ProtonVPN Blog

Everything you need to know about IP addresses An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that uniquely identifies every device that connects to the internet. It is used to: Identify a device or network connected to the internet Route packets (containing data) so they can find a device or network that is connected […]

Our survey reveals US online data protection habits and how common data breaches are. As an organization building an internet where privacy is the default, we at Proton are always interested in how people protect themselves and their data online. We asked 1,000 randomly selected people over the age of 16 questions about their online […]

Incognito mode, or Private Browsing, is a privacy setting in your browser that lets you surf the web more privately. But how private is it? We explain what Incognito mode is, how it works, and how you can use it to enhance your privacy. We’ll also look at what it doesn’t do and what you […]

AES is a fast, efficient, and secure encryption standard. Certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), AES is used by the United States government to secure classified data. This has led many companies to market AES (especially AES with a 256-bit key) as “military-grade encryption”, although such terminology is as inaccurate as […]

Bloatware is unwanted software pre-installed on new PCs, laptops, and mobile devices by the device manufacturer, OS developer, or network carrier. It is not usually malicious, but it uses up system resources and can therefore slow down your device.  Most software people think of as bloatware is third-party trial software that is either time-limited or […]

YouTube is a global platform that attracts over two billion unique users every month from all around the world. Unfortunately, this does not mean that everyone can access every video on YouTube.  Depending on the country you are in, certain videos are blocked. This is because YouTube uses your location (tagged by your IP address) […]

Torrenting is an incredibly fast and efficient way to distribute large files over the internet. Although often considered to be synonymous with piracy, there are many legitimate use cases for torrenting. However, before diving into the world of P2P file sharing, you should understand what torrenting is, how it works, and how to protect yourself […]

OpenVPN and WireGuard® are VPN protocols used to secure the connection between your device and a VPN server. Learn more about how VPNs work WireGuard represents cutting-edge VPN technology and is cryptographically secure, highly efficient, and fast. OpenVPN is beginning to show its age in terms of speed, performance, and efficiency, but remains widely regarded […]

An SSID is the name of a wireless network. Learn how SSIDs work, how to find your SSID, and whether it’s better to broadcast or hide it. If you set up your home WiFi network, you may have selected the network’s name (SSID) on your devices, entered the default wireless password, and connected. And that’s […]