What is VPN?
The acronym ‘VPN’ stands for ‘Virtual Private Network’, and is, essentially, an easy way to add an extra layer of security to all of one’s activity on the internet, and, irrespective of whether one uses the internet at home or on public Wi-Fi, using a VPN can disguise internet traffic from one’s Internet Service Provider.
VPN works by connecting remote sites to each other over the public internet via a ‘tunnel’, which is a secure portal that links one’s device such as laptop or computer to websites in a manner such that any prying third party trying to know where one’s visiting is stopped or barred. VPN is, thus, about as secure as one can get in accessing the internet and disguising their activity over the internet.
Uses of VPN
Many companies set up VPNs so that their staff need not necessarily be within the company’s premises to tap into the company’s intranet in a secure and safe manner. Given the ever-changing nature of cybersecurity and the increasing possibility of the likes of industrial espionage or even just some information that needs to stay private and safe falling into the wrong hands, it makes sense that even the smallest firm might want to take precautions to help its staff access everything they need to when out and about.
Another reason to use a VPN is to trick one’s device and the site so accessed regarding the geographical location of the IP address of the device. This can be useful if one is trying to access restricted content from a country where they don’t let you do so, such as accessing a movie that is not available for viewing purposes in one’s own country.
Besides these, another use of VPN is gaining access to betting applications that normally require you to be in your home country to use them. The question is, is it legal to do so? There is no particular legislation regarding the use- and its subsequent regulation of VPNs in India, given that they are not used for illegal activities. Some of the most popular uses of VPNs in India are accessing pornographic content, torrents, and gambling.
VPN and Gambling
One of the reasons is that many gamblers and bettors try to hide their IP addresses using a VPN and making several aliases to claim multiple instances of a welcome bonus. This falls under the category of bonus abuse, something one must beware of. Accordingly, betting sites don’t concern themselves with one’s motives for using a VPN, and many online betting sites or gambling sites simply have terms and conditions that state that one cannot use a VPN to hide their identity, while other such sites use software to identify bettors who are using VPNs.
