About:

• The new directive mandates they must maintain all customer data for five years.
  
  
• VPN service providers have said the new directive would mean a total loss of privacy for the users–one of the most important unique selling points of such services.
  
  

IP address

• Any and all devices connected to the internet are a part of a large network of computers, servers and other devices spread across the world.
  
  
• To identify each device connected to the internet, service providers globally assign a unique address to each such device called the internet protocol address or IP address.
  
  
• It is this IP address that helps websites, law enforcement agencies and even companies track down individual users and their accurate location.
  
  

Virtual private network

• A virtual private network, when switched on, essentially creates a safe network within the larger global network of the internet and masks the IP address of the user by rerouting the data.
  
  
• Acting as a tunnel, a VPN takes data originating from one server and masks it in a different identity before delivering it to the destination server. In essence, a VPN creates several proxy identities for your data and delivers it safely without disturbing the content of the data.