Following the news of the indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria, by the Federal government on Friday, this action has made Nigeria to engage the services VPN providers as an alternative option to access Twitter.
The virtual private network is also known as a VPN is an essential path for digital anonymity. Reports reveal that using a VPN understandably makes one feel invincible, but there are still a few important risks involved that should one keep in mind.
According to a user on Twitter @Ohmsmaestro, after the suspension said, “I have been warning some people to avoid doing any bank transactions via VPN. VPN is just like a router.
“It reroutes your request via another means, bypassing your network providers. Those at the other end can monitor what you are sending over the network.”
VPNs provide two of the most important services which are encryption and virtual IP addresses.
Encryption locks data in a layer of unbreakable code while virtual IP addresses help one to gain access to virtual, non-local IP addresses.
Avoid using the wrong VPN – One of the central dangers of using a VPN is choosing the wrong one.
Free services that advertise on browser extension stores and mobile marketplaces are notorious for claiming fast downloads and anonymized activities when in reality they can be more dangerous than not using a VPN at all.
Protection for all devices connected isn’t automatic– If you use VPN software to protect your PC or smartphone, that is the only device that gets protected. In order to keep data safe, you must install an app on every device that connects to the internet (or use a VPN router).
