VPN — choice and limits

• When a VPN actually helps

  Public Wi-Fi (cafes, airports), geo-unblocking, hiding traffic from your ISP, remote access to a corporate network.

• What a VPN does NOT give

  Anonymity (the VPN provider sees traffic), phishing/malware protection, privacy from browser trackers.

• How to choose

  Audited no-logs policy, WireGuard/OpenVPN, kill-switch, jurisdiction outside 14-eyes, anonymous payment option.

• Free VPNs

  Often monetize user data — exactly what you're protecting against. Exceptions: limited tiers of reputable paid services.

Simple rule: a VPN moves trust from your ISP to the VPN service — it doesn't create trust from nothing. For most threats (phishing, password leaks, malware) a password manager, 2FA and updates work — not a VPN.