Connected

Should you place your trust in VPNs?

With the number of people using virtual private networks continuing to grow, we ask whether they actually deliver on privacy and security – or whether they’re even necessary

Originally created to allow workers to securely log into corporate networks remotely, VPNs have become much more prominent in recent years. Picture: Getty

If you’ve spent any significant time on YouTube or listening to podcasts in the last year or two, the odds are you’ve been exposed to more than a few adverts for VPN services.

Most of the big tech youTubers and quite a few high-profile podcasters have been sponsored by them and the pitch is usually pretty simple: if you want to keep your digital life private you need to route your internet traffic through a ...