You may be aware of the risks involved in using free VPN but I just came across startling information that will make you change the way you view free VPNs today.
Read on to find out more and take a moment to share this information with your friends and family to warn them too. Sharing is caring, as someone once said.
What is a Free VPN?
A VPN in general, both free and paid versions, helps to mask your real identity so that your internet service provider (ISP) cannot see the exact sites you are visiting on your PC, Android, iOS, and other devices.
Whenever you are connected to a VPN, your ISP has no clue to what you are actually doing online. Privacy is a critical consideration when using the Internet today.
The Cost of VPN Services
What most people don’t realize is that to run a VPN is not cheap. The companies giving you a free VPN service do not get their infrastructure and bandwidth free of charge.
So how do they manage to give users free services and still remain in business?
I have done my own research on this issue of free VPN and even spent a little time talking to people who provide these services. I found out information I previously didn’t know. One of the most important lessons I learned during my investigation is that in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business world, if you are not being sold a product by a company you deal with, then you are their product.
Let’s go back to the free VPN. These companies cannot operate without bandwidth. Consider the millions of users using free VPN worldwide and you’ll get an idea of the enormous amount of bandwidth that these companies use.
Where do they get it? Where do companies giving away free VPN services get the money they need to keep the free services running?
Making Money Out of You
What most people still don’t know is that when they are using free VPN, the connection accesses their DNS.
So, when you are busy engaged in your freely available private surfing and thinking you are securely visiting geo-restricted websites, the free VPN companies can secretly direct you to their own version of the websites you are visiting. This allows them to easily manipulate the access they give you to generate money from Google Adsense and other online advertising networks. They are secretly making money from your browsing activities.
Access to Your Login Details
To make things even scarier is that the companies can direct you to certain sites where they can actually see your login information for some sites. They can even see other private data that you thought was invisible to third parties.
If you are using peer to peer connections via free VPN, you are linked to someone else’s IP address. Likewise, they are also be linked to your IP address.
So, what the other people are doing in their IP address can be seen by their ISPs. Your IP address is basically out in the open for all to see.
The Increasing Value of Data
Today, data is one of the most valuable items on the market. It is more valuable than precious metals or even oil. The point here is that not all free VPNs do this. But if they have to keep their services free, then they must be doing something to earn revenue from you and cover the costs of the free service. The companies could be making money simply by selling your data.
Selling your private data doesn’t necessarily have to be your name and other details. But even your IP is quite valuable today. The IP address can be used by people who want to know your residential location. They can connect to your real IP, which gives them access to your residential address.
The IP address helps them bypass security restrictions and even give them the ability to send malware directly to your devices. You are not safe. Your best option is to get a genuine paid VPN service that delivers the highest level of privacy possible.
We recommend you use IPVanish which is one of the best VPN services on the market right now. This VPN will keep all your online activities anonymous and no longs are ever saved.
Let us know in the comments below if you have anything unclear regarding free VPNs.
