A VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted connection between your device and a server run by the VPN provider, so your internet traffic travels through that tunnel and websites see the server's address instead of your own.
A VPN client on your device encrypts your traffic and sends it to a VPN server, which decrypts it and forwards it to the internet. Responses come back through the same encrypted tunnel, so your local network and internet provider see only encrypted data going to the VPN server.
Because your traffic exits from the VPN server, websites see the server's address instead of your device's real one, and your local network and provider cannot read the contents of your traffic. A VPN does not make you fully anonymous, since the provider itself can still see your traffic.
A VPN protects data in transit but does not stop tracking through cookies or the accounts you log into, and it does not block malware. You also have to trust the VPN provider, because your traffic is decrypted at their server.
Yes. Websites see the address of the VPN server instead of your device's real IP address.
Yes. A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server, so your local network and internet provider cannot read it.
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