{"id":96905,"date":"2018-01-30T18:51:01","date_gmt":"2018-01-30T18:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=96905"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:40:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:40:50","slug":"how-to-encrypt-your-internet-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-encrypt-your-internet-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to encrypt your internet traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are many reasons why you might want to encrypt your internet traffic. You might want to conceal your internet browsing from ISP tracking, for example, or perhaps you\u2019d like to improve your security on the internet and shield your information from cybercriminals. Whatever your motivation, we\u2019ll explain <strong>what encryption is, why it\u2019s important, and how to do it<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A guide to internet encryption<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nWhy is internet encryption vital?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nEncryption of internet traffic has become a critical need for many users, in light of the recent information maintenance laws around the globe that have allowed the ISP to record and maintain clients\u2019 information. <strong>Free connectivity and openness is the right of internet users<\/strong>, and yet there are numerous countries and organizations that would limit this freedom by tracking users\u2019 activity and censoring access to content. In such cases, internet traffic privacy is essential. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nEncrypting your internet traffic gives you the ability to <strong>conceal your online activity<\/strong> from the checking of ISP, ensuring that delicate information like passwords and Visa points of interest are not passed to ISPs and potentially from there to governments or other organizations. This is one reason it is so vital to encrypt your internet traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nThere are numerous approaches to encrypt internet traffic: <strong>VPNs, https, interfacing with Tor programs, utilizing encrypted messaging applications and browser extensions<\/strong>. Let\u2019s go through each of these now.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Virtual private network &#8211; VPN<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nAs the name suggests, a <strong>virtual private network<\/strong>, or <strong>VPN<\/strong>, is a private and encrypted route to connect over the internet to another private system. It requires initial setup and validation in order to work, and after that, it encrypts all the activity between the third-party servers. Using an encrypted VPN tunnel enables the user to browse the web using a masked IP address that seems to be coming from the VPN server, making it difficult to distinguish the user.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nYour internet traffic <em>can<\/em> be seen, adjusted, and logged by the VPN services themselves,\u00a0 however. Though many VPN services guarantee that they don&#8217;t keep logs of your internet traffic and utilize extra security defensive measures, this is a difficult claim to verify. And in fact, a recent <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.co.uk\/article\/android-vpn-apps-malware\">investigation<\/a> revealed that many VPN apps for Android contain malware designed to track users. So do your homework before choosing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privacyend.com\/best-vpn-services\/\">VPN provider<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nTor \u2013 the onion router<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/tor-browser.en.softonic.com\/\"><strong>Tor<\/strong><\/a> is a <strong>distributed relay system<\/strong> that routes the movement of internet traffic by encrypting the IP address at each bounce point in the relay. At each relay, only the last and next IP station are accessible to enable routing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Tor is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beencrypted.com\/5-best-secure-browsers\/\">most secure browsers in the world<\/a><\/strong> since it conceals your activity from the ISPs. When you are are using a Tor browser, your ISP will just see that you are associated with a Tor system, but it can\u2019t determine your destination. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-96906\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/01\/tor-browser.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"806\" height=\"549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/01\/tor-browser.png 806w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/01\/tor-browser-300x204.png 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2018\/01\/tor-browser-768x523.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px\" \/><br \/>\nTor can dodge recognition from all but the most capable state-controlled monitoring machines. Even the NSA has some difficulty breaking Tor. So it&#8217;s a good solution to protect your browsing for most activities, though if an organization needs to invest the energy and assets to watch you, they can and will.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nBrowser extensions<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<strong>Browser extensions<\/strong> are also useful security tools. Extensions are available that let you control your internet traffic, block ads on the websites that you visit, and kill the cookies and traces that could share your information without your knowledge. This does not imply that you can completely depend on these extensions to do everything for you, but they are good to have in your toolbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Google Chrome\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/b2e6d43a-96bf-11e6-a674-00163ed833e7\/2551395796\/google-chrome-screenshot.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Google Chrome<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/chrome.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donload Google Chrome Now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--70\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"70\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"7\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">7<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\">Chrome is a young, fast browser that can browse any web page. It supports all major technologies and standards such as HTML5 and Flash.<\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/chrome.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nEven if you do use browser extensions, you should check to see if your DNS has a leak. DNS leaks can be a big security risk, as it might give your internet traffic data to your ISP. You can use <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vpninsights.com\/dns-leak-test\">DNS leak test<\/a> to determine whether or not this is an issue with your device.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nEncrypted chat apps<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nMany modern chat applications are encrypted using a method called <strong>end-to-end encryption<\/strong>, which ensures that your chats are secure from monitoring. The structures of end-to-end encryption make it virtually impossible to unravel the data being passed. For example, connections that use end-to-end encryption can&#8217;t pass on their customers&#8217; messages to third-parties. If you\u2019re using a chat client and you are concerned about privacy, make sure that your messages are getting encrypted.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-program\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-program__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__img\" alt=\"Telegram\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sftcdn.net\/images\/t_optimized,f_auto\/p\/e1558678-96d2-11e6-ae76-00163ed833e7\/1848759616\/telegram-for-desktop-logo.png\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-title\">\r\n        <span class=\"sc-card-program__title\">Telegram<\/span>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-program__button sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram-for-desktop.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download Telegram<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-program__col-rating\">\r\n        <svg class=\"rating-score__content\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.1\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 50 50\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 50 50\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><path class=\"rating-score__background rating-score--good\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><path class=\"rating-score__value rating-score__value--80\" fill=\"none\" stroke-width=\"6\" stroke-dashoffset=\"80\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\" d=\"M40 40c8.3-8.3 8.3-21.7 0-30s-21.7-8.3-30 0 -8.3 21.7 0 30\"><\/path><text class=\"rating-score__number\" content=\"8\" text-anchor=\"middle\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 1 25 31.0837)\" data-auto=\"app-user-score\">8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <span class=\"sc-card-program__description\"><\/span>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-program__row\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-program__bigpic\" src=\"\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-program__link track-link sc-card-program-internal\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram-for-desktop.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\nEncrypting your internet traffic is fundamental, especially in an era of government monitoring and the rising danger from cybercriminals. Using these simple strategies will keep prying eyes from your data and won\u2019t require much work from you.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many reasons why you might want to encrypt your internet traffic. You might want to conceal your internet browsing from ISP tracking, for example, or perhaps you\u2019d like to improve your security on the internet and shield your information from cybercriminals. Whatever your motivation, we\u2019ll explain what encryption is, why it\u2019s important, and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-encrypt-your-internet-traffic\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to encrypt your internet traffic&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9095,"featured_media":95641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-96905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9095"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328327,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96905\/revisions\/328327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96905"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=96905"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=96905"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=96905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}