We all love free things. There’s an adage that says- The best things in life are for free. When you consider the disadvantage sometimes, you may disagree. Those who love to make use of Virtual Private Networks for free should beware. Using a VPN has advantages such as ensuring your privacy is intact. However, the free use of a VPN may come with a host of privacy risks.
A survey conducted in the United States of America found that 68 percent of internet users made us of VPNs. Of that number, 29 percent used free VPNs rather than opt for paid VPNs. What they did not know is that they are open to a host of privacy risks such as data harvesting, shoddy security, and suspicious ownership.
People ask, why should they pay for something they can get for free? One reason is that in the case of free VPNs, your personal data may leak in ways that it won’t if you did not install a free VPN. An expert in this issue said that the risks increase when a person making use of a free VPN uses the internet to conduct any sensitive internet activity.
Another problem is that free services offer shoddy security. Where will those giving out free service have enough money to shore up on security? Free services often lead to what we can call corner-cutting. Therefore, they fail to remove intrusive permissions and functions even when these have no place in the free VPNs. The danger is those bad people could soon be using these opportunities to attack others.
The latest survey revealed that many VPN services in the USA were offered by Chinese people, when in fact, VPNs were banned in that country. There is the argument that some of these free VPN services are sharing people’s information with the authorities. Do you want to stay out of security troubles online while using a VPN? Opt for a paid one, experts advised.
