Every time when browsing the web users leave a lot of personal information behind without even thinking about it. This data is of interest to different companies, advertisers, governments, and cybercriminals. And they use various methods to track and collect it. The good news is that you can protect your privacy, increase security and stay anonymous online in Sweden and worldwide. All you need is to turn on a VPN.
How does VPN work?
A Virtual Private Network or VPN is a safe and reliable technology that creates an encrypted connection between your device and the Internet to transfer all data you send and receive. When you use a VPN service, your traffic passes through the VPN server, and your actual IP address hides behind the IP address of the server you chose. And due to this, your online activity becomes virtually untraceable. Also, websites cannot identify you and build your user profile because data of many other users passes through VPN servers, and it’s hard to isolate your activity.
Trustworthy VPN service providers do not log users' activity and have clear policies.
Why do you need to protect your IP address?
The Internet Protocol address (IP address, also shortened to simply “IP”) is an important concept, one of the cornerstones of the Internet as we know it. All devices connected to the web have an IP, which is required to send and receive data, browse the web, or play online games. Internet Service Provider (ISP) gives it to each device connected to the web, it’s unique and singular. IP reveals the information about your location, device, and ISP. It seems like not much but by knowing the IP it’s also possible to track your online activity and find out more sensitive information about you, such as your exact address location, or phone number. Cybercriminals can use your IP address for illegal purposes. If you want to protect your data, hide online activity from tracking, and increase security, turn on the VPN.
How to get a Swedish IP address?
Due to different reasons, websites and services may use geo-blocking to limit access to their content. The restriction is based on your location, and these websites obtain that information from your current IP address. For Internet users who are not in Sweden it creates a lot of inconveniences, for example, the inability to connect to favorite streaming services or bank transfer restrictions. There are several methods to avoid limitations:
1) VPN. It’s the most popular and effective way to safely bypass geo limitations. VPN hides your current IP address behind a Swedish one. To use this method, the VPN service provider you choose must have a Sweden VPN server that you can connect to.
2) Proxy servers. Proxy works in your browser and it also hides your real IP, but doesn't provide additional data protection like VPN.
3) Tor Browser. It hides your location and makes it difficult to trace it. But it significantly slows down the connection speed and may be blocked by your ISP.
Is it reliable to use a free VPN in Sweden?
Free VPN services are something that you can easily find and install. But we don’t recommend it and here is why. VPN development is a complicated and expensive process that requires a significant investment. VPN service providers need to cover costs. The question is how they plan to do it.
In the case of premium VPN, a subscription is an answer. Small regular payments help VPN providers to cover costs and generate revenue which is also needed to continue adding new features, open additional VPN server locations, and support existing servers.
Free VPN service providers don’t charge users, and cover costs by showing ads, but also tracking and selling users' data. In turn, paid VPN services often do not log users' activity, have clear policies and are overall more trustworthy. While a premium VPN solves privacy-related problems, an unreliable free VPN can expose you to even greater privacy risks. That's why it’s better to stay away from them.
Is it legal to use VPN in Sweden?
Yes, it’s totally legal to use VPN in Sweden. Like most democratic countries, Sweden follows the principles of Internet freedom and allows the use of VPNs for legal activity. But the government stance might differ in other regions. Check VPN status in the area you are in before starting to use VPN abroad.
