背景 (The Background)
First things first: this week — on May 14th, 2020 — The United States Senate voted to allow the FBI to obtain your Internet Browsing History without a search warrant. These powers were part of a larger bill that extended the power of the PATRIOT ACT.
首先要注意的是： 本周- 2020年5月14日- 美国参议院投票通过，允许FBI在没有搜索权的情况下获取您的Internet浏览历史记录 。 这些权力是扩大PATRIOT ACT权力的更大法案的一部分。
“The legislation hands the government power for warrantless collection of Americans’ web browsing and internet searches, as well as other private information, without having to demonstrate that those Americans have done anything wrong, or even were in contact with anyone suspected of wrongdoing.”
“该法案将政府权力移交给了无权收集美国人的网络浏览和互联网搜索以及其他私人信息的权力，而不必证明这些美国人做错了任何事情，甚至与涉嫌不当行为的任何人保持联系。”
— Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon
—俄勒冈州参议员罗恩·怀登
Therefore, there’s never been a better time to discuss what a VPN actually is and what it actually does. This article was motivated by a question submitted by one of my subscribers, so thank you: your comments often fuel new topics and explorations.
因此，再没有比现在更好的时间来讨论VPN的实际含义和实际功能。 本文是由我的一个订阅者提交的一个问题引起的，因此，谢谢您：您的评论通常会激发新的话题和探索。
I think the topic of VPNs is important for many reasons, but — as with most topics in technology — it’s sometimes difficult to understand. Additionally, the marketplace is full of salespeople and marketers, so the general public is often exposed to exaggerations and, sometimes, even outright lies on this topic. As always, let’s cut through the bullshit using common language and maybe a little bit of fun to help the topic of VPNs be more easy to understand. Sound good? Then lets jump right in…
我认为VPN的主题很重要，原因有很多，但与大多数技术主题一样，有时很难理解。 此外，市场上到处都是推销员和市场营销人员，因此普通公众经常会夸大其词，有时甚至完全是这个话题的谎言。 与往常一样，让我们使用通用语言来废话，或许还可以从中获得一些乐趣，以使VPN主题更容易理解。 听起来不错？ 然后让我们跳进去…
定义 (The Definition)
First, if you’re wondering what a VPN even is, let me explain… It’s an acronym that stands for Very Playful Nightingales. I’m joking, of course: I’m a kidder. In reality, VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network”. But what the hell does that even mean?!? Well, let’s break it down, and slightly out of order since that’s easier:
首先，如果你想知道什么是VPN甚至是让我解释......这是代表当V ERY P layfulňightingales的缩写。 我当然在开玩笑：我是在开玩笑。 实际上，VPN代表“虚拟专用网”。 但是，那到底是什么，即使是什么意思？！？ 好吧，让我们对其进行分解，并使其稍微有点混乱，因为这很容易：
Network: Think of a network as a “connection” between at least two computers. In this case, a connection is made over the public internet between your computer (or smartphone or tablet) and a second computer located in a different building, city, state, or country. That’s it, really! Once two computers have connected to one another, a network is formed!
网络：将网络视为至少两台计算机之间的“连接”。 在这种情况下，您的计算机(或智能手机或平板电脑)与位于不同建筑物，城市，州或国家/地区的第二台计算机之间将通过公共Internet建立连接。 就是这样，真的！ 一旦两台计算机相互连接，便形成了网络！
Private: Now that you’ve established a network, you might be asking, “Wait… Does everyone have access to this network?!?” The answer is no because a VPN is only made available to certain individuals. Here’s an example: I used to work at Nike as a Systems Administrator (a fancy title for a dweeb who manages hundreds or thousands of computers). When I wasn’t physically on Nike’s campus, I could still log into Nike’s network in order to do my job. But only those who worked at Nike had this access, not the general public. Nike’s network was private, not public.
私人：现在您已经建立了一个网络，您可能会问：“等等…… 每个人都可以访问该网络吗？！？” 答案是否定的，因为仅某些人可以使用VPN。 这是一个例子：我以前在耐克公司担任系统管理员(一个管理数百或数千台计算机的矮人的名字)。 当我不在耐克的校园里时，我仍然可以登录耐克的网络来完成我的工作。 但是只有在耐克工作的人才有这种机会， 而普通大众则没有 。 耐克的网络是私有的，而不是公共的。
Virtual: I believe it helps to think of the word “virtual” as a modifier to the word “private”. I’ll explain. When I was off-campus and needed to log into the Nike network, I’d use my own computer and the public Internet. Therefore, my connection (or network) to Nike’s servers wasn’t a private network, but rather a virtual private network. My privacy to gain access to Nike’s private network was accomplished via software over the public Internet.
