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What a VPN does and does not do
A plain explanation of what a VPN changes about who can see your traffic, what it leaves exactly as it was, and what ForestVPN says about itself.
A VPN is a private tunnel between your device and a server run by the VPN's operator.
How it works
Your device encrypts its network traffic and sends it to the VPN server. The server then sends it on to the internet. The networks between you and the server, such as a café's Wi-Fi or your internet provider, carry only encrypted traffic to one address. The sites and services you reach see the server's address instead of yours.
ForestVPN works this way: it encrypts your device's network traffic and routes it through a server it operates. That changes who can see your traffic. It is a tunnel, not a disguise.
What it does not do
- It does not make you anonymous. It changes who can see your traffic, not who you are to a service you sign in to. A site that knows your account still knows it.
- It does not protect what happens on your own device. Malware, a browser extension or a phishing page is unaffected by a tunnel.
- It does not make a site more private after the server. If a website does not use HTTPS, it is only as private as that website.
- It does not guarantee any service accepts it. Streaming and banking services decide for themselves whether to accept a VPN's address, and ForestVPN cannot promise any of them.
- It adds some delay and costs some speed. Any tunnel does.
- It does not take the place of the law where you are. You are responsible for using it lawfully where you are, and ForestVPN cannot advise on your local law.