HTTPS and VPN Explained in Simple English

HTTPS and VPN Explained in Simple English

You know that HTTPS (Secure HTTP) and VPN (Virtual Private Network) are a more secure way to browse the web but what exactly happens behind the scenes when you use either of these options? Why do you need to use a VPN when you have already turned on HTTPS?

The Privacy Team at Google has recently added a couple of short and useful videos toYouTube that try to explain technical jargon like HTTPS, VPN, WPA (for secure Wi-Fi) in simple English and why these are important. Take a look.

HTTPS in Simple English

VPN in Simple English

The basic idea is that you encrypt traffic between your computer and the web server so that eavesdroppers cannot see any of that information. HTTPS will only encrypt traffic between your browser and a particular website while VPN will encrypt all traffic between your computer and the Internet.