We’ll cover more specific applications below, but in general, a VPN is a method of protecting your online identity and data en route. Firewalls protect your data on your computer and anti-virus software protects you from viruses, but only a VPN provides security and privacy once your data leaves your computer.

We call it “our” Internet connection but it really isn’t. We all rent access to the Internet under, often rather ominous, terms and conditions from an Internet service provider. Or, when you’re away from home, you gain access through a network under terms you aren’t even privy to.

Usually there is no evil intent here, but let’s face it — there have been many documented cases, even in the United States, where individual privacy rights have been blatantly and willfully disregarded by Internet service providers, search engines, and website owners.

We believe it is every law-abiding individual’s right to secure their data and protect their privacy online. Businesses wouldn’t think of sending their private data over the Internet without VPN encryption and neither should you.

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), or owner of a network you’re connecting through, issues you something called an IP address. This is a unique identifier, sort of like a phone number.

Not only can it be quite easy to match up an IP address with its owner, it also reveals your general location and other information about you. Every single website you visit using this IP address is recorded by the website owner, your Internet service provider, and others with the knowledge to do so. This information may be stored for years and years.

Want to test your IP address? Just click here.

WiTopia’s VPN service prevents this from happening by issuing you an anonymous “stealth” IP address that makes it impossible for your true IP address to be captured. Nobody, not even your Internet service provider, website you visit, or search engine will be able to see your real IP address.

Even better, you can use an IP address from any country in which we have a VPN gateway and switch whenever you like, as often as you like, for no extra cost. Switching countries only takes a few moments too. You can be an “Internet Citizen” of the US for a few minutes, switch to UK for a bit, and finish your browsing in Panama or Hong Kong just for kicks.

You may rest assured that when the VPN service is active, your online privacy is protected, your location is cloaked, and you may surf the web in complete anonymity.

As mentioned, just like your ISP, Internet search engines record every search you do and tie it to your IP address. These searches can be stored indefinitely. With WiTopia VPN service, only our IP address will be captured, not yours.

Why does this matter so much?

We all do it. You “google” your name, your address, possibly an ex or two. Maybe research that strange itching sensation that started after you got back from Vegas. Whatever.

Point is, if you’re like everyone else you definitely perform searches that readily identify “you” combined with some items that, if taken out of context, might be embarrassing or, at the very least, nobody’s business but yours. We often treat Internet search as if it were confidential, but it’s not. Far from it.

Google has stated quite publicly that they store searches….wait for it…forever. Yes. Perhaps, even long after you have shuffled off this mortal coil every Internet search you have ever done will be stored in some search engine’s data center.

In fairness, Google transparently states in their privacy policy that they do “anonymize” your IP address after 9 months. They don’t explain how they do this, though, or if this could ever be reversed. Regardless, the current understanding is they never delete the data itself.

So, at best, they keep a cache of every single web search you have done over the last 9 months coupled to your IP address. At worst, twenty five years from now, Thought Police burst into your pod and torture you for retroactive violation of the New World Order Obscenity and Subversion Act.

Yahoo has said they delete IP addresses after 90 days but their actual policy is a lot more vague.

Bing claims 6 months publicly but their current privacy policy reads it’s really after 18 months.

None seem to be willing to simply state they delete the data it in its entirety.

So, why do they do it?

Mostly, to serve you ads as this is their primary means of making money. The IP address matching, combined with cookies they place in your browser, and data gathered when you’re logged into a particular service of theirs is invaluable for advertisers. This is why you receive those ads that seem so creepily personal nowadays.

Still, this is kinda scary.

Well, before we continue to descend into some paranoid Orwellian fantasy, Google, Yahoo, AOL, and Bing are amazingly innovative companies that provide an invaluable function. They, especially Google, are definitely net positive for humankind to date. World-changing, in fact. They also offer some really incredible services at no cost to the user because they make so much revenue from ads. Nothing wrong with that. We even buy some sometimes.

Our advice is, simply, let them make the money off your neighbor’s data, not yours.

Although most don’t realize it, Wi-Fi Hotspots, whether paid or free, are horrifically insecure. You are literally broadcasting all of your data “in the clear” with typically no security whatsoever. This can include your e-mail, IM messages, web searches, and any other data sent or received over the wireless network.

It is shockingly easy for anyone to “sniff” and capture your data without your knowledge. Due to the ease of the crime, and the fact Wi-Fi Hotspots are typically frequented by folks with a little change in their pocket, a Wi-Fi Hotspot is a tantalizing place for bad guys to lurk.

One common tactic is something called the “evil twin” attack where the evildoer sets up a laptop as a seemingly legitimate Wi-Fi Hotspot. You connect to the Internet through “FREE Airport Wi-Fi” — or anything the bad guy wishes to name it — and although all seems fine you are actually sending all of your data through a hacker’s laptop.

Honestly, we’re not sure how often this happens, and it may even be pretty rare. Nevertheless, with data crimes, it usually only takes once to cause some pretty serious havoc in your life.

With WiTopia VPN service you could even connect through the hacker’s laptop and all they would be able to capture is a lot of encrypted gibberish they will never be able to crack.

When you use your employer’s VPN, typically all your online activity is tracked by default. Also, using your employer’s bandwidth and IP addresses for personal business is likely to be a violation of your company’s policies.

The dangers from connecting over public networks are not limited to wireless. For example, when you connect to the Internet from a hotel room, even over a wired connection, your data stream can be captured by any other user of that network. How well do you know the guy in room 503, really? Worse, public Internet connections (hotels, RV parks, Internet cafes, and the like) usually don’t have the same security in place you would have in an office or even at home.

WiTopia’s VPN service should easily unblock VoIP services, such as Skype, in countries that block them. If you need to unblock Vonage, or any service that utilizes hardware, we would recommend our CloakBox™ product.

Beyond blocked services, more and more countries are engaging in Internet censorship or monitoring Internet users. WiTopia’s VPN services will ensure full, anonymous, and uncensored access to the Internet from wherever you are.

Even if your VoIP service isn’t blocked, it is very easy to monitor and “sniff” VoIP data traffic. Often, it’s far less secure than a normal POTS, PSTN, or “landline” connection. If you want to ensure that your VoIP calls are encrypted from your location, we would highly recommend our personalVPN™ service for pc-based VoIP, or our CloakBox™ product if your VoIP service requires an ATA or other external hardware.

A nice side benefit of using WiTopia VPN services is that you can enjoy the use of a US or UK IP address wherever you may be. Essentially, you will enjoy the same Internet as someone in the US or the UK. We cannot guarantee the performance of every application, though, as some website owners may block the use of anonymizing services. If you encounter an issue, please feel free to contact us.

Businesses have used VPNs for years to protect their data and employees. With personal computers and smart phones becoming ever more powerful and the volume of personal data and Internet services growing by the day, it’s time for everyone to enjoy the protection a personal VPN service can provide.

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