What is a good reason to use a VPN??
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Any individual who uses a VPN (Virtual Private Network) apparently has what is to them a good reason. They may not understand what they are really doing. They may think it is protecting their privacy. From someone. And it can do that. Using a VPN which encrypts internet protocol messages between one’s computer and the VPN provider’s server does hide the content, including your own IP address and the destination IP, from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). And usually the VPN provider uses a new IP to for the conversation with the destination, sending the response back to you encrypted. But the VPN provider now knows what you didn’t want your ISP to know. You’d better trust them a lot. It may be true that your ISP pays attention to content you get off the internet and comes after you for copyright infringement, whereas VPN providers don’t seem to do that.
Some people seem to use VPNs to appear to be in another country, so that they can, for example, access sites which are restricted to people in that country. It seems also that large sites have started to make note of the IP addresses used by VPN providers and now block those addresses. So, doesn't always work.
A major international child porn bust just occurred. Though some of the perpetrators knew how to hide pretty well, there were weak links in the armor of the main website. That allowed authorities to get to the accounts of the users and, though they paid in bitcoin, they had used their real identities to set up the bitcoin accounts! Busted.
If you believe that your ISP may record and eventually sell the information about which sites you visit, a VPN will help. But then you are at the mercy of the VPN provider. Maybe they will be bought by some ISP! Darn! When there is big money to be made, watch out.
VPNs have long been used by corporate/business entities. In this day of internet network replacing wired telephone lines, VPNs have replaced telephone private line networks. Major telephone network providers (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) use the same “wires” (it is fiber now-a-days) for all transmission (except, of course, radio) and VPNs are just the modern way of providing private line corporate networks. They use them for internal communications. Even their voice traffic is Voice over IP (VoIP). Cheaper for them. Clearly not cheaper for private individuals.
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