What -- oh, look, a shark! -- Are VPNs?

We're here today with a two-fold article that discusses a particular website selling a controversial service. That website is none other than the Black Friday sales page for SurfShark VPN. Before we get to the talking points of virtual private networks (VPNs), we need to go over how awesome the JavaScript on this page is — well, if it will animate for you, that is.

Basically, as you scroll down the page to see the Black Friday price comparison chart between SurfShark and its competitors' own hacked-down price tags, there's a parallax-like background effect of the shark animating to consume a school of fish. Other elements scroll at varying paces to emphasize this effect, but because it isn't truly parallax in web development terms, you'll probably need a JavaScript-enabled browser to get it working properly.

For those of you who are developing a page of your own, take note of how the visual elements are introduced on this page. While they show the header information at the top with the all-important discounted monthly price, they don't throw the comparison chart in your face but rather encourage you to scroll down and see more. In so doing, they shoot the graphic at you, leaving this nice impression as you reach the chart that shows how much cheaper their service is. It's basically a nicely-tossed sales pitch.

Okay, enough of that; the part you really wanted to read about was what we had to say about VPNs. A virtual private network is essentially your own private connection that your ISP and other entities on the network can't see. You install a program that locally encrypts internet traffic before sending it off to the company's servers, which then decrypt the traffic and interact with the web normally. This is useful to prevent malicious individuals from tapping your information on public networks and stop ISPs from throttling your traffic to sites like YouTube.

VPNs are hotly debated as to whether the providers really offer the privacy that's promised, and some believe that they're just honeypots to encourage illicit activity and turn you in to authorities despite claiming that your traffic is never logged. However, there are technical tests and personal testimonies that indicate the opposite, especially for those who live in oppressive countries where a VPN is necessary to dodge internet censorship and protect anonymity. In short: It appears that VPNs do what they promise.

At this very moment, this article is being typed and posted over NordVPN. So, as a reader, you may consider that what SurfShark is offering here could be useful if you value the privacy of your data. For more information click here https://v.redd.it/oavmr0x2z3y11.