VPNs, or virtual private networks, have gained a lot more popularity in the past several years. For someone who is always doing something on the internet. The use of a VPN promises you a lot of things, from privacy to anonymity to the security of your personal information online. There are two types of VPN services–a premium paid VPN and a free VPN. Of course, a lot of people are going for the “free” VPN. However, is it free, or are you just paying for it in another way?
No matter what you are using a VPN for–whether you simply want to keep your “privacy” online or you are using it to protect yourself when making online transactions such as that when you play in the Fabulous Casino in India – it is important that you know the catch of using a free VPN. Here are some of the hidden dangers of using “free” VPNs.
It’s not really “secure”
A big number of people who are using a VPN service do so intending to protect themselves as well as their personal information from prying eyes across the internet. However, ironically, by using a free VPN service, they end up getting more exposed to security threats and even possibly, data breaches.
A study that took a closer look at least 2000 free VPN apps concluded that at least 38% of the most popular free VPNs come with a “freebie” when you use it–they contain malware that will secretly infiltrate your computer or mobile device and thus putting your cybersecurity at risk.
It exposes your online activity
Do you use a VPN under the belief that it keeps you safe from people who are out to steal your information? What if you discover that by using a “free” VPN, not only you are not protected from these prying eyes, but your information is most likely being sold online?
In a study, it was revealed that at least 72% of free VPNs that are available online include a hidden third-party tracker on their apps. This tracker keeps a record of your online activity–your search history, browser history, download history, and even your social media activity. Your data are then sold to data brokers to be used in the targeting of online ads based on your most recent activities.
Now, does it make sense of how you get an ad for gardening tools after simply talking about gardening to your friend on Facebook?
It slows down your internet
Most of the time, you may notice that your internet speed gets significantly slower once you connect to a “free” VPN service. This is because free VPN services intentionally connect you to a proxy server with a slow connection. Then, they would offer you access to a faster “premium” server that promises faster speeds.
Additionally, free VPNs sometimes offer limited bandwidth, too. It can be a daily or weekly limit where your access to their proxy servers would end once you exhaust your bandwidth allocation. You can get more bandwidth by paying for more or paying for a premium subscription. In the end, the service is not entirely free, but a paid service only hiding under the guise of being “free” by giving you a subpar service for no charge.
It gives you intrusive and annoying ads
The building, running, and maintaining a proxy site is not free. Some costs come with it. So, if you are getting your VPN service for free, how would the developers earn money? You guessed it right–through ads.
However, most ads for free VPN services are either intrusive or annoying. It can be repetitive, and even shows you an ad that youtube are forced to watch for 30 seconds every five minutes of you using it.
