Are you reading at this post using an internet connection through a VPN?
Do you even understand what a VPN is? 

Because if you aren't using a VPN right now, we've got some bad news for you dude: you are in a enormous threat and putting yourself and your data at risk.

Right now - whether you realize it or not - the entire internet as we know it is under siege. There are major hack attacks happening constantly (and even more happening that aren't publicized) and our own government and internet service providers want to degrade and compromise the internet for their own benefit and profit.

In the end, this spells bad news for you, the consumer. Not only are you being attacked by hackers and criminals, but the institutions designed to protect and serve you are selling you out: Congress is allowing ISPs to track your movement online and sell your data to 3rd party advertisers and net neutrality is next on the chopping block. Big companies and the government are not the entities you should rely on to keep your data secure - they are eager to ruin the internet as it stands now just to make a little more money. But luckily, there is something you can do to protect yourself.

Get a VPN!

BUT WHAT IS VPN?

Virtual Private Network (VPN)Basically: it re-routes your internet traffic so that you go through an encrypted VPN server instead of your normal ISP. Of course, this means you're now entrusting your data to a VPN service. The benefit is that these services live and die by holding on to customer trust and respecting their need for privacy, whereas ISPs (clearly) couldn't give a shit less about that. ISPs act under the assumption that most people are too ignorant about their own crooked practices to actually bother looking into getting a VPN - but it doesn't have to be that way.

In the past, VPNs were primarily used for workplace things (accessing an intranet) and doing internet pirate-y things - illegally downloading media and accessing banned sites. But that's not really the case anymore - people are using VPNs to protect themselves, their data, and more. The benefits of using a VPN are huge:  

•   Encrypts your data - from your ISP, from hackers, from EVERYONE (this is the big one).
•   Utilizing a separate IP address can circumvent browsing restrictions - either by country (e.g. if you're in China and can't access a site due to government restrictions, a VPN would allow you to use an American-based IP address and access the site) or by the specific ISP (e.g. if you're using a company's wi-fi and they have Netflix blocked, you can get around that too)
•   Can actually speed up your internet connection and reduce your ping time (here's an Explain It Like I'm Five link that helps clarify that aspect

 In short - if you're NOT using a VPN for your internet browsing, you are making a huge mistake. If you're letting family and friends go without a VPN, you're being negligent. You and everyone you care about should be using a VPN - not using one is like driving down the Autobahn blindfolded (well, not QUITE that bad, but you get it - it's reckless). 

Thanks for reading!
upvote, comment and re-steem is appreciated
hope you guys have a great day. Cheers!

https://steemit.com/@itsOkimaj

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network
https://www.whatismyip.com/what-is-a-vpn/
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc779919(v=ws.10)
http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7051881/why-youre-a-moron-if-you-browse-the-internet-without-a-vpn?utm_campaign=Prospecting_Auto_BoostedPost_VPNJuly3_SaleID%3D1786_8.1.2017&utm_medium=Facebook_Ads&utm_source=Facebook