Blocking2 minutesChecked 28 October 2026

What a VPN does

What it hides, and what it doesn’t.

A VPN sends all your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to your VPN provider’s server. From there it goes on to the internet.

It hides

Your internet address from the websites and apps you use. They see the VPN server’s address.
Your traffic from the Wi-Fi you’re on and from your internet or mobile provider. They see only that you use a VPN.

Who you are when you’re logged in. A website you’re signed in to still knows it’s you.
Your browser’s fingerprint: the details a website can read from your browser stay the same.
Your traffic from the VPN provider. It can see where your traffic goes, so choose one you trust.

Kuuko runs no VPN servers. Your traffic goes to the provider you chose.
While the VPN is on, DNS goes to Kuuko through the tunnel, so your block lists keep working. Your provider’s own DNS and ad filter aren’t used.
Kuuko never sees your VPN keys. They stay in this device’s Keychain.
While the VPN is connected or reconnecting, nothing goes beside the tunnel except what the system itself needs, such as joining a Wi-Fi network and push notifications, and the local network if you allow it.
With “Always” or “Away from trusted Wi-Fi”, the system starts the VPN again by itself after it stops or can’t start. When Kuuko tested a crash on a Mac, pages didn’t load for a few seconds until the VPN was back, and nothing went out without it.
With “Manual”, nothing starts it again: if the VPN stops, your traffic goes out normally, without the VPN, and the card says the VPN isn’t connected.

To log in to a hotel or café Wi-Fi, switch the VPN off for a moment, log in, then switch it on again.