Public Wi-Fi, privacy basics and the law
How a VPN helps on a shared network, what stays visible whatever you use, and where ForestVPN stops short of legal advice.
On a café or airport network, everyone shares one access point. The owner of a public network, and anyone who can watch it, can see which servers your device talks to unless something protects the path.
How it works
Public Wi-Fi. ForestVPN encrypts your traffic between your device and the server it connects to, so the network sees an encrypted tunnel to one address instead of the sites you visit. Join the Wi-Fi first: some networks show a sign-in page before they allow anything. Finish that page, then connect, and wait for the app to show Working, which it shows only once data is flowing both ways.
Privacy basics. A VPN protects the path from your device to its server. Beyond it, you still choose what you reveal. These stay visible whatever you use: the account you sign in to, cookies a site has already set, and anything you type into a page. Sign-ins and cookies identify you to the site that issued them.
The law. Laws differ by place. Some countries require a licence to operate or use a VPN, and it is your responsibility to follow the law where you are. ForestVPN's terms put lawful use on the user. ForestVPN cannot advise on the law where you are, so read your local rules or ask someone qualified.
What it does not do
- It does not make you anonymous. A site you sign in to still knows who you are.
- It does not secure a site that does not use HTTPS. After the server, such a site is only as private as it is.
- It does not remove the need for the network's sign-in page. That page has to be completed before the tunnel can connect.
- It is not legal advice. ForestVPN does not say whether using a VPN is lawful for you.