Can my boss see the websites I visit? Yes. Whenever you join a Wi-Fi network, the network owner can track the websites you visit. Your employer pays for and controls its network, which means it is legally allowed to manage router logs for security purposes. It can also monitor whether employees are using the internet appropriately.
Even if you open a private tab or use incognito mode, your browsing history can still be tracked by the network administrator or IT department. Trackable data includes domain names (via DNS requests) and full URLs you visit. And you can still be tracked when using your own smartphone or laptop to connect to the company’s internet.
To protect your privacy at work, you must install a secure VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN encrypts your internet traffic on your device. This prevents your employer or Wi-Fi administrator from seeing your online activity. As a result, you can use social media, stream YouTube, visit Reddit, or do anything else privately at work.
Learn how a VPN gives you private, encrypted browsing at work – and how to bypass workplace restrictions without anybody finding out.
Can my boss see what I’m doing on my personal devices?
When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, you are actually a guest on someone else’s internet connection. It doesn’t matter whether it is a home network, the public Wi-Fi network in a hotel, or the workplace internet provided by your employer. In all of these cases, the bill payer can monitor the websites you visit, even if you are using your own devices.
The easiest way to visualize this is to think of a Wi-Fi network as a gateway. The network owner is the keeper of the gateway, and as the bill payer, they are allowed to use specialized software (either installed on the network router or on a device that manages the network) to analyze traffic and block access to websites.
Related: What is Bossware?
Device-level tracking
When you use a workplace machine (whether it is a work-owned computer, tablet, or smartphone), the level of tracking can be even more significant. This is because the device might have specialist software installed to allow for even greater levels of tracking.
For example, some businesses use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) or HTTPS inspection certificates to view encrypted traffic. This allows the network administrator to see everything you do online, including passwords, messages, and browsing activity.
When you connect to workplace Wi-Fi using a personal device, your passwords and other encrypted data should be safe. However, this will not be the case if your employer’s Wi-Fi asks you to install a trusted root certificate the first time you connect. If this happens, the network administrator can view encrypted data, creating significant privacy risks if you log in to personal services and accounts while at work.
The good news is that, generally speaking, employers don’t force trusted root certificates onto their employees’ personal devices. This means that, as long as you use a VPN, you can restore privacy and access the internet privately at work.
How does a VPN stop my boss from tracking the websites I visit?
A VPN is an online privacy tool that prevents local networks, ISPs, government agencies, and even hackers from monitoring your web visits and communications metadata.
When you connect to a VPN on your personal device, it encrypts your internet traffic before sending it out over the local network and onto the internet. This ensures that all your web traffic remains hidden (including your DNS requests, which contain the domain names of the website or services you are trying to access).
By using a VPN to encrypt your data, you stop your employer from being able to see what you are doing online. In fact, the privacy benefits of a VPN go even further. They also allow you to access websites and services that might be restricted on your company network.
As a result, you can use the work’s Wi-Fi as if you were back at home. Thanks to the VPN, any blocked websites become available again, and the network administrator has no way to digitally track the websites you use.
Are there any caveats?
Not all VPNs offer robust encryption and privacy tools, so you must choose carefully.
There are many types of VPNs on the market, and not all of them protect your privacy at work. Many VPNs advertised on Google Play lack robust encryption or suffer from DNS leaks. This is risky because you could potentially get in trouble for engaging in personal activities while at work.
The good news? We tested the market to find the best VPNs to gain privacy at work. They come with strong AES-256 encryption and a choice of reliable VPN protocols (including OpenVPN and WireGuard).
Our VPN recommendations also offer a kill switch. This blocks your internet if the VPN connection drops out, preventing you from accidentally leaking your activity to your boss.
Wondering if the VPN will work on your device? The VPNs we pinpointed have apps for Windows, Android, iOS, and Mac. This ensures you can maintain workplace privacy on an Android phone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad, or a personal laptop you bring from home.
Am I allowed to use a VPN at work?
As long as you choose a reliable VPN with strong encryption, reliable apps, a kill switch, and robust privacy settings and policies, you can easily gain privacy while at work. However, it is important to remember that using a VPN at work may be against company policies.
Employers block access to websites and services to prevent employees from becoming distracted and to ensure security. They also use restrictions to ensure that workplaces are a safe and suitable environment for all employees, which is why any websites or content considered Not Safe for Work (NSFW) are blocked.
When you use a VPN to bypass these kinds of blocks, you are potentially engaging in activities that your employer does not want to happen on their Wi-Fi. This means you could get in trouble for breaking company network rules. Ultimately, using a VPN is your own choice, and if you decide to use one, you do so at your own risk. The best bet is to use common sense.
Firstly, only ever install a VPN on your personal devices, not company-owned gadgets or computers. Installing a VPN on a workplace computer is more likely to be noticed.
Secondly, stick to using a VPN for privacy rather than to bypass workplace blocks. And if you really want to bypass a workplace block, consider whether doing so could endanger the safety or atmosphere of your workplace environment.
Any online activities that are NSFW, illegal, or a threat to your employer’s network could get you in serious trouble, reprimanded, or even terminated or prosecuted. This makes it essential to use a VPN only for safe activities, such as accessing social media, watching YouTube, and other non-dangerous uses.
Can my employer catch me using a VPN?
Using a VPN on your personal device is legal, but it may violate company policies. The VPNs we recommend offer robust encryption, so your employer will not know what you are doing online. However, they could use Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to detect that a VPN is in use.
