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With literally hundreds of VPN providers out there, you have probably heard the term “kill switch”, but didn’t really know what it means or does. Before you think of it as an assassin that takes out its targets with a flick of a switch, read on. Despite its fearsome name, a VPN kill switch is a lifesaver feature, and from now on we guarantee you’ll be looking for it in every VPN provider you use. In short, it keeps your anonymity and privacy intact by stopping all internet usage if you’re suddenly disconnected and your VPN protection fails.
Thanks to high community demand, nowadays many VPN providers offer this so-called kill switch feature – and for very good reasons. Let’s say that you turned on your VPN to do something tricky, such as torrenting or simply browsing the web over a potentially dodgy public Wi-Fi network, when suddenly your VPN fails. In normal cases a VPN failure equals hitting an iceberg with the Titanic, but thanks to the kill switch you and your internet data and traffic are safe. In other words, the kill switch shuts down any questionable traffic until you can put on your VPN invisibility cloak again. Furthermore, if you have this feature and the option to connect automatically as soon as you start your system, you never end up being exposed again.
And before you think that being “nude” in front of everybody for a couple of seconds is not a big deal, we have some bad news: without a VPN, you are constantly monitored by your ISP, legal authorities and even governments. Doing questionable things without proper protection can, indeed, have severe consequences.
Also, because now many VPNs have a features that make them connect automatically, as soon as you start your system, with this little trick you never end up forgetting to turn on the VPN to keep safe your most private desires.
The majority of VPNs offering kill switch have this feature turned on by default which, if not needed, can surely be turned off any time in the solutions’ respective clients and settings. However, keep in mind that turning your kill switch off may result in getting suddenly exposed, regardless of how careful you are, so using VPNs without kill switch is absolutely not recommended. Another good reason to use kill switch is that, like many software, VPNs are far from perfect, which manifests in the form of sudden connection drops. When this occurs, the kill switch automatically detects the problem and kicks in immediately. Furthermore, if the VPN is used on a router and it suddenly fails, the kill switch can not only hide the internet traffic and history of your computer, but those of any other device connected to the same network as well.
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