There’s a hacker attack every 39 seconds, and if you use public Wi-Fi, it’s all too easy for bad actors to intercept your data. VPNs hide your IP address and encrypt data to prevent hackers from seeing where you are or what you’re doing online, which makes them a necessity for anyone who cares about their privacy.

Unfortunately, VPN detect don’t completely stop bad actors from tracking your online activity. It’s easy for websites to detect when a customer is using a VPN, and they often block sites from visitors who use them. This is because it’s possible for VPN servers to be detected via their IP addresses and there are even databases that specializing in recognizing VPN IPs.

Peering Through the Veil: How to Detect VPN Usage for Improved Network Security

Fortunately, most of the best VPN providers use advanced encryption and other security measures to prevent this from happening. However, it is possible for websites to detect that you’re using a VPN by looking at information such as the time you connect to the site and the length of your connection. Some VPNs also store information about your used bandwidth per day, but this is generally for troubleshooting purposes and not to track your browsing activities.

For businesses that want to ensure their customers’ privacy, choosing a provider with robust VPN obfuscation is essential. Thankfully, there are plenty of top-rated VPNs that excel in this, including NordVPN, Surfshark and more. They’ll also be more likely to have excellent customer support and offer a free trial so you can test out their services before committing.