As Americans grow increasingly worried about privacy and security, many are turning to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to protect their digital identities and activities. Some use VPNs to prevent tracking by search engines, social media, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), or to access geo-restricted content. In fact, as many as 33% of American adults now use VPNs for personal use. But despite their popularity, misconceptions about VPNs still exist. While they can be useful tools for specific aims like obscuring your Internet traffic, VPNs are far from a catch-all solution for a wide range of cyberthreats.

What VPNs Can Do

1. Encrypt your internet traffic: Think of a VPN as a secret tunnel for your online activities. When you use one, it encrypts your information or data, including the sites you visit, messages you send, and files you download. This means that in the event of unauthorized access, third parties won’t be able to ‘read’ or understand your data.
2. Mask your IP address: Your IP address is like your digital home address—it can reveal your approximate location and is used to identify your device on the internet. VPNs hide your real IP address by routing your internet traffic through their own servers. This adds another layer of privacy, making it harder for websites, advertisers, and hackers to track your online activities back to you.
3. Bypass geo-restrictions: Many VPN users utilize the service to access geographically-restricted content on streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer. By connecting to a VPN server in a different country, you can access content available there.
4. Prevent bandwidth throttling: Some ISPs throttle your internet speed when they detect online activities like gaming or streaming to manage network congestion. By masking your online activity, a VPN can help prevent this type of throttling.

What VPNs Cannot Do

1. Protect you from SIM swap attacks: A SIM swap attack occurs when a hacker convinces your mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a new SIM card that they control. SIM swaps happen at the carrier level and have nothing to do with your internet traffic. As VPNs are designed to protect your internet traffic, they cannot prevent or protect against this type of offline, social engineering attack.
2. Protect you from signaling attacks: VPNs cannot protect your phone calls or text messages from being intercepted via signaling attacks. Signaling attacks, such as those exploiting vulnerabilities in the SS7 (Signaling System No. 7) protocol, allow attackers to intercept calls, texts, and even track your location by exploiting weaknesses in the global telecommunications infrastructure.
3. Conceal your call logs and other communication metadata: Likewise, VPNs cannot hide your call logs and communication metadata from your mobile carrier. This means that information like your location, who you’re calling or texting, when, and for how long is shared with your mobile carrier, who then sells that information to third parties or lose it in a breach to hackers.
4. Prevent malware or phishing attacks: While some VPNs offer ad blockers or basic malware protection, they cannot stop you from accidentally downloading malware or clicking on spam or phishing links.
5. Give you full anonymity: Although VPNs provide privacy benefits, they do not make you invisible or anonymous. VPN providers can potentially see your browsing activity, and if they keep logs, this information could be disclosed.
6. Stop all data collection: VPNs cannot prevent all forms of data collection. Once you're connected to a website or using an app, these services can still collect data about your activities. For example, if you're logged into your Google or Facebook account, these services can track what you do on their platforms, regardless of whether you're using a VPN. Similarly, cookies and other tracking technologies can still function even when you're using a VPN.

For stronger protection, VPNs should be used in conjunction with other measures. This includes practicing secure password management, adopting safe online behavior, and choosing a secure mobile carrier like Cape.

Switching to a secure mobile carrier like Cape helps address some of the privacy gaps that a VPN alone may not cover. Built with privacy and security at its core, Cape is committed to protecting user anonymity by collecting only the bare minimum during onboarding. Unlike many carriers that require sensitive details like your social security number, Cape avoids collecting personal information wherever possible. This means there's minimal data to compromise or sell. We also retain data only for the shortest time possible and are fully transparent about our practices in our Privacy Policy, giving you peace of mind that your data is safe and handled responsibly.

Additionally, with robust security measures, including modern authentication protocols, Cape protects your account from the risk of SIM swaps. protect your account. This ensures that only you have control over your account and its transfers—eliminating the risk of SIM swaps by preventing bad actors from bribing or compromising someone to take control.

Cape also guards against network level attacks, like attempts by malicious actors to locate your phone or intercept communications. We’ve built a proprietary routing agent and firewall that alerts and denies suspicious attempts to connect to a phone on our network.

By understanding both the capabilities and limitations of VPNs, you can make smarter decisions about protecting your digital life. While VPNs are powerful tools for online privacy and security, they are just one part of a broader approach to comprehensive digital safety.

What to Look for in a VPN

When considering a VPN, it’s crucial to pick one that aligns with your specific privacy and security needs. VPNs work by funneling your internet traffic through a private “tunnel” to the VPN server, meaning that your data is simply being diverted from your internet provider’s systems to your VPN provider’s systems instead.

So really, you should be asking if you can trust your VPN provider more than your internet provider. Free VPN providers could provide their services to you for no cost in exchange for monetizing your data. This means that they take your browsing activity and sell it to third parties who can serve you targeted ads while you’re connected to their VPN.

Below, we offer a quick summary of the six most popular VPN providers in the US that don’t store user logs, based on their widespread recognition. This is for informational purposes only and should not be considered an endorsement or recommendation.

1. Mullvad

   Pros: Extremely privacy-focused with a unique anonymous signup process (no email required), supports payments via cash or cryptocurrency, and offers solid privacy features like DNS blackholing for ad-blocking. It's great for users who prioritize privacy above all else.

   Cons: Limited server network (641 servers in 40 countries), inconsistent streaming performance, and slower speeds compared to competitors. It also lacks live chat support, relying on email and guides for assistance​

   Price: $5/month.
2. ExpressVPN

   Pros: Excellent for security with AES 256-bit encryption and RAM-based servers, making it more secure for users. It has a large server network (3,000+ servers in 105 countries), reliable speeds, and easy-to-use apps. Works well for streaming and unblocking content, and includes dark web monitoring features.

   Cons: More expensive than other options, and only allows 8 simultaneous device connections.

   Price: $6.67/month (annual plan)​
3. ProtonVPN

   Pros: Strong focus on privacy, developed by CERN scientists behind ProtonMail, with transparent policies and independent audits. ProtonVPN offers a free version with unlimited data and no logs.

   Cons: Limited server locations (3,090 servers in 71 countries), and its full feature set is pricier compared to competitors​

   Price: $4/month (2-year plan)​
4. Surfshark

   Pros: Budget-friendly and feature-packed, offering privacy tools like MultiHop and IP Rotator, with unlimited device connections. Its no-logs policy has been audited, ensuring user privacy.

   Cons: Inconsistent speeds on some servers, which can affect streaming quality​

   Price: $2.19/month (2-year plan)​
5. Private Internet Access (PIA)

   Pros: Strong privacy features, including a large server network (35,000+ servers in 84 countries), and supports Firestick & Roku, making it versatile for home use.

   Cons: Slightly slower than top competitors, and its app interface can be complex for first-time users​

   Price: $2.03/month (3-year plan).
6. NordVPN

   Pros: Excellent for security and speed, boasting features like dark web monitoring and fast speeds (197 Mbps). It also offers a no-logs policy and works well for streaming and torrenting.

   Cons: Some servers can be unreliable, and it's slightly more expensive compared to budget options​

   Price: $3.99/month (2-year plan)​