Any advanced user knows that using a VPN is one of the basics of Internet security. But, is it a great tool or are there are pitfalls? What if we would tell you that a free VPN can also pose a threat?
Not all, but many readers tend to believe that using a free VPN is undoubtedly useful and safe. Is it?
No.
Why you can’t trust free VPNs
Here may arise a reasonable question – there are many services on the network that are ready to provide VPN services for free. Then, how do they support their existence? By advertising on their site?
But the monetization of advertising is nothing but a penny! Plus, if the user has installed adblock or any other ad blocker, the site does not earn anything from advertising. Are there really that many altruists on the web who are willing to do this kind of charity for free?
Or is there a catch?
There is a catch and a big one. All free vpn owners have their profits, even if not directly from you, but definitely at your expense. Simply put, free VPN services sell information to interested parties. The sites you visit, social networks, logins, passwords, credit card numbers – everything that goes through the free VPN may be recorded and resold.
Many free VPNs, browser extensions has been accused of selling data.
But who could possibly need such information? Government organizations, numerous independent analysts, advertising services, hackers and scammers – there are many options.
Illusion of security
So what are the requirements for vpn service? First and foremost, respect for privacy and security. Since this is the root cause of vpn’s existence, a serious provider’s privacy policy should be mean and under no circumstances should they keep traffic logs.
If you need access to sites or content restricted by geography. Most of the time you will be able to choose which country to connect to, but not always the set of countries you need. Be sure to check which countries the servers of your chosen provider are located in.
Also, vpn providers often publish information about the speed of their servers. But even here a lot of free VPN fail.
Not all VPNs use the same protocols. Some communication protocols are more dangerous than others. Avoid VPNs that use PPTR protocol, as it is the most vulnerable of all.
When choosing a vpn provider, you should also consider bandwidth. The best services offer unlimited bandwidth. While most free VPNs limit you. So, make sure that the available volume matches your needs.
Finally, even if you are using a reliable VPN, you should keep in mind the minimum browser configuration and operating system to ensure a high level of security.
Free VPN disadvantages
- Can store and sell your personal data. Free VPNs can provide a basic level of security and help you get to a blocked site. But what about the service itself? Since free VPNs don’t charge from their users, they have to find alternative methods of funding. So, free vpn save your data, such as location, browsing history, content you like, and sell it to advertisers. Of course they don’t declare it openly, but they reserve the right to do whatever they want with your personal data.
- Tons of Ads. Free VPNs are full of annoying ads. Advertising is one of the most important sources of funding for any free service on the internet, and free vpn’s take advantage of this effectively. Even Addblocker, as practice has shown, is not always effective. Free vpn tends to deflect costs by resorting to online advertising.
- Free vpn does not have its own servers. Free vpn does not own a network of its own servers. Buying and maintaining servers costs a pretty bid money. So, instead, free VPNs often use third-party servers. Essentially, this means that the servers are owned by someone else who rents them out to other companies, including free VPN providers. This means that what is stored on these servers and how the owner disposes of this information is beyond the control of the free vpn service you used.
- At the request of the government, the free vpn will hand over all your data. Total surveillance of everyone and everything is something that many governments around the world are often silent about. Under the pretext of fighting extremism, they spy on their citizens, trying to track down potential threats like terrorists, pedophiles and other dissenting individuals. But, in doing so, everyone’s private life ceases to be private. Internationally, there are several intergovernmental organizations set up to monitor and control personal data on the Internet. VPN companies often receive requests from government agencies asking about users’ personal data, this is common practice. The difference is that most premium paid VPNs don’t record or store any data, so they have nothing to disclose. This does not apply to free VPNs.
- Low speed. Any VPN connection, whether it’s paid or not, lowers your internet speed. Premium VPNs, however, have a much smaller impact. If you have a reasonably fast internet connection, you’ll never notice a speed loss. Exactly to the contrary, free vpn services greatly slow down your connection speed. In many cases, watching streaming videos and downloading content proves to be a painful and frustrating process. Not to mention the fact that free vpn networks are not stable, here again the cheapness of overcrowded rented servers has an impact. So in the long run, low speeds may be the least of your problems.
- Low security. Free vpn’s use weak protocols and low levels of encryption, which have been hacked more than once. This means that if your data is suddenly compromised, even in encrypted form it can still be unlocked. This is an easy target for hackers, don’t forget that not only your personal data is at stake, but also passwords, logins and banking information.
Conclusion
Using a free VPN service can end up costing you money or getting a visit from the authorities. So before you using a free VPN, think twice about why you need it at all and isnt it better to pay a few dollars for a premium VPN.