It’s likely your entire life depends on the glorious world wide web. So why are you limiting it? A VPN lets you get the best of your connection, wherever you are.

That said, here are five times you could’ve got more internet, but probably didn’t.

1. Every time you’ve searched for anything

All of the internet searches you’ve ever made have been logged. All of them. Every time you’ve looked up ointment for that embarrassing lump, and all those times you searched for “adult” content, your search engine of choice logged it.

Sure, services like Google are free, but they’re not providing to you from the goodness of their heart. They need to make money, and they do this by bombarding you with targeted ads. Ads customized specifically for you based on your browsing habits. All the search engines do it. Free stuff is great! But are you comfortable with large enterprises storing your private unmentionables?

A logless VPN company, like ExpressVPN and PIA, do not keep logs of your search history and hide your true IP address from your ISP to boot.

Web services are great, and we probably couldn’t live without Google. But their end goal has always been to line their pockets by selling your data.

2. Every time you’ve used a wi-fi hotspot

Who doesn’t love free Wi-Fi, amirite?

People who value their privacy, that’s who.

Public WiFi connections are almost certainly unsecured. Using them means you’ll be browsing unencrypted data and any noob level hacker could easily intercept and read your traffic.

But if you connect with a VPN first, your data is encrypted and hidden from potential attackers. A VPN is such a simple solution and prevents you airing your dirty laundry every time you connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot.

3. Every time you’ve used internet voice chat (VoIP)

Voice-over-IP services, like Skype, are difficult to intercept, but not impossible. Plenty of websites feature instructions for VoIP hacking, allowing even those with intermediate skills to break into your chats.

If you’re VoIP calling a country with strict web censorship and surveillance, your phone calls are even more prone to hacking. Countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia have extreme surveillance regimes, making a secure phone chat even more essential.

Though a VPN may come at the cost of a slightly slower connection, the security benefits are worth it. The world was horrified to learn the CIA were eavesdropping on people’s cell phone conversations. VoIP connections should be no different.

4. Every time you’ve downloaded a torrent

Let’s face it, everyone torrents. But no one fancies being added to the MPAA’s (Motion Picture Association of America) naughty list.

It seems like the MPAA want to punish everyone who’s ever visited Pirate Bay, despite the millions of perfectly legal content there. By pretending to be a like-minded P2P user, the MPAA can collect your IP address and use it to build a criminal case against you.

But guess what? Using a VPN hides your IP address, meaning the MPAA, CIA, FBI, or any other acronym you can think of, can’t do a thing.

5. Every time you’ve watched TV and movies online

It’s a timeless tale of woe. You want to watch a TV show, but it’s not available in your country. What now?

You could try dubious, low-quality flash streaming sites. But there’s not telling what data the site owners are pulling from your connection. Or what information they’re harvesting. On top of that, the video quality is likely terrible.

A VPN will beat geo-blocks, letting you access premium services, like HBONow, Netflix, and Hulu. It isn’t your only option.

It’s a doddle to set up. Want to watch American locked media? Then just connect to a VPN server in America. Now you’re free to watch what you want! Wonderful.

The many benefits of a VPN

The internet is a minefield of censorship, snoops, and blocked content, but you can get the best of it. And easily.

A VPN will manipulate and disguise your IP address. You can pretend to be anywhere you want, and watch all the geo-blocked content you can find. Beating draconian internet censorship laws is a breeze.

On top of that, you’re adding a layer of protection between you and troublesome internet meddlers, like the MPAA and the CIA.

There’s no good reason not to use a VPN.

Why do you #TurnOnVPN? Let us know in the comments below!