虚拟的：我认为将“虚拟”一词视为对“私有”一词的修饰词会有所帮助。 我会解释。 当我不在校区并需要登录Nike网络时，我将使用自己的计算机和公用Internet。 因此，我与耐克服务器的连接(或网络)不是专用网络，而是虚拟专用网络。 我可以通过公用 Internet上的软件来完成对Nike 专用网络的访问权。
So there it is: a virtual private network.
就是这样：虚拟专用网。
Luckily, it turns out that there aren’t many technical differences between the kind of VPN I used while working at Nike and the types of commercial VPN services now available to any consumer. But that doesn’t stop vendors and marketers from lying about the technology, does it?
幸运的是，事实证明，我在耐克工作时使用的VPN类型与现在可用于任何消费者的商业VPN服务类型之间并没有很多技术差异。 但这并不能阻止供应商和销售商对这项技术撒谎，是吗？
No, it doesn’t.
不，不是。
夸张，谎言和便利的遗漏 (The Exaggerations, Lies, & Convenient Ommissions)
If you’ve ever seen an ad for a VPN service or read about people who advocate for using a VPN service (including yours truly!), then you might have gone online and done a bit of research for yourself. If so, then you’ve probably been exposed to any number of exaggerations, lies, and convenient ommissions from the people who are selling you on this technology. These lies include:
如果您曾经看过VPN服务的广告，或者读过一些提倡使用VPN服务的人(包括您的人！)，那么您可能已经上网了，并为自己做了一些研究。 如果是这样的话，那么您可能已经暴露了使用该技术向您出售产品的人们所犯的各种夸张，谎言和便利之处。 这些谎言包括：
使用VPN，您可以在线进行合法或非法的任何操作而无须报复。 (Using a VPN allows you to do whatever you want to do online — legal or illegal — without reprisal.)
It should be obvious, but just in case it isn’t… this isn’t true. At all. For example: let’s say that you’re using a VPN and you decide to post harmful, hateful, or illegal messages on any social media platform or website. Once you’ve posted, your accounts on those platforms may be terminated because you’ve most likely violated the terms of service of those sites. If you post credible threats on social media, representatives from those websites can — and often do — contact law enforcement and provide them with whatever digital files and evidence you’ve left behind. Using a VPN doesn’t, magically, exempt you from local, state, and federal laws. Here’s a fun story about a criminal who thought he could hide his disgusting and awful online behavior behind the two VPN providers he employed. He failed. And he’s now in jail for 17 years. #SorryNotSorry
这应该很明显，但是以防万一，这不是真的。 完全没有 例如：假设您正在使用VPN，并且决定在任何社交媒体平台或网站上发布有害，仇恨或非法的消息。 发布后，您在那些平台上的帐户可能会被终止，因为您很可能违反了这些网站的服务条款。 如果您在社交媒体上发布可信的威胁，则这些网站的代表可以(而且经常如此)与执法机构联系，并向他们提供您留下的任何数字文件和证据。 神奇的是，使用VPN不会使您不受地方，州和联邦法律的约束。 这是一个有趣的故事，讲述了一个罪犯，他认为他可以将自己令人厌恶的糟糕在线行为隐藏在他雇用的两个VPN提供商之后。 他失败了。 他现在已入狱17年。 #SorryNotSorry
某些VPN服务不保留可追溯到单个用户的日志(或数字文件)。 (Some VPN services don’t keep logs (or digital files) that can trace back to individual users.)
This is also untrue, but there’s an important reason why: ALL computers make and keep logs by default. Commercial VPNs — which run on computers — therefore keep some logs by default. This isn’t a “bad thing” or something to fear. Rather, the important question to ask any potential VPN service is: “Which logs do you keep and for how long?” Common logs can track how often you log in to your VPN provider and how much data you’ve downloaded once you’ve logged in. That’s not usually damaging information and can be super helpful for the company providing you the service. But some VPN providers also log your IP address (a kind of digital ID number) which you’ll want to avoid. Some may also decide to implement logging to help identify problem users. Here’s a fun story about a “no log” VPN provider that suddenly began keeping logs to help identify a hacker and then force that person to stop misbehaving on its systems. Good for them, I say.
