Don't Trust Free VPN Apps Here's Why!
VPN services are becoming more and more popular, and they are an excellent solution for those who are concerned about their online privacy. As the market for these services grows to meet the demands of all types of users,
There are now dozens, if not thousands, of free VPN programs and apps that promise to keep you safe while browsing the Internet, at no extra cost. For smartphones,
You can download a variety of free VPN apps from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, but you shouldn't.
As some of you know, VPN software is very expensive, complex to program, and requires significant funding to remain secure enough to be reliable or even keep up with the ever-changing world of internet privacy.
Free VPN providers need to cover these costs on the one hand and make a profit on the other, albeit indirectly, they make money from their customers using hidden tools and tricks.
These tactics are not only dangerous and deceptive, but they also completely violate the accepted principles of VPNs. So before using a free VPN, be aware of the many problems and dangers involved, which we will try to cover in this article.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, encrypts all traffic sent over your Internet and routes it to a remote VPN server; that is, every activity you do on the Internet passes through this VPN server.
For example, let's say you are based in Egypt and you are using a software or application to connect to a VPN server located in the USA and then you start browsing websites like Google and Facebook.
From this moment on, your internet traffic is sent through an encrypted connection to the VPN server.
As a result, your local network operator or ISP can't see that you're browsing Google or Facebook. They just see an encrypted connection going to an IP address in the USA.
While the same sites like Google and Facebook consider you a visitor located in the United States and not in Egypt.
People often use VPN services to protect their browsing activity from being monitored by their ISP – for example. Or if your local government imposes internet censorship,
A VPN will then allow you to bypass censorship and browse as if you were in any other country where the VPN server is located. VPNs also allow you to use public Wi-Fi networks without security threats.
Many people also use VPNs to hide their BitTorrent traffic for legal reasons, making your torrenting activity appear to be happening in another country to your ISP.
Of course, these services also give you access to geo-restricted sites.
For example, if you are in Saudi Arabia and connected to a VPN server in the USA, you can access HBO streaming content without any problems. This is perhaps the most common use of VPNs.
Coming back to the point that every activity you do on the internet goes through the VPN server, it is essential that you always choose a VPN operator that is highly reliable.
True, these services prevent your internet providers or the administrator of the free Wi-Fi network from spying on your digital activity, but this does not prevent the VPN operator itself from spying and snooping.
When your traffic leaves the VPN, the server operator can see which websites you have visited or will visit. This is easier if the websites you visit are using unencrypted HTTP, as the VPN operator can see the full content of the pages, including keeping logs of this data, or selling it for advertising purposes.
Let's put it this way: When you use a free VPN, you prevent free wireless network owners and your ISP from spying on your traffic.
But at the same time, you are allowing the VPN provider to spy on your private traffic instead. So the question here is why would you trust a free VPN provider that you have never heard of before?
A recent study by Top10VPN.com drew attention to this issue, as it was discovered that the majority of free VPN apps available on smartphone stores are linked to China, but 86% of them have completely unclear privacy policies, and there are services that openly advertise that they transfer user data to China for advertising purposes.
The study also noted that most of the developers of these programs use personal email on services like Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo, which seems to be a sign that they are not trustworthy services. In general, if you are using a VPN for privacy or to evade internet censorship, you probably do not want to use a VPN from China.
Regardless, you also wouldn't want to use an obscure VPN hosted by a country with a less oppressive government that restricts personal freedom.
The VPN company that developed this software might just log and sell your data. Or they might keep a lot of logs – and if you’re using a VPN for something like torrenting, you probably don’t want to choose a VPN that logs your traffic, as that could open you up to legal action.
All we want to make clear here is the necessity of staying away from free VPNs as much as possible. It costs a lot of money for the developer company to host a VPN server in another country, so why would this company offer you a free service without getting anything from it? It doesn’t make sense!
If you are looking for a free service for quick purposes only and not for permanent encrypted use, we recommend Tunnelbear as it is free for occasional use. This service only gives you 500MB free per month,
It has a fairly small usage capacity but later you can subscribe to the paid account to get unlimited usage capacity. On the other hand, the service has a good reputation among desktop and mobile users as well.
While if you are serious about using a VPN for privacy, torrenting, bypassing censorship, or using geo-restricted online services, we recommend subscribing to paid VPNs like NordVPN and other trustworthy services.
Of course, you don’t have to use the programs we recommend, but you should do some research online and check user reviews to find out which service is best for your use. Always remember that the VPN operator is between you and all your online traffic, and they can see it.
So you should find a company that has a strong privacy policy and a good reputation, you are paying for that.
If you want to get the highest degree of privacy and anonymity, you should use the Tor browser to achieve this purpose, although browsing the Internet through it is not as fast as a VPN, so it should not be relied upon for all the activities you do on the Internet, such as browsing Facebook and watching YouTube, but rather it should be used for more advanced things than that.
But if you are a professional user, you should seriously consider setting up your own VPN server and avoid using any third-party software. Pay for hosting on a server or cloud service somewhere, then install the VPN server and connect to it from your own devices.
Ultimately, if you really want better online protection, avoid free VPNs. While you may save a few bucks each month, the risks to your privacy and data are not worth it. In fact, using a free VPN can cost you much more than subscribing to a paid VPN.
Aside from security concerns, free VPNs can also make your browsing experience very bad with slow speeds, constant pop-ups, and restricted bandwidth. Instead, use a paid VPN and see it as an investment, as you get faster, more secure connections, and open up an unrestricted internet with a higher degree of privacy.