I paid for a VPN for three years before I realized I didn’t need one. I’d been watching tech YouTube channels that all had VPN sponsorships, and the fear messaging worked. “Your ISP is selling your data.” “Public Wi-Fi is a hacker’s playground.” I clicked the link and subscribed.

The truth is more boring — and cheaper.

What a VPN actually does

A VPN encrypts your traffic and routes it through someone else’s server. To websites you visit, it looks like you’re in a different city or country. To your internet provider, it looks like you’re sending all your data to one IP address.

When a VPN does almost nothing

At home on your own Wi-Fi. Most websites use HTTPS now, which encrypts the actual content of your browsing. Your ISP can see you visited amazon.com but not what you bought. For most people, that’s private enough.

Protecting against hackers. A VPN prevents network-level snooping. It doesn’t stop malware, phishing emails, or someone tricking you into giving away your password. Those are different problems with different solutions.

Making you anonymous. The VPN company knows who you are (you paid them). Google, Facebook, and Amazon track you through login cookies, not IP address. A VPN hides your IP but you’re still logged into everything.

I let my subscription lapse. I turn on a VPN when I’m on airport Wi-Fi. The rest of the time I don’t miss it.