Who's Really Behind the World's Most Popular Free VPNs?

[douglas9]

After big names like Whatsapp, Snapchat, and Facebook, VPNs are the most searched-for applications in the world. “VPN” is the second-highest non-branded search term behind “games”, and free apps completely dominate the search results. The most popular applications have amassed hundreds of millions of installs between them worldwide, yet there seems to be very little attention paid to the companies behind them, and very little scrutiny done on behalf of the marketplaces hosting them.

When someone opts to install a VPN on their device, they are essentially choosing to trust their data with that company instead of their ISP or wireless carrier. The VPN provider can inspect your traffic, modify it, log it, and if their policy permits, send or sell it elsewhere. Given the potential for this data to be abused, it’s critical that consumers choose their VPN provider wisely.

We investigated the top free VPN apps in the App Store and Google Play Store. We found that very few of these hugely popular apps do anywhere near enough to deserve the trust of those looking to protect their privacy online.

snip>

Over half (59%) of the apps studied ultimately have Chinese ownership or are based in China, despite its strict ban on VPNs and its notorious internet surveillance regime. This raises questions about why these companies — which have such large international user bases — have been allowed to continue operating.


https://hackernoon.com/whos-really-behind-the-world-s-most-popular-free-vpns-d74bafc82178

[GemDigger]

1. kick

[mr_lebowski]

2. This is important, but one particular point of fact is not entirely accurate ...

THIS:
"When someone opts to install a VPN on their device, they are essentially choosing to trust their data with that company instead of their ISP or wireless carrier."

Would be more actually put like this:
"When someone opts to install a VPN on their device, they are essentially choosing to trust their data with that company IN ADDITION TO their ISP or wireless carrier. "

You cannot entirely 'get around' your ISP/wireless carrier being aware of your activities ... simply by using a VPN. You can make it harder for them to 'see' the actual data being transmitted in certain cases (vast majority of 'what you'd want to be private' data transfers these days are made via secure, encrypted HTTPS, and hence quite difficult for even your ISP to discern the content of, but a VPN will likely encrypt traffic on regular HTTP for you, and make it harder for your ISP to detect the content transferred in that case), but you are not likely going to hide from them 'where you're going on the Internet'.

If you think, for example, you're going to go to 'kidzpron.com' or some crap like that using a VPN, and your ISP won't know you went there? That's a BAD bet.

The rest of the article is great, and well worth considering.

[progressoid]

3. Here are the apps they studied:

TurboVPN - Chinese
VPN Proxy Master - Chinese
Snap VPN - Chinese
X-VPN - Chinese
VPN 360 - Chinese
VPN – Super Unlimited Proxy - Chinese
Free VPN by FreeVPN.org - Chinese
Secure VPN - Chinese
VPN – Master Proxy - Chinese
HotspotVPN - Chinese
SkyVPN - Chinese
VPN Patron - Chinese
VPN for iPhone - Bangladeshi
YogaVPN - Chinese
VPN Guru - Chinese
Hola - Israeli
Hotspot Shield - American
Betternet - American
TouchVPN - American
Shield VPN - Chinese
VPN Wifi Proxy Security Master - Chinese
Victory VPN - Chinese
Storm VPN - Unconfirmed
SuperVPN Free VPN Client - Chinese
VPN Private - Ukrainian
Thunder VPN - HK Chinese
VPN Melon - Unconfirmed
Super VPN - Chinese
#VPN - American
Psiphon - Canadian

[dalton99a]

10. +1

[Cattledog]

4. Nothing is "FREE"

Just like "Facebook" you are the product.

[JDC]

5. This deserves a bump up

[dhill926]

6. bookmarking this...thanks...

[2naSalit]

7. K&R

[RKP5637]

9. K&R!!!!! n/t

[Achilleaze]

11. k and r