities along your internet connection.Īs VPNs have become more popular throughout the world, there’s been a fair amount of confusion about what a VPN can and can’t do. A VPN is a versatile tool with many uses.
