Staggering Increase in VPN Usage Recently: What Caused it?

Did you know that an average internet user spent a minimum of 6 hours online every day in the year 2018? That’s approximately one-third of the user’s life.  If we add all the numbers, a whopping 1bln year were spent online in 2018. How much of these hours were spent safely under the hidden veil of a VPN? You’d be surprised to find out.

How important is Online Privacy?

Browsing online, security is always one’s number one priority. Even if someone isn’t able to afford a VPN subscription, they make sure they utilize a free VPN because that is just the kind of world we live in today. It only goes to show how much people invest in virtual private networks lately thanks to the increase in awareness. It would shock you to know that one-quarter of the total internet users online now have or either will access a VPN within the span of one month. Following are some of the statistics that classify users by devices they use.

Tablet Users: 7%

Mobile Users: 15%

Desktop Users: 17%

Data Privacy

As cyber attacks continue to grow due to the increase in internet access, users become more and more concerned for their privacy. Oftentimes, it is your very own government spying on you, and if not them then it is your service provider that is spying on you. We wouldn’t say some because we know that all Americans are concerned about how the data involuntarily collected by them is used, and this concern continues to rise. 50 percent of these users have started to invest in ways to safeguard their browsing online, and a VPN is the best way to go.

31 percent of all Americans believe that their online life is more valuable than $100,000. However even then, only one in four Americans even think of protecting their online presence with a VPN. You would think that after 51 percent of all American consumers had their mobile accounts compromised in 2018, that they would take countermeasures but no.

VPN Usage by Frequency

According to Statista people view VPNs as not a luxury but rather an everyday necessity. In the last month alone, 35 percent of all desktop users used VPNs whereas 42 percent of all mobile users used a VPN. Let us classify the statistics for you.

VPN Usage by Frequency.png

Regional VPN Usage

Of all the regions in the world, Asia Pacific remains in the lead as it contains the heaviest of VPN users. However, Latin American and Middle Eastern users are catching up in terms of demand for VPNs as the percentage rises up to be 23% for Latin American and 19% for Middle Eastern and African against Asia Pacific which is holding steady at 30%.

There are certain countries emerging in demand for VPNs recently as they put heavy emphasis on internet censorship.

Regional VPN Usage.png

However, it is to be noted that VPN usage in China is expected to take a hit in early 2019 as the Chinese government has been rather vigilant in its efforts to eradicate VPN providers in the nation.

Why Do People Use VPNs?

There are many reasons that motivate people towards investing in VPNs. The biggest motivation is privacy, however there are other factors that aren’t to be ignored as well. Check out the following and let us know, which box you tick!

  • To access better entertainment content online
  • To gain access to better news services
  • To access restricted social media networks
  • To hide online activity
  • To access certain files or services while at work
  • To download restricted torrent content
  • To communicate with friends and family living abroad
  • To fly away from the radar of the government

Conclusion

It is very easy to assume that since you aren’t a celebrity, you aren’t at risk online. No matter who you are, if you conduct online purchases and use your credit or debit card online, you are extremely vulnerable. One simple mistake online could end up with you losing all of your life’s savings. Instead, it is more cost-effective to invest in a VPN service so you don’t end up in a list of Americans who got their money stolen online and yet continues to browse VPN-free. You do not have to invest in a premium VPN when all you can get is a 3$ minimum paid VPN that can provide more or less the same services.

We recommend you do your research on VPNs before you decide to do any online transactions that involve sensitive information regarding your identity, your address or your credit information.