VPNs are one of the last lines of defence to save us from a dystopian world where mega-corporations use AI to mould our minds as they please

I feel like the last year has really highlighted the importance of VPNs. Every month seems to bring a fresh crop of infringements on the privacy of internet users. Yes, dodgy people can use them to cover their tracks, and VPNs may not be able to give you absolute privacy, but would you rather get dressed in a changing room with one little peephole, or in a changing room made of glass?

In all this internet turmoil, more and more governments are considering putting VPN restrictions in place. Honestly, it makes me quite worried about what the future might hold. With corporations extracting data on absolutely everything about you and using that data to feed their AI chatbots and systems, things could get very ugly.

For instance, think about targeted ads. Right now, companies make a range of adverts related to different subjects that they think will appeal to certain demographics. I'm sure by now all of us have had the experience of talking to someone and saying something like, "Hey, we should get a Domino's pizza tonight" and then logging into social media and immediately seeing adverts for Domino's.

But how might this look in the future? Are we going to see AI-generated ads built around what has been calculated to have the biggest impression of you? Will you have an AI video of your child crying because you're dead and they're destitute because you didn't have life insurance? Or perhaps you'll tell a friend you've been feeling a bit overweight lately, and then get served an AI-generated video of you with your shirt off, looking a bit pudgy, before taking some weight loss pills and suddenly looking much thinner and healthier? It's not hard to imagine that you'll be served the most emotive possible thing in order to urge you to buy stuff.

Ads are already highly invasive. I've mentioned in a previous article that a friend told me about a personal health problem (in person) and then the social media algorithms started giving me adverts on treatments for that specific problem. I don't think any of us truly comprehend the full extent of these profiles that have been drawn up about us.

We already know that social media algorithms have been used to sway people's political perspectives and voting habits. We also know that they have gone out of their way to prioritise showing content that will make people angry. While I understand that social media can be an important component in people's social lives and that they might lose a lot of real-life joy if they abandon it, I think we will need to seriously think about really minimising the amount of data about ourselves that we let these platforms have - and VPNs are something that can help on that front.

The really dystopian future is one where VPNs are banned, and huge corporations extract everything they can from people. They then use this data not only to show disturbingly manipulative adverts, but to mold their values and beliefs. They'll serve them near-indistinguishable AI videos that seem to show proof of what a lying government is telling them, and they reinforce hate-filled perspectives that make people receptive to harsh government policies that make life worse for everyone. Ultimately, people's brains will be play-doh to be molded by the highest bidder. Objective truth will no longer matter, and all because so much data has been extracted and then used to manipulate. The sad thing is - we're already nearly there.

Luckily, the best VPN services continue to provide one of the last lines of defence from this relentless theft and exploitation of our data. NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, or ExpressVPN are all great choices (with Nord our favorite). Most countries don't have a blanket ban (at least not yet), and more people growing wise to these invasions of our privacy will help us to stop this dystopian future from happening.