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The critical function provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS) is privacy and data security. TLS is designed to secure communications over a computer network by providing a secure channel between users and servers. It achieves this through encryption, which ensures that data transmitted over the network is protected from eavesdroppers and unauthorized access.

In addition to encryption, TLS also provides authentication, ensuring that the parties in a communication are who they claim to be, as well as integrity, which verifies that the data has not been altered in transit. These features collectively support confidentiality and trustworthiness in online transactions and data exchange, making privacy and data security the core purpose of TLS.

Other functions like data compression, while it may be utilized in some contexts with TLS, are not fundamental to its role in securing data. Network layer control and DNS management fall outside the scope of TLS's responsibilities, as they pertain more to different layers of the networking stack and different protocols that govern internet traffic.