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Glossary

What is Kill Switch?

A kill switch is a VPN safeguard that automatically blocks your internet traffic if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly. It exists so your real IP address and browsing aren't exposed during the brief gap before the VPN reconnects. Without one, a dropped connection can silently leak your true IP to the sites you're using.

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  • Privacy explained
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Why it matters

Kill Switch and your privacy

The point of a kill switch is that your real IP never slips out, even for a moment. If you rely on a VPN to stay private, verifying your connection isn't leaking is worth doing with a quick leak test.

Learn more: VPN Leak Test

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.

  • If your VPN connection drops, your device can fall back to your normal connection and briefly expose your real IP. A kill switch blocks traffic until the VPN reconnects, so that leak never happens — useful when staying hidden matters.

  • Run a VPN leak test while connected. If it shows your real IP address instead of the server's, your connection is leaking and a kill switch or a different setup can help close the gap.

  • 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 kill switch means — see it in action. Add Zippa free, or browse the full glossary.

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