How to hide my IP address? Your IP address is your computer’s fingerprint provided to you by your ISP. Why should you spoof your IP address? Every website, app, or online service you use can see your public IP address. This leaves your online privacy vulnerable. Your IP address also reveals your geographical location. This allows geo-restricted websites like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go to block you from watching streaming content. In this guide, I will show you how to use VPN to hide your IP address in a few simple steps. Hide your online identity, browse the web anonymously, and bypass regional restrictions.
How to Hide My IP Address via VPN – Protect Online Privacy and Identity
Hide My IP Address? Why Should I Spoof My Online Location?
There are plenty of reasons as to why you should hide your IP address especially if you value your online privacy.
- Torrents: Every time you download a torrent file, your public IP address is added to a BitTorrent swarm. Every other user who is downloading the same torrent file can easily track your IP address. Copyright trolls can trace your IP address and then contact your ISP to obtain your personal information. Use a VPN to hide your IP address and download torrents anonymously.
- Streaming Channels: Streaming channels only have the right to broadcast certain contains in specified regions. That is why you are blocked from watching streaming channels like HBO Go, ABC Go, and Crackle outside USA for example. The same applies to UK channels like BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky Go which are all geo-blocked. In order to bypass regional restrictions, you have to hide your real IP address.
- Public WiFi Hotspots: When you access the Internet via a public WiFi Hotspot, such as an airport, restaurant, hotel, or cafe, your sensitive data such as your emails, passwords, and bank accounts are extremely vulnerable to hacker attacks. Although you will be accessing the Internet via the WiFi Hotspot’s IP address, you are at risk of getting hacked.
- Web Tracking: Evert website you visit tracks your IP address. Hiding your IP address allows you to prevent these sites from tracking you.
- Geographical Location: Your IP address provides a rough estimate of your geographical location. If you do not want others to pinpoint your home or office, hide your IP address.
How to Hide My IP Address via VPN?
VPN means Virtual Private Network. By using VPN, you can connect to a private network tunnel. This tunnel redirects all your traffic via a VPN server acting as an intermediate between you and the websites you visit. These sites will no longer see your real IP address. Instead, they will only see the IP address of the VPN server you are connected to. This process practically hides your public IP address, online identity, and geolocation.
Setting up a VPN connection has been hugely simplified thanks to dedicated VPN apps. These applications can be downloaded and installed on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Most of the popular VPN providers offer these VPN apps as part of your subscription.
Choose a VPN provider that does not keep logs of your browsing activity. If you want to unblock geo-blocked channels, verify that the VPN service actually has VPN servers in the region where the channel is available. Another thing you have to check for is the refund period the VPN service offers.
ExpressVPN, for instance, have a 30-day money-back refund period. They also have VPN apps on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. ExpressVPN do not log your browsing activity either.
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Apps For All Your Devices
- 24/7 Live Support
Hide My IP Address – Protect Your Online Privacy
Do not take your privacy lightly. You never know who is eavesdropping on your browsing activity. By using VPN, you can hide your IP address and add an extra layer of security and privacy to your online surfing.
