As the debate about Apple’s stance on encryption and privacy continues, many people are left wondering how they can do more to protect their data and communication from being viewed by governments, law enforcement agencies and other public organisations. Apple is currently locked in a long running and increasingly high profile feud with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over access to information contained on a mobile phone.
There are understandably polarized views on whether or not such personal information should be accessible by the authorities, but for those keen to retain their privacy away from prying eyes, there are ways and means of doing more to secure their online identity and Internet activity. BestVPN has produced The Ultimate Privacy Guide that provides advice and guidance for those preferring greater privacy.
“Apple’s refusal to bow to the FBI’s demands to unlock an encrypted phone has heightened awareness of the privacy debate and many people just don’t know where they stand on the matter, if indeed they are aware at all of the issues involved,” says Peter Zaborszky, founder of BestVPN. “Over recent weeks we have seen increased interest from individuals who are concerned about their personal privacy and have decided to use a Virtual Private Network.”
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) offers individuals an effective means of protecting a person’s identity when online. Essentially a VPN is a server somewhere that an individual can connect to and route their Internet usage through. This not only hides a person’s identity, but also makes it appear as though they are in the country where the server is situated.
“VPNs were originally servers inside companies that employees could connect to so they could easily work from home,” explains Zaborszky. “Now, they are more commonly used as an effective way to protect your identity online, which has become especially important in recent times amid snooping revelations and the potential for surveillance laws to be relaxed.”
In the UK this week, the Investigatory Powers Bill (or ‘Snoopers Charter’ as it is often colloquially referred to) was passed in Parliament and allows the government and other authorities, such as the police, to view users web browsing histories and hack mobile phones. As with the Apple versus FBI battle, the Bill has polarized opinions and has come under intense criticism from some quarters for being both unclear and over the top.
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