Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) was unheard by millions of Indians before the advent of 4G , and the ban of various websites the Indian Govt. had made.
But in the present, India ranks 4th among 85 countries in the VPN penetration rate for the first half of 2021. India Today wrote, “According to data extracted from Google Play Store and Apple App Store using Sensor Tower service, India ranked fourth among 85 countries in the VPN penetration rate for the first half of 2021. India’s VPN installation penetration went up from only 3.28 per cent population in 2020 to 25.27 per cent in the first six months of 2021.”
Some of the famous torrent sites for downloading movies, games and software were also banned by the Centre in 2015, and it also banned more than 800 porn sites. In the last few years, apps like PUBG Mobile and Tik Tok among others were banned but users were finding other ways like VPN to access them.
Why VPNs are actually good for us ?
But on the other hand, genuine usage of VPN services also take place in the country. US-based Cyber Security Company Fortinet says businesses can effectively secure their network using a VPN. It can stop people, software, and web browsers from gaining access to a company’s connection. This keeps the information users transmit and receive to be secure and anonymous.
With a VPN, however, a user can enjoy high-level security, such as 256-bit encryption. This makes all their communications online look like nonsensical, garbled text and characters to anyone who is able to find a way to intercept them.
One of the benefits of VPN is the ability to avoid a data cap, particularly because not even the user’s ISP can see how much data he/she is using. This may be especially helpful for employees who have to use data plans on their smart devices while accessing the internet when on the road.
While the tool is used by many and also abused by some, a parliamentary committee in India proposed in early September 2021 about banning VPNs in India, as they find this to be a roadblock to counter the cyber threats.