As a proxy service, private internet access surely lives up to its expectations. The web proxy performs an exquisite job when it comes to hiding your location and IP address. PIA can also be described as a VPN service that helps an individual on a personalbasis to pass your web activities via an encrypted channel. By doing so, the data is prevented from eavesdroppers. Anyone who wishes to avoid government surveillance can always change their IP address with a VPN service such as Private Internet Access.
Pros
- It allows for one-click turn on and connection
- Boasts of a whole advanced features
- Provides for fast performance
- Allows for multiple payment options
- Ability to cater for multi-platform support
Cons
- It cannot be tested prior to buying
- There is little feedback provided about errors
- It does not provide you with the option of selecting specific servers
One may be tempted to ask why go through all that trouble of changing your IP address. Well, here are some reasons as to why: consider this; in China, Facebook is blocked and Netfflix is only limited to the US citizens. Add to these the fact that some YouTube Videos are blocked not only in Germany but some parts of the world and you can understand why most people are for the idea of altering their IP addresses.
Every computer has an IP address that is normally assigned t it by your ISP. The IP address helps in figuring out the geographical location of your ISP’s data center. With Private Internet Access, you can easily change your geographical location simply by doing away with the ISP provided IP address. What Private Internet Access does is, once it overrides the IP address by ISP, it assigns you another which it automatically generates from its many different servers.
Besides just hiding your IP address, Private Internet Access also helps you in a number of ways. Whenever you are using a VPN service, the service automatically encrypts all your online data and traffic to ensure that your data is hidden from any kind of third party interference especially when on an open wireless network.
Do not expect Private Internet Access to replace your corporate VPN that allows you to log into your work related applications. However, it can be handy especially when it comes to protecting your overall online activities. One thing you need to take note of is that data is only protected in transit. This basically means that if for example the destination website is not using HTTPS, that particular section of the connection will remain unencrypted. With such open connections, hackers can use advanced timing algorithms to intercept and ultimately identify data at that point.
There are three installation packages that are available for customers to pick from. One can opt to go for the $6.95 package which is for one month, $35.95 for six months and the $39.95 package for an entire year. One of the major disadvantages about Private Internet Access is that they do not provide free trial versions for consumers. That means that if you want to test one, you’ll have to purchase either of the aforementioned packages.
