Seven VPN myths worth dismantling
"A VPN makes you anonymous"
The most widespread myth and the most harmful, because it leads people to rely on guarantees that do not exist.
A VPN changes the address you appear from. It does not change that you sign in to your email, that your browser has a recognisable fingerprint, or that cookies keep identifying you.
If your life depends on not being identified, a commercial VPN is not the right tool. Tor exists, and so does specific training in operational security.
"It protects you from viruses and attacks"
No. A VPN encrypts the path of your connection. If you download a malicious file, it arrives all the same, just through an encrypted tunnel.
Some providers include blocking of domains known to distribute malware. That is fine, but it is a list-based filter, not antivirus.
"With a VPN nobody knows what you do"
Your carrier stops seeing it. The VPN provider moves into that position. And the sites where you identify yourself still know exactly who you are.
You change who you trust; you do not remove the need to trust someone.
"Free VPNs always sell your data"
It has happened, which is why the suspicion is reasonable. But as a general claim it is false: there are projects funded by donations, by non-profits, or by a paid tier that subsidises the free one.
The right question is not "is it free?" but "does it explain how it is funded?". If it does not, be sceptical. If it does and it is verifiable, judge it on its merits.
"A VPN always makes you slower"
It almost always adds some latency: traffic takes a detour. But "always slower" is not accurate.
If your carrier throttles certain kinds of traffic, a VPN can even improve speed in those cases. And with a nearby, lightly loaded server, the difference is usually imperceptible for browsing.
"Using a VPN is illegal or suspicious"
In most countries it is perfectly legal, and it is an ordinary tool in any company with remote work.
Some countries do restrict or ban them, and there you should inform yourself. But using a VPN is not, in itself, evidence of anything.
"All VPNs are basically the same"
They differ in what they log, in how they explain it, in where they are incorporated, in which protocols they offer and in how they are funded.
Those differences are precisely the ones that matter, and the ones least likely to appear in advertising.