What is a VPN, in plain words

What it is

A VPN is a tunnel between your device and a server in another country. Everything you do online first travels through the tunnel and only then reaches the internet from the far end. Sites see the server's address, not yours. Your provider sees that you're connected to a server, but not what's inside.

Why you need one in Russia

Some sites and apps simply don't open from here, others are slow or missing half their features. A VPN moves you to where everything opens. Plus, in a café or on someone else's Wi-Fi nobody can peek at what you're doing.

How a VPN differs from a proxy

A proxy redirects only what asked for it, for example one browser. A VPN takes all of the device's traffic. Our Chrome and Firefox extensions are proxies, while the Android, Windows and Mac apps are a full tunnel.

Why some VPNs work and others don't

Providers have learned to recognise old protocols by their fingerprint and cut them off. Surok uses modern protocols that look like ordinary HTTPS to an ordinary site from the outside, and the tunnel entry is in Moscow so the way to it is short and inconspicuous. More on how it works on the page locations.

What a VPN doesn't do

• Doesn't make you invisible: if you're signed in, the site knows who you are.
• Doesn't speed up the internet by itself, but often removes artificial throttling.
• Doesn't replace antivirus and common sense.

Where to start

Install the Surok app, sign in, press the button. The first day is free, no card needed.