Eliana Willis

nensuria/Getty Images The DNS, or Domain Name System, acts as a phone book for the internet to convert between IP address and domain name. By default, your Windows computer uses whatever DNS server is set up by your internet provider. But you don’t have to stick with that server.  Why would you want to change […] More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETVPNs are all about security. They protect your privacy online and mask your IP address. For example, when your phone is connected to a public network, such as in a coffee shop, and you need to log in to your bank account or some other service that carries sensitive data, you’ll want as much privacy and security as possible. That’s where a VPN comes in.One thing to keep in mind, however, is that a VPN is not a guaranteed way of protecting your privacy. Even though your real IP address is spoofed, there are other ways of tracking you, such as web browser fingerprinting. Any tracking service that doesn’t rely on location can still track you.The best VPN services (and how to choose the right one for you)However, and this is the important part, most good VPNs encrypt your network traffic, making it harder for ne’er do wells to read your data. If you transmit unencrypted data, anyone with the right skills can intercept that information without jumping through many hoops. The ‘hoops’ put up by a VPN are crucial for your data privacy and security. More

Anadolu/Getty Images Have you ever wanted to save an image from a webpage, only to find that the format it suggests is one you’ve never heard of? While JPG, GIF, and PNG are all standard and simple-to-use formats, Google has shifted the Chrome browser to save image files in the WebP format.  Also: The best […] More

Arc has become my go-to browser for MacOS. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETDo you find yourself struggling to stay organized within your web browser? Too many tabs? Too many accounts? Too much everything that you wind up feeling overwhelmed?Or maybe you simply need to put a wall up between your work and personal browsing. Whatever is driving your need for better organization, the Arc browser can help. Arc makes it easy to create separate profiles and keep things organized.Also: Why I love Arc browser’s Shared Folders – and how they workWhat do profiles do? Essentially, a profile isolates logins, cookies, browsing history, archive timing, favorites, extensions, and even settings (within arc://settings). You can have a profile for Work, Personal, School, Children — anything you need.Arc has a slightly different take on profiles from other browsers. Instead of creating a separate browser profile, you create a profile for your Arc Spaces. This way, not only can you switch quickly between profiles, but you also can include the spaces you’ve already created for each new profile. By doing this, you don’t have to then re-create every space you’ve already added. But don’t worry, when the new profile uses a pre-existing space , it doesn’t inherit anything from the profile that created the space . It’s as if you’ve cloned the spaces for the new profile, without the associated data or information. More