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Usenet and VPNs are two entirely different things but are often confused by the laymen. Usenets are basically social media sites that have existed since the internet first became commercially available. In a way, Usenet groups are the original social media networks on the web.

A VPN, on the other hand, is software that allows you to connect to the internet through a remote server that acts on your behalf. This adds greater secrecy, privacy, and security to the user on the web. As an added benefit, it also permits bypassing problems such as geo-restrictions that can prevent you from accessing certain websites and streaming services.

This article aims to clarify some of the confusions surrounding the two very distinct forms of services i.e VPNs vs Usenets.

Usenet

A Usenet is powered by different providers such as how different VPNs are powered by different providers. Usenets are newsgroups that allow participating members to post notes, have discussions, and share files. In fact, many Usenet providers bundle their services with VPN services and SSL encryption.

While Usenets seem obscure, they have existed since the earliest days of the internet. Indeed, Usenets predate the existence of the commercial internet. Many of the younger users of the internet may not be familiar with this fact, but you can consider Usenet as the ancestor of modern social media networks.

Usenet originates from the time when the Bulletin Board System (BBS) was in widespread use and users obtained information by connecting to servers. The servers would remain updated (updates were called news) by sharing information among each other in order to ensure that users were able to remain updated at all times. Usenet followed in the footsteps of the BBS. Hence the terms that vaguely refer to the news, but have no actual reference to news headlines.

Usenet vs VPN

So where was I? Yes, newsreaders! A Newsreader is your Usenet connection’s dashboard for all intents and purposes. A Newsreader feels and functions much like a download manager (a major reason because of which I chose to compare Usenet to Torrents in my initial article) and will let you download and monitor multiple downloads at a time.

Usenet vs VPN

News (or downloadable content as we like to call it) on Usenet servers, is categorized in the following nine major newsgroups. There are other sub-categories, but these nine remain the most and frequently updated/visited. If you are planning on becoming a new Usenet user, then I recommend you start out by exploring these nine major newsgroups before branching into other sub-categories. You will be able to find most of the content you need on these newsgroups.
Usenet vs VPN

Common Misconceptions about Usenet and VPNs

A Usenet software does not allow you to monitor/manage your Usenet connection! All it does for you is download content off the Usenet server and that’s it. If you want to connect to a Usenet server, the absence of a Usenet Newsreader will not restrict your access to the Usenet server.

VPN

The VPN that your employer will provide you will function like this:
Usenet vs VPN

In this scenario, the VPN is encrypting and tunneling your data traffic when you access your work computer from home or vice-versa. In this case, you know that there are only two points that are to be connected at the ends of the connection i.e. your own computer and your company’s server database.

However, when you set out to use a VPN for internet-wide application, then you are looking at a different scenario. In such cases, you are still connecting to a server every time you require to access a website but you are switching your own IP with one from the server before going out on the internet.

To do this, you need to configure a VPN on your internet-enabled device. You can either configure your VPN connection manually, or you can use a VPN client (a software designed by your VPN service provider for your device type).
VPN service providers will provide you software that you can use to manage various features of your VPN connection, such as:

  • Selecting a VPN server
  • Selecting a protocol
  • Monitoring VPN connection status
  • Lodging support tickets to VPN service provider

Once connected, your VPN connection will essentially cloak your internet session and allow you to access content and websites that implement Geo-IP technology to block access based on region-based access restrictions. Geo-IP blocking allows websites to limit traffic and is often carried out under a banner patronizing the use of licensed content – which makes Geo-IP blocking a convenient way to kill two birds with one stone at best.

See also: Best VPN Comparison Guide for 2022

Usenet Benefits

Usenet continues to reside in the deep web as services like VPN continue to hog the limelight. This scenario is further worsened by the fact that an increasing number of Internet Service Providers is choosing to cease Usenet services. However, the fact that netizens are resorting to seemingly outdated technology (Usenet) is really remarkable.

Lower Risk of Malware

Of course, there is no such thing as an ideal internet. There will always be evil lurking in cyberspace, waiting for us to click on that damned ‘download’ button. But the risk of malware and viruses is relatively lesser when using a VPN as it tunnels user data and encrypts it.

Relatively Safe from Hackers

On Usenet, people don’t interact with each other for content exchange. Instead, people interact with servers that in turn interact with each other to facilitate the exchange of information between people. There are no peers involved in the entire upload/download process. This makes Usenet users safe from hack-attacks from fellow Usenet users.

The Road Ahead

Admittedly, Usenet has not gained popularity like other file-sharing technologies have in the past. This is so because Usenet is alive in the part of the internet that is often referred to as ‘the deep web’. The deep web is a part of the internet that a very small percentage of today’s netizens know about.

After having spent decades in the deep web, Usenet is seeing slow but steady acceptance as a data-sharing technology.
A modern-day (perhaps partial) example of Usenet can be found in the availability of content servers provided by Internet service providers. These content servers host content that is available for download to the ISP’s subscribers.