As you may or may not know, the Android operating system is the most widely used mobile platform in the world. Though there are many options for any type of program you want, not all of them are worth having. If you do a quick search of VPN services in the Google Play store, you’ll see a list of many free options that offer to “Protect your privacy”. According to a study on the popular tech website Ars Technica, some of them are not worth using. If you are worried about your privacy, here is what you should know.
Many users like the idea of securing their information by using a VPN. It’s a great idea, because there are always people trying to intercept your data. There are some great services out there. However, most users are not technically savvy enough to know what to look for. In a study of almost 300 VPN services in the store, it was found that 18% do not encrypt data at all. Despite the suggestions that you will stay anonymous, that will not happen without encryption. Additionally, data leaks are also common with those services.
So the app may not help you, but could it harm you? The answer to that is absolutely. Because of the way they work, there are many opportunities to inject malware in to the program. While 37% of these apps have more than 500k downloads, 38% of them have some sort of malware included. Sadly, you won’t know it until after the damage is done.
If they don’t encrypt and they introduce malware, what else could happen? Third party trackers. In other words, some developers introduce ad trackers to follow users and filter through information found on your phone. The last thing you want to do is to make your information less secure, whether you are banking, shopping, or even looking at sensitive websites.
So, what is the solution? First of all, stay away from most free VPN services. You get what you pay for and if it is totally free, there is usually a hidden cost. Most companies are not creating apps without a way of making money. Even some of the premium products may not do everything you hope. We advise using a premium company with a good reputation like IPVanish.
The full report of the findings can be found in the article we mentioned earlier. If you want to take a look, it will provide you with more information than we gave you here. Though protecting your privacy is great, make sure you know what you are getting. Hopefully, we have given you something to think about.