Providers often market VPN services as privacy-enhancing, citing security features, such as encryption, from the underlying VPN technology. These services are often used by users wishing to disguise or obfuscate their physical location or IP address, typically as a means to evade Internet censorship or geo-blocking. The term VPN service is sometimes used to refer to these proxies when offered as a commercial service. Instead, many providers simply provide an Internet proxy that utilizes VPN technologies such as OpenVPN or WireGuard. But depending on the provider and the application, they do not always create a true private network.
For the more general concept, see virtual private network.Ī virtual private network service, or VPN service, provides a proxy server to users to bypass Internet censorship such as geoblocking or users who want to protect their communications against data profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.Ī wide variety of entities provide 'VPNs' for several purposes.