这也是不正确的，但是有一个重要的原因：所有计算机默认情况下都会创建和保留日志。 因此，在计算机上运行的商业VPN默认情况下会保留一些日志。 这不是“坏事”，也不是值得担心的事情。 相反，询问任何潜在的VPN服务的重要问题是：“您保留哪些日志以及保留多长时间？” 普通日志可以跟踪您登录VPN提供商的频率以及登录后下载的数据量。这通常不会破坏信息，并且对于为您提供服务的公司非常有帮助。 但是某些VPN提供商也会记录您要避免的IP地址(一种数字ID号)。 有些人可能还会决定实施日志记录以帮助识别问题用户。 这是一个关于“无日志” VPN提供商的有趣故事 ，该提供商突然开始保留日志以帮助识别黑客，然后强迫该人停止在其系统上的不当行为。 我说对他们有好处。
如果您不使用VPN，则您的用户名/密码可能会被盗。 (Your username/password can be stolen if you’re not using a VPN.)
Well, yes, technically, but… It would be difficult to do and requires many unknowns to be in place to be successful. By comparison, it’s much, MUCH easier to steal someone’s passwords via email which is why that practice is far more common.
好吧，是的，从技术上讲，但是……这将很难做到，而且需要许多未知因素才能成功。 相比之下， 通过电子邮件窃取某人的密码要容易得多，这就是这种做法更为普遍的原因。
使用VPN时，您在Internet上是匿名的。 (You are anonymous on the Internet when using a VPN.)
Uh, no. If you bank online, use social media online, use any of Google’s services online or if you surf the web using the most common web browsers, then you’re not anonymous. Like, at all.
嗯不 如果您在线银行业务，在线使用社交媒体，在线使用Google的任何服务，或者使用最常见的网络浏览器浏览网络，则您不是匿名的。 都一样
VPN提供商在全球拥有服务器。 (VPN providers have servers all over the world.)
Only partly true. Most of the companies I recommend to people do, in fact, have servers (fancy, fast computers) in scores of countries. And, certainly, most consumer VPN companies advertise this fact as a marketing factor to convince you to purchase their service. But… they’re all not exactly truthful about the details. Servers are fast computers. Some companies claim to offer physical servers in locations where they’re not actually located. Others claim to offer physical servers when, instead, they offer virtual computers. So I’m clear: there’s nothing inherently wrong with virtual servers — they’re fast, cheap, and easy to backup or scale if a company grows. However, companies should be 100% transparent about what they’re offering you. It’s a lie to say you’ve got a server in Saudi Arabia when what you’re really offering is a virtual server located in Europe.
仅部分正确。 实际上，我向人们推荐的大多数公司都在许多国家/地区拥有服务器(精美，快速的计算机)。 而且，当然，大多数消费者VPN公司都将此事实宣传为一种营销因素，以说服您购买他们的服务。 但是……他们对细节并不完全真实。 服务器是快速的计算机。 一些公司声称在实际不在的位置提供物理服务器。 其他人则声称在提供虚拟计算机时提供物理服务器。 因此，我很清楚：虚拟服务器没有内在的缺陷-虚拟服务器速度快，价格便宜，并且随着公司的发展，易于备份或扩展。 但是，公司应该为他们提供给您的产品100％透明。 当您真正提供的是位于欧洲的虚拟服务器时，可以说您在沙特阿拉伯有服务器 。
I am an affiliate (or reseller) for several high-quality VPN services, and I can tell you that spreading lies like these does the public a great disservice. Therefore, now that you know some of the exaggerations and lies, let’s examine what a VPN service can actually provide you.
我是数种高质量VPN服务的关联公司(或转销商)，我可以告诉您，传播此类谎言会使公众蒙受极大的伤害。 因此，既然您已经了解了一些夸张之处和谎言，那么让我们研究一下VPN服务可以真正为您提供什么。
那么，VPN服务实际上可以为消费者提供什么呢？ (So What Does a VPN Service ACTUALLY Offer Consumers?)
