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Glossary

What is Encryption?

Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an unreadable form so that only someone with the right key can unscramble it. On the web it protects your information as it travels between your device and the servers you connect to. Without it, anyone between the two points — like others on the same Wi-Fi — could read your traffic.

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  • Plain-English definition
  • Privacy explained
  • Free VPN for Chrome

Why it matters

Encryption and your privacy

A VPN encrypts the connection between your browser and its server, so people on the same network or your internet provider can't read your browsing. That's what makes a VPN useful on public Wi-Fi.

Learn more: What Is a VPN?

The honest bit

Free because Premium pays the bills — never because we sell your data

The usual catch with a free VPN is that it logs and sells your browsing to make money. Zippa doesn’t. Our free tier is funded by people who upgrade to Premium, and we keep a strict no-logs policy — we don’t record the sites you visit, your real IP, or your DNS queries. There’s simply nothing to sell.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The questions people actually ask before they install — answered plainly.

  • Encryption means that even if someone intercepts your traffic — on public Wi-Fi, for example — they see scrambled data instead of your logins, messages, or browsing. It's the core mechanism that keeps your online activity private in transit.

  • Partly. Sites using HTTPS encrypt the content you exchange with them, but observers can still see which sites you connect to. A VPN adds a second layer by encrypting and rerouting your traffic through its server.

  • It depends who runs it. Plenty of free VPNs pay their bills by logging and selling browsing data — that's the real catch. Zippa is funded by people who upgrade to Premium, not by your data, and we keep a strict no-logs policy, so there's nothing to record or sell in the first place.

Try a free VPN for Chrome

Now you know what encryption means — see it in action. Add Zippa free, or browse the full glossary.

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More from Zippa

Free tools, side-by-side comparisons, use-case guides, and a plain-English glossary.

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Free: US, UK, Netherlands, Singapore. Premium adds Germany, France, Japan, India, Australia, Canada.

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