GARR at Maker Faire Rome 2025 with an interactive experience on VPN for online security
From 17 to 19 October 2025, GARR research network will be present at Maker Faire Rome with an exhibition stand in Area A of the Gazometro Ostiense.
GARR experts will guide visitors through an interactive experience: a fully functioning miniature internet network that makes it possible to explore how a VPN (Virtual Private Network) works. This tool enables users to protect traffic through encryption, browse securely on public networks, conceal their IP address, and safeguard online privacy.
Participants will be able to experience real-life scenarios: from logging into unsecured websites to securely handling sensitive data, and accessing international scientific infrastructures remotely, such as radio telescopes, databases, and scientific libraries. Hacker attack simulations will demonstrate in practical terms the importance of encryption and data protection, while other interactive scenarios will highlight the advantages for the research community of being able to modify one’s online geolocation.
The activity has three main goals: to explain how a VPN works in a simple way; to present eduVPN Secure Internet Access — the international service for students, lecturers, and researchers, created by the research network community and managed in Italy by GARR; and to raise awareness of the role of GARR as a fundamental infrastructure for research and education in Italy.
Maker Faire Rome is the leading European event for innovation, where academic institutions, research centres, companies, and creatives come together to explore the technologies of the future.
Where: Gazometro Ostiense – Area A, Via del Commercio 9-11, Rome
FURTHER INFORMATION
GARR: the Italian ultra-high-speed national network dedicated to education, research, and culture, connecting over 1,000 organisations including universities, research centres, and cultural institutes. Its fibre-optic backbone has a capacity of around 36 Terabits per second and extends over 24,000 kilometres. Designed and operated by Consortium GARR, a non-profit association under the auspices of the Ministry of Universities and Research, GARR is a strategic infrastructure for the Italian scientific system. Consortium members include CNR, ENEA, Fondazione CRUI, INAF, INFN, INGV, Italian state universities, Scientific Hospitalisation and Care Institutes (IRCCS), and Experimental Zooprophylactic Institutes (IZS).
eduVPN: an international service created by the research network community and managed by GARR in Italy, enabling students, lecturers, and researchers to browse securely anywhere in the world. Designed for those who study, teach, or work in academia and research, it ensures data protection even outside universities or research institutes, reducing risks linked to the use of public networks. It is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that creates an encrypted tunnel between the user’s device and a remote server. In this way, even when connecting to unsecured networks — such as those in airports, hotels, or public spaces — transmitted information remains safe and cannot be intercepted by third parties. The service is available in around 20 countries worldwide.
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