I’m so glad you asked. Especially since I’d just mentioned that we’d be talking about this only a few sentences ago. Reputable VPN services can and do offer solid protections for consumers who wish to take advantage of any of the benefits below…
我很高兴你问。 特别是因为我刚才提到我们仅在几句话之前就谈到这一点。 信誉良好的VPN服务可以并且确实为希望利用以下任何好处的消费者提供坚实的保护……
Benefit #1: Protecting your ISP from having access to see the websites where you surf. Right now, your Internet Service Prover (or ISP) has the ability — if they wish — to track where you go online. That includes documenting every website you visit while connected to the Internet via their network. Yeh, I know: it’s totally creepy. That information can be sold for advertising purposes and it can also be provided to the authorities (courts, cops, and more) for certain legal purposes. Who’s interested in giving away their browsing habits to ANY third party?!? Not me, buster.
好处1：保护您的ISP不能访问您浏览的网站。 现在，如果愿意，您的Internet Service Prover(或ISP)可以跟踪您的上网位置。 其中包括记录您通过其网络连接到Internet时访问的每个网站。 是的，我知道：这完全令人毛骨悚然。 可以出于广告目的出售该信息，也可以出于某些法律目的将其提供给当局(法院，警察等)。 谁有兴趣向任何第三方透露他们的浏览习惯？ 不是我，克星。
So, if you’d like to hide your browsing habits from companies like Comcast, Cox, and AT&T in the US; Orange S.A., Telefonica, and Sky in the EU; and Vodaphone or Airtel in India… then, yes: browsing while using a VPN will definitely prevent your ISP from having access to this information. Instead, your ISP will only be able to see that you’re logging in to a VPN but… nothing else. Pretty nice, feature, I’d say. For those of you who are visual learners, here’s a graphic of what implementing a VPN looks like:
因此，如果您想隐藏美国Comcast，Cox和AT＆T等公司的浏览习惯， 欧盟的Orange SA，Telefonica和Sky； 然后是印度的Vodaphone或Airtel…那么，是的：在使用VPN时浏览肯定会阻止您的ISP访问此信息。 取而代之的是，您的ISP仅能看到您正在登录到VPN，但是……仅此而已。 我会说，很好，功能。 对于那些是视觉学习者的人，下面是实现VPN的图形：
Just remember, even though your ISP won’t be able to see your browsing information, the VPN service you decide to trust most certainly WILL be able to see it. Therefore, it’s important to choose a VPN service that protects your safety, security, and privacy. I covered my tips on how to pick a reputable VPN in this episode of my newsletter, so give that read.
请记住，即使您的ISP无法看到您的浏览信息，您决定最信任的VPN服务也将能够看到它。 因此，选择保护您的安全，保障和隐私的VPN服务非常重要。 我在本期电子通讯中介绍了如何选择信誉良好的VPN的技巧，因此请阅读。
Benefit #2: Bypassing your ISP’s efforts to prioritize or restrict certain content. In some countries, certain ISPs prioritize or restrict certain websites or content. T-Mobile, for example, slows down Internet speeds for users who wish to stream video. In the US, Comcast decided to intentionally slow down Netflix for all of its users, a super shitty move. Netflix bowed to the pressure and paid Comcast extra money to end the practice.
好处2：绕开ISP的优先级或限制某些内容的工作。 在某些国家/地区，某些ISP会优先考虑或限制某些网站或内容。 例如，T-Mobile为希望流式传输视频的用户降低了Internet速度 。 在美国，康卡斯特(Comcast)决定有意降低其所有用户的Netflix速度，这是一个非常卑鄙的举动。 Netflix屈服于压力，并付了康卡斯特额外的钱来结束这种做法 。
However, if you’re using a VPN service, then guess what? Your ISP can’t see which websites you’re visiting online and, therefore, can’t decrease your speed because you’ve chosen to visit a particular website that they don’t like. Thanks, VPN!
但是，如果您使用的是VPN服务，那您猜怎么着？ 您的ISP无法看到您正在在线访问的网站，因此无法降低速度，因为您选择了访问他们不喜欢的特定网站。 谢谢，VPN！
Benefit #3: Bypassing the blocks that your ISP or country uses to prevent access to certain websites. Let’s say you live in a repressive country that doesn’t allow access to things like, I don’t know: a free press, women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights, or even pornography. Using a VPN can, in some cases, allow you to bypass those restrictions and surf more comfortably to any website that you might choose for yourself as a free-thinking human. FREEEEEEDOM!!!!!
好处3：绕过ISP或国家/地区用来阻止访问某些网站的块。 假设您生活在一个压制性的国家，不允许访问诸如我不知道的事物：新闻自由，妇女权利，LGBTQIA权利，甚至是色情内容。 在某些情况下，使用VPN可以让您绕过这些限制，并更舒适地浏览任何您可以自由选择的人选择的网站。 自由自由！！！！
And, while it’s true that some countries (cough, cough, CHINA) can simply block access to known VPN providers, VPN providers constantly add new servers with new IP addresses, making this cat-and-mouse game forever playable. And endlessly fascinating.
