Is “P” in your VPN public? (Part-2)

Hello Readers!

I hope you would have got a good insight on what is VPN, how it works and points of its failure, from my previous blog. So, now without wasting much time lets resume our learning!

After reading the previous part, you must be worried about your VPN’s credibility. So, now lets check it how much your “premium” or “pro-account” VPN is really secure.

Wanna check your VPN?🩺🩺

Just use any of these websites, IPLocation.net, WhatIsMyIp.com. These websites will give you your IPv4, IPv6, IP location and other details of your network and host system (VPN in this case). From the IP location you can determine if your VPN provider actually stands on it’s claims or not.

For a better insight on your VPN, you can use ping.pe. This website will let you check where is the VPN server actually situated to which you are connected. Is it the same as it claims or is just fooling you. Copy your IP address from this website and paste it in the ‘ping’ box situated at the top of the page and hit Go.

checking your VPN using ping.pe

If the page shows 100% loss and if the website was unable to ping the said IP address, you will need to enter the VPN server name. You can find the server name on the website of your provider. If you are unable to find, you can contact their support to get the required details. Website ping.pe pings your IP address from 30 locations around the world. The lower the time this website takes to ping your IP address, the nearer is your VPN server to that location. This would help you dig a bit deeper into the actual location of your VPN server.

Now as you have checked your VPN, and might have some concerning outputs. So let’s move on to the probable checks to ensure your privacy and anonymity.

How to defend your privacy and anonymity??⚔🏹🗡

• Be careful about what you post online. Every bit of information you reveal about yourself can be a goldmine for snoopers.
• Ditch Google for more private search engines.
• Use privacy-oriented browsers.
• Use a VPN, but choose carefully. Make sure the VPN you’ve chosen at least has a no-logs policy, DNS leak prevention, obfuscated servers, and a Kill Switch.

The most vulnerable spot of losing your anonymity is your improper browser settings.

How to repair your browser?🛠⚒

The only repair for this is to disable geolocation in your browser.

Google Chrome

1. Click the Chrome menu button on the browser toolbar (with the 3 dots).
2. Click on Settings.
3. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
4. In the ‘Privacy and security’ section, click Site settings.
5. Click ‘Location’ and toggle ‘Ask before accessing’ to ‘Blocked’.

For further information see Google’s location sharing page.

Firefox

1. In the URL bar, type about:config.
2. In the search bar type geo.enabled.
3. Double click on the geo.enabled preference. Location-Aware Browsing should now be disabled.

For further information see the Firefox Location-Aware Browsing page.

Internet Explorer

1. Open the Tools menu by clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
2. Open the Privacy tab.
3. Under Location, select the option Never Allow Websites To Request Your Physical Location.

Microsoft Edge

1. Hit the Windows button & select Settings
2. Navigate to Privacy -> Location and toggle location to Off

For further information see the Windows 10 location service and privacy: FAQ.

Apple Safari

1. Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu.
2. Click the Security & Privacy icon in the System Preferences window.
3. Click the Privacy tab.
4. If the padlock icon in the lower left is locked, click it and enter an admin name and password to unlock it.
5. Select Location Services.
6. Uncheck ‘Safari’ to disable geolocation.

Opera

1. In the URL bar, type about:config.
2. In the Preferences Editor, expand the Geolocation section.
3. Uncheck Enable geolocation.

How much your VPN service provider claims to you, it won’t be fully secure. But yes, this security could be ensured to the best with no-log policy and your own precautionary check-up steps.

In this world full of gadgets, there is nothing cent percent protected or safe. Keeping yourself updated with the latest developments and following the suggested checks is the only step for ensuring your safety and privacy.

Happy and safe surfing!😀

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“In trying to be perfect, He perfected the art of anonymity,
Became imperceptible and arrived nowhere from nowhere.”
― Dejan Stojanovic