Sharing passwords is difficult Unless you wear a trench coat and have secret meetings with a code name, how do you securely communicate such important information?

Well, Proton, digital privacy champion and developer of the best VPNs, has the answer The company today (July 12) announced a new feature in its password manager tool, Proton Pass, called Secure Links

The all-new Secure Links feature, available to paid users of Proton Pass, allows users to send unique and valid links to anyone they wish to share their passwords with, including non-Proton Pass users But what is the difference between these links?

First, they are much more secure than regular email or text messages The links use Proton's end-to-end encryption and other security methods to ensure that no one can intercept your sensitive information

In true spy style, the link can also be set to self-destruct (well, expire) after a set number of uses or after a time chosen by the sender between one hour and 30 days Another convenience is that when you change your password, it is automatically updated for anyone you trust enough to share the secure link with

"Our goal at Proton Pass is to provide users with all the tools they need for strong security," says Song Nguyen, Product Leader at Proton Pass

Secure Links will soon be available for all paid Proton Pass members on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS; Proton Pass Plus is $499 per month or $199 per month for a 12-month subscription Tom's Guide readers can also get Proton Pass for free with a 12-month subscription to Proton VPN

Aside from using a password manager like Proton Pass and only sharing passwords securely, there are several things the average person can do to improve password security

The obvious one is to not use the same password in multiple places Sounds simple enough, but surprisingly, this still happens on a regular basis A Bitwarden survey earlier this year found that a quarter of respondents use the same password for more than 11 to 20 different services This is frightening

As a rule of thumb, use as many secure and unique passwords as possible and avoid information that can be found on social media, such as birthdays or family names Two-factor authentication (2FA) greatly improves security, so enable it whenever possible

One of the best ways to keep your information more private online is to use a VPN; VPNs are great if, for example, you sign into a public Wi-Fi network that you do not trust

One such provider is Proton, and if you are looking for a trial version, Proton VPN Free is currently one of the best free VPNs