Nowadays, you can’t go 5 seconds on the internet, either browsing on YouTube or going through Twitter without seeing an ad for a VPN, which is a subscription-based service that gives you access to a private network to a more secure connection. You may have heard of some of these companies such as NordVpn, SurfShark, ExpressVPN, and many more, but they all share the same function, which is hiding your IP Address (A unique code that each computer uses to communicate on the internet) from data-brokers or potential hackers. This is especially important when you connect to any Public Wifi source like at Starbucks, these Wifi sources are super vulnerable, and when you connect to Wifi, you are basically opening a gateway to your device’s information. 

While it may seem like a hassle to get a subscription, according to Forbes, VPNs can cost as low as $2 a month if you commit to a deal. Now, for the price equivalent to a trip to the Vending Machine, you can save yourself from potential time lost by replacing cards and changing passwords in case of a data breach. And yes, these breaches are often, happening every 39 seconds in the United States alone. 

There is a reason why people use bike locks in crowded cities because they know the risk of losing their bike. So think of the internet as a crowded city, hackers have endless opportunities to get your information from getting in via your Wifi or through phishing links. That is why I urge you to invest in your privacy.