This type of DPI does not allow your boss to know what you are doing online. The VPN still protects your privacy; however, it can allow the network administrator to figure out that you are using a VPN to gain privacy while connected to the network. In some cases, this may be enough to cause your employer to ask questions.
It is also important to remember that a VPN can only prevent your employer’s network administrator from tracking your online activity. It cannot stop your boss from walking up behind you while you are watching Netflix on your laptop, tablet, or phone.
How to use a VPN to prevent workplace tracking
Confused about how to set up and use a VPN at work? Use these steps:
- Choose a reliable VPN. We recommend NordVPN because it is fast, highly secure, and fully audited. Alternatively, Surfshark is an excellent budget VPN that offers everything you need to stay private on workplace Wi-Fi.
- Sign up for the VPN. We have agreed on a special discount for our readers. This means you can get the VPN for the lowest cost by following our links. You also get a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the VPN and stop your employer, IT department, or Wi-Fi admin from tracking your online activities.
- Install the VPN app. Our recommended VPNs for workplace privacy have apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. This means you can install and use the VPN to protect your privacy at work on any smartphone, tablet, or personal laptop.
- Launch the app and sign in. Once the VPN is installed, launch it and log in with the credentials you set up during sign-up.
- Enable core protections. To ensure privacy at work, we recommend enabling the VPN kill switch and DNS leak protection in the app settings. Once those protections are active, you are ready to connect.
- Choose a secure protocol. Our VPN recommendations have a choice of protocols. The good news is your VPN comes pre-set and ready to connect securely. However, you may need to enable the obfuscation feature if your boss is blocking VPN connections. You can find the protocol options in the settings menu and change the protocol if needed.
- Connect to the VPN. Whenever you want privacy for your online activities, remember to connect to your VPN. As a general rule, it is a good idea to keep personal devices connected to your VPN whenever you are using someone else’s network. This ensures the privacy of all your personal activities.
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How do I check that the VPN is working correctly?
If you want to check that the VPN is working properly, you can use an online IP address checking tool. The leak test tool should display the VPN’s IP address, not your workplace’s.
Here is the best way to run the check:
- Head over to Browserleaks to check your employer’s IP address. Before checking that your VPN is working, we recommend running an IP address check without your VPN. Make a note of the IP address.
- Connect to your VPN. You can pick any VPN server, but one that is closer to you will generally give you better speeds for streaming and other data-intensive tasks.
- When your VPN has connected, return to browserleaks.com. Now check that the IP address differs from the one you saw when you checked your workplace IP.
As long as the IP address is different, and you do not see your employer’s IP address anywhere in the results (IPv4, IPv6, WebRTC, and DNS should all come back negative for your employer’s IP address), then the VPN is working properly.
This means that all your traffic is being routed through the encrypted tunnel, and your employer can no longer track your web visits or online activities.
Can I use a free VPN to stop my boss tracking me?
Although there are free VPNs advertised online and in app stores like Google Play, we do not recommend using these to gain privacy at work. Studies have revealed that many free VPNs suffer from leaks, have outdated apps, use weak encryption, and even hide spyware in their apps. This means that when you install and use a free VPN, you cannot be 100% certain it is protecting your activity from tracking.
Can I bypass blocks at work using a VPN?
Is your employer blocking Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, NFL Game Pass, or any other website or game? Workplaces block dozens of websites and services, including Reddit, Twitch, Discord, and Twitter (X).
The good news is that you can bypass Wi-Fi network blocks with a VPN. When you connect to a VPN server, you appear to be outside of the local area network (LAN). This bypasses any restrictions on the workplace Wi-Fi, so you can use social media, stream, or play games at work.
One of the best features of a VPN is its encryption. That means that your employer can no longer see which websites or services you are using. As a result, you can bypass workplace blocks without anybody finding out.
Just remember that even the most impressive encryption and digital privacy setup cannot stop your boss from walking up behind you when you are streaming Netflix on your laptop. So use common sense, and stick to using a VPN only on your own devices and during legitimate downtime, such as your lunch break.
Related: Benefits of using a VPN
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer see what websites I view if I’m not on their Wi-Fi?
No. If you stick to using your own device’s mobile data while at work, your activities are completely private. Your boss can only track the websites you visit when you connect to the workplace Wi-Fi. This means that using your own internet connection is completely private.
However, when you use a company-owned device, your activities may be tracked by other means, such as stealth-monitoring apps. Under these circumstances, your employer might be able to track your web visits and activities even when you use that device while connected to your home broadband or a public Wi-Fi hotspot outside of the office.
This is why we always recommend using your own devices and a VPN for any personal activities. Engaging in personal activities using a work-owned device is less likely to remain completely private.
Does a VPN hide your browsing history from the Wi-Fi owner?
Yes. The encryption provided by a VPN stops the Wi-Fi owner (bill payer) from being able to track your activities. This ensures complete privacy for your activities, whether you are at home, at work, or using public Wi-Fi on vacation.
Can public Wi-Fi owners see my phone's internet history?
Yes. Every network you join can potentially track all the websites you visit on your phone. This is why it is essential to use a VPN when using public Wi-Fi. The VPN encryption prevents Wi-Fi owners from seeing your phone’s internet history.
Can Incognito mode hide browsing?
No. Incognito or private browsing mode only prevents your browser from saving your local history, cookies, and cached data. It does not hide your internet activity from your employer, Wi-Fi owner, ISP, or the websites you visit. Network administrators can still see the domains you access through router logs or monitoring tools. This is why you have to use a VPN.
