A VPN can stop internet companies from selling your data — but it’s not a magic bullet

Earlier this week, the Senate voted to repeal privacy measures that would stop internet service providers from sharing their users’ internet activity with third parties. Those rules were passed in October, but not only does this vote undo them, it prevents the FCC from reinstating similar rules in the future. This is great for broadband companies, but if you’re one of these companies’ users, what are you supposed to do?

One popular recommendation you might have heard is to use a virtual private network, or VPN. You can find a lot of comprehensive online explanations of what VPNs are, but in the simplest terms, they create a secure, encrypted connection between your computer (or phone, tablet, &c.) and a private server somewhere else,...

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