【Peggy Markoff】

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There was a time when VPNs were only used by cybersecurity pros and businesses. Those days are long gone. Today everyone should be using a VPN when connecting to the internet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mashable Staff Secure up to 5 devices with Norton Secure VPN for only $3.33 per month with annual subscription

Here are some real-life scenarios when having Norton Secure VPN or a full security suite like Norton 360 Deluxe is incredibly helpful.

You use public WiFi — a lot

A VPN service prevents outsiders from snooping on your internet activity by disguising your IP address and scrambling data sent over WiFi. So if you’re hanging out in coffee shops or racking up airline miles, when you’re using public WiFi networks, a VPN service, such as Norton Secure VPN, helps protect your private info — including passwords, bank details, and credit card numbers.

Norton Secure VPN provides bank-grade encryption, which scrambles data to make it unreadable over a WiFi network. This allows you to use public networks when you’re on the move, but with the peace of mind that you’re still protected.

You would like some privacy, please

Feel like you’re being watched? Norton Secure VPN lets you browse the web anonymously to protect your online privacy. A VPN creates a private network from a public internet connection and masks your internet protocol (IP) address. In effect, you might be home, but a VPN creates a data tunnel that could be thousands of miles away.

When you browse the web without a VPN, your internet service provider knows your entire browsing history. With a VPN, your search history is associated with a VPN server’s IP address rather than your own. Since a VPN uses a separate IP address, it allows you to search the web and maintain your privacy.

You want to block ad trackers

If you’re tired of getting bombarded with targeted ads, Norton Secure VPN will block ad tracking technology. Along with cookies, advertisers use a slew of clever ad trackers to follow you around the internet and show you ads for products or places you’ve previously shown an interest in.

With a VPN service, advertisers won’t know what content you’re looking at because it will be associated with a random IP address rather than your own. As a result, they also won’t be able to share targeted advertising. It’s sort of like giving a fake number to someone you really don’t want texting you.

You’ll be abroad during prime time

Some locales limit access to websites, streaming service, and even online news and articles from the U.S. A VPN can allow you to access websites, videos, and apps like you’re sitting on your couch back home. That means you won’t miss out on any of fall’s hottest shows — or football season.

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You’re too busy for malware

In addition to the bank-grade encryption that Norton Secure VPN provides, Norton 360 Deluxe protects up to five devices from goblins such as malware, viruses, and ransomware, and it even alerts you if the included dark web monitoring feature powered by LifeLock finds your information in those scary corners of the internet. With multi-layered protection, Norton 360 Deluxe secures your devices from multiple angles — including password management and parental controls[1] — and costs $49.99 for the first year. That’s just $ $4.16 per month.

[1] Norton Family Parental Control features are not supported on Mac.

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