VPN history
Ever since the Internet exists, protocols are needed to keep your data private and secure. The history of VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology dates back to 1996, when a Microsoft employee developed the peer-to-peer tunneling protocol, or PPTP. Effectively a precursor to modern VPNs, PPTP creates a safer and more private connection between your computer and the Internet.
With the development of the Internet, there has been a demand for more sophisticated security systems. Antivirus and related software can effectively prevent damage at the end-user level, but what was really needed was to improve the security of the connection itself. That’s where VPNs came in.
A VPN is a private connection over the Internet. It is a broad concept that covers several different protocols that will be explained in detail later. Their common feature is the ability to remotely connect to a private network via a public connection.
Initially, VPNs were used almost exclusively for business. However, the flood of high-profile security breaches in the early 2000s marked a key moment in the history of VPN technology. Thanks to this, everyday Internet users became aware of the real dangers of working online and began to look for safer ways to do this.
Currently, VPNs are used to secure internet connections, prevent malware and hacking, provide digital privacy, unblock geo-restricted content, and hide the physical location of users. Easier to use and cheaper than ever, a VPN is an essential online security tool.
What is the purpose of a VPN?
The purpose of a VPN is to create a private connection between multiple people and devices on the Internet. In fact, it’s the Internet on the Internet, privately secured and encrypted from prying eyes, malware, hackers, and anyone else who might want to know where you are surfing or where you are surfing from.
VPN technology has been around for decades. Originally created for big business, it was never intended for the many purposes it is used for today. The need at that time was great. Companies, organizations, governments, and many others with sensitive information were at risk of hacking or other data loss when using open internet connections. They needed to establish connections that were much more secure than average so that remote users, satellite offices, and field workers could access and use corporate files without letting their secrets escape. The solution they brought out was VPN.
A VPN is like a local area network, a network where devices are directly connected to each other without needing to use the internet except using the internet to make connections. In addition to tunneling protocols that establish secure connections that hide the source, high encryption standards ensure that even if data is lost, it will never be used by anyone who is not intended to have it. The benefits of a VPN for individual internet users became clear from the beginning, which has spawned the modern rush to provide the best VPN technology. Over the years, VPN development has been stimulated by the encroachment of censors around the world and endless calls from hackers to break into whatever devices and connections they can.
Censorship and geographic restrictions are among the few problems plaguing the Internet and driving innovation in VPN technology. Censorship history varies from case to case, but includes things like social media blocks, incomplete access to online media catalogs (look at the Netflix US catalog compared to what is available to the rest of the world), tracking user activity, monitoring e-mail messages or categorical denials of Internet access. The history of VPNs has grown with it, overcoming each problem as it arises and generating demand from internet users.
