There are a lot of inflated expectations around VPNs. Let's put together a single list of what it does and doesn't do — without the marketing.
What a VPN hides
- Your IP address from websites. They see the server's address.
- Your approximate location — exactly to the extent it was derived from your IP.
- The content of your traffic from your network. Your ISP, the Wi-Fi owner, and others on an open network see an encrypted stream.
- The list of sites you open from your ISP — provided DNS goes through the tunnel.
What a VPN doesn't hide
- Your identity from services where you're signed in. Email, social networks, and stores know you by your login, not your address.
- Cookies and browser data. They persist between sessions and work independently of your IP.
- Your browser fingerprint. The combination of screen resolution, fonts, language, time zone, and browser version is unique enough to recognize a user without an IP.
- The fact that you're connected to a VPN from your network — the connection is visible; the only question is whether it's recognized as a VPN.
- Activity inside apps that have their own sign-in.
- Data you enter yourself — the form will be submitted along with it.
Three common misconceptions
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«A VPN makes you anonymous»
No. It changes your visible address but doesn't remove accounts, cookies, or your fingerprint. Anonymity is a separate problem, and it isn't solved with a single toggle.
«With a VPN you don't need to worry about viruses»
No. A VPN doesn't analyze content or block malicious files. That's the job of antivirus software and your own caution.
«A VPN encrypts everything»
It encrypts the stretch from your device to the VPN server. Beyond that, from the server to the website, traffic travels as usual — and there it's protected by HTTPS, which works even without a VPN.
When a VPN is genuinely needed
- Open Wi-Fi in a cafe, airport, or hotel.
- You need your ISP not to see the list of sites you visit.
- A service is unavailable from your network or country.
- You need a stable external address in one country for work services.
How we talk about this
We deliberately don't promise anonymity or protection from malicious software: that's not what a VPN does. What exactly the service processes and what it doesn't collect is described on the «Security» page.