Why Do I Need a VPN to Watch Movies for Free?

Do people still use VPNs (virtual private networks) in 2021? And if yes, then what for? The answer is yes. In fact, the use and downloads of VPNs such as Surfshark have grown considerably in the years 2020 and 2021, namely because of the COVID pandemic. And according to experts, the use of VPNs is expected to grow 16% by 2027. So, the question remains, what do VPNs have to do with watching movies for free?

Technically, there is no law to illegalize watching movies on websites such as 123movies, Crackle,

How Can VPNs Protect Me from Being Sued?

Virtual private networks (VPNs) create a private network for you, hence the name. This network will be completely hidden from the public network. This is much safer for your device, as public networks usually have viruses that might hit your device if left unprotected. VPNs encrypt your data and internet traffic with the AES-256-bit encryption, the strongest encryption ever. This type of encryption is strong to the point where huge corporations like the US government, military bases, and banks utilize it to protect their confidential information.

This encryption means that if an intruder tries to spy on your internet activity, they will see a sequence of random characters. The characters are only random to a third-party spy but completely make sense with the VPN’s decryption key, which only you know. VPNs also protect you by hiding your actual IP address and giving you a fake IP address that belongs to the VPN company itself. So, even if someone finds a way to see your IP address, they will only get to see the fake one.

VPNs usually have a very important feature called a Kill Switch. As long as you are connected to the VPN, your IP address will be hidden. However, if the VPN connection drops suddenly, you’re at risk of being exposed. With the Kill Switch, this is not going to happen; a Kill Switch will immediately and automatically sever your connection to the internet if your VPN connection fails. This way, you will never be exposed.

Most VPN companies also have a no-log policy where none of your internet activity is tracked or stored. To add to that, some VPNs also store any data of you on RAM not on hard disks; this means that every time the system reboots, all of the stored information gets deleted.

Some good VPNs we recommend you to use are Cyberghost, IPVanish, StrongVPN, and Avast VPN. So, watching movies and TV shows for free on illegal streaming platforms goes hand in hand with using VPNs. For added security, you can also use an antivirus to prevent any viruses or malware from such websites from reaching and infecting your device. Avast is not only a VPN company. It also offers Avast Antivirus and Avast Cleanup Premium.