而且，虽然确实有些国家(咳嗽，咳嗽，中国)可以简单地阻止对已知VPN提供商的访问，但VPN提供商不断添加具有新IP地址的新服务器，从而使这种猫捉老鼠游戏永远可以玩。 永无止境。
Benefit #4: You can suddenly stream data from another country’s video-on-demand service. The BBC in the UK offers a ton of really cool programming that’s 100% free. So does the CBC in Canada. And if I were online in the UK or in Canada, I’d be able to stream that content freely and easily. However, because I’m geographically located in America, I can’t stream video from those websites to my computer. Ditto, if I’m a paying Netflix customer in the US but am traveling abroad and want access to Netflix’s sweet, sweet American show library. So, yeh, that’s a bummer.
好处4：您可以突然从另一个国家的视频点播服务中流式传输数据。 英国的英国广播公司(BBC)提供了许多非常酷的程序，这些程序是100％免费的。 加拿大的CBC也是如此。 而且，如果我在英国或加拿大在线，我将能够自由，轻松地流传输该内容。 但是，由于我位于美国的地理位置，因此无法将视频从那些网站流式传输到我的计算机上。 同上，如果我是美国的Netflix付费客户，但正在出国旅行，并希望访问Netflix甜美，甜美的美国节目库。 所以，是的，真是令人讨厌。
However, if my VPN service offers me the ability to connect to one of their servers in, say, London or Toronto, well… guess what?! I’m now virtually in the UK or Canada and all of that free content is now available to me. Ditto, if I’m traveling abroad in the EU and want access to my paid Netflix account back in the States: I can just connect via my VPN to a US server and presto… I’ve suddenly gained access to the shows I’m already paying to view.
但是，如果我的VPN服务使我能够连接到它们在伦敦或多伦多的服务器之一，那么……猜怎么着！ 我现在实际上在英国或加拿大，所有这些免费内容现在可供我使用。 同上，如果我要在欧洲旅行，并想回美国使用我的付费Netflix帐户：我可以通过我的VPN连接到美国服务器，然后保存……我突然获得了访问已经付费查看。
It’s worth noting: some video-on-demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others block VPN services from accomplishing this. But, again, VPN servers are being added all the time, so just make sure you pick a VPN that offers a free trial. That way, you can test the access you need before you commit to a yearly purchase.
值得注意的是：某些视频点播服务(例如Netflix，Amazon Prime等)会阻止VPN服务完成此任务。 但是，同样，VPN服务器一直都在添加，因此请确保您选择的VPN提供免费试用 。 这样，您可以在进行年度购买之前测试所需的访问权限。
摘要 (The Summary)
Here’s a great video from Tom Scott (a lovely and funny YouTube personality) who digs into this topic with fun, clarity, and a wee bit of sass. That’s because he’s British and having sass is socially acceptable there. Enjoy:
这是汤姆·斯科特(YouTube的一个可爱有趣的人物)的精彩视频，他以有趣，清晰和无聊的方式深入探讨了这个主题。 那是因为他是英国人，在这个国家社会上可以接受无礼。 请享用：
And that’s a wrap for today, everyone. Thank you again, for reading and for being a subscriber/follower. Please: let me know your thoughts & questions in the comments section and
今天，这是每个人的包裹。 再次感谢您阅读并成为订阅者/关注者。 请：在评论部分让我知道您的想法和问题，
As always… surf safe.
一如既往……安全冲浪。
Click here for my guide on how to choose a privacy-focused VPN.If you’re looking to set up a VERY secure iPhone, click here.To learn how to remove your personal data from the web, click here.For a super cool way to NOT give your personal email address to everyone, click here.Click here for a crash course on how to keep your devices updated.
单击此处获取有关如何选择针对隐私的VPN的指南。如果您要设置非常安全的iPhone， 请单击此处 。要了解如何从网络中删除您的个人数据， 请单击此处 。不向所有人提供您的个人电子邮件地址的方法， 请单击此处 。 单击此处以获取有关如何保持设备更新的速成课程。
翻译自: https://medium.com/swlh/what-is-a--and-what-does-it-actually-provide-4bebaab3214b