After a complete video review of close to 15 Premium VPN’s with the leading one having 10 Million+ users and others averaging at 1 Million+ users, the question that I have always asked myself during the review process is; do I really need a VPN as a Freelancer living in Africa on a day to day basis?
Each time I ask myself this question, the absolute answer is No, I don’t. But once in a while, Yes.
My answer is based on my past VPN usage. I have always downloaded a VPN only and only for use in activities connected to my freelancing business. In this I mean, if I have an assignment that requires me to access information blocked in my country, that is where I find a VPN in handy. And all the time when I am done with the project, I uninstall it.
The second reason for my No answer is that I was once suspended from a freelancing site for using a VPN. I had used it to make the site think that I was based in US-yet I was not. Being suspended means that you will miss new freelancing opportunities for more than 30 days. This really hurt my earnings. I ended up leaving the site for this same reasons.
But for a Freelance traveler, the story is different because VPN comes in handy in some countries- which is why in this blog-post, I will share with you 4 uses of a VPN as a Freelancer.
To Unblock Content Restricted in Your Country
Content can range from text, photos and videos. Also, it can be games, software’s and mobile applications. Many countries in the west restrict their content for copyright reasons.
Of-course as freelancer, it is possible to be hired by anyone across the globe. Some assignments may require you to access restricted content. You will not be able to do it without a VPN. A good example of this is reviewing a Mobile application made for users in US only. If you live in Africa, You will not be able to find it when you search on PlayStore. And this is where a VPN come in handy.
For Entertainment Purposes
If you are a fun of streaming new movie content on Netflix US, Hulu, AMozon prime and more, you will require a VPN to unblock them unless you are a resident of US. With this said, it is important to note that there some content restricted to some countries like UK, China, Japan, India and more. This thus means that even if you live in US, you will need a VPN to watch them.
To Stay Anonymous
Popular browsers like Google chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer are well know for logging users data for business purposes. That is what you get in return for using these browsers for free.
If you want your usage logs to be kept discreet i.e Sites you visit, and what you access on a regular basis, you will need a VPN. It is important that you check their Privacy policy before going ahead to purchase them. Some VPN’s logs users data and sells them to third party companies.
For Tor-renting
If you love to download torrents, then a VPN will come in handy. Browsers like chrome discourage tor-renting for copyright reasons. i.e Downloading software torrents.
Also, the download speed of torrents with a VPN is very fast. However, I must mention that not all VPNs allow Peer to peer downloading so you must consider this before getting one.
And that is it!
These are 4 instances I know that you can use a VPN as a freelancer. Of-course there are many more things that you can do with a VPN.
My question is, do you use a VPN ? What are some of the reasons you use the VPN that you choose? Share your views in the comments area below.
And if you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials or any other type of video, let know here.
Until next time, take care.
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