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VPN services are widely used worldwide, including in the United Kingdom and Ireland. People these days using internet services are sensitive regarding their privacy. VPN establishes a secure and private connection between users and the internet while using a public network. Thus, providing a safe, fast, and private connection to the users. It also hides the users’ internet history and completely protects their privacy.
What is VPN?
VPN is an abbreviation that stands for “Virtual Private Network“. It is software/an application used by internet users when using a public internet network to protect their data and privacy from being traced by any third party. It secures and encrypts the users’ online identity and protects the users’ online activities. Moreover, it also hides users’ internet history.
Weakness of VPN:
Although VPN provides impressive security features to its users, it has some weak points. For instance, it does not hide the online registered accounts of the users, and all the activities on social media, including posts and sharing photos and videos, can be easily accessed by hackers and any third party. It also does not give protection against any cyber-attacks.
Best VPN Services in the UK and Ireland:
Following are some best VPN services available to users in the UK and Ireland:
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the most satisfactory VPN services in the UK and Ireland. It is a premium paid VPN service costing from $6 to 11 a month. It is protected by an OpenVPN and a 256-bit AES encryption, providing a secure connection to the users’ data whilst using a public network. It is the most trusted VPN service in the UK and Ireland and is easy to use and reliable. Therefore, it is used widely in UK and Ireland with complete trust because it gives foolproof security to the users’ privacy. It also enables users to access geo-restricted content worldwide; Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video. Therefore, it is used widely in the UK and Ireland with complete trust because it gives foolproof security to the users’ privacy. However, it lacks some security features. For example, it does not block ads and cookies and can be used simultaneously only on five devices which may need to be more for the users.
NordVPN
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NordVPN is another VPN Service, better in terms of pricing features, providing a high-speed service with outright security to the users’ privacy. It is also a premium paid VPN service with a price range from $3 to 6 monthly, followed by a thirty days money-back guarantee. It is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, a similar feature to ExpressVPN. In Ireland, it provides fifty servers that give Irish users an Irish Internet Protocol Address (IP Address). Several specialized servers; double-hop to increased security and P2P servers for speedy torrenting. Unlike ExpressVPN, NordVPN provides a Threat Protection feature to block ads and cookies.
Moreover, NordVPN brings its users the best price package options; a $3-4 per month for two years, which makes it distinctive and more attractive from other VPN services. Therefore, it is more reliable and attacks more users worldwide.
Surfshark
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Surfshark is a VPN service that provides a secure, fast, and private connection to users worldwide, including UK and Ireland. Being a premium paid VPN service, it gives two options to its users; a monthly package, a short-term plan, and a long-term one consisting of a two-year plan. The monthly package is expensive, while the long-term plan gives a unique concession to the users. This makes it more attractive even than ExpressVPN and NordVPN. It also allows its users to connect to unlimited devices simultaneously. It consists of features like a kill switch, blocking ads, and malware features known as “CleanWeb”. In addition, a Camouflage mode is also available on Surfshark to obscure users’ VPN traffic and can be helpful when reaching out to geo-restricted content; BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix. Comparing Surfshark with ExpressVPN and NordVPN, it is not as fast and has problems with middling speeds.
Conclusion
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) give anonymity and online security whilst using the web by creating a private network from our public internet connection. VPNs cloak Internet Protocol addresses, so our online activities cannot be tracked. Initially, VPNs were only being utilized by influential corporate organizations, which could bear its cost, to safely and privately share records between workplaces in various parts of the world. Currently, more than 25 per cent of the global population access the internet using a VPN.
Muhammad Asfandyar is a lawyer having extensive experience in creative content writing, proofreading, legal and academic research writing. He can be reached at asfandyar.edw@gmail.com