Are free VPNs Safe? VPN Safety Tips
VPNs were all the rage in Zimbabwe a while back following the decision by the government to shut down connectivity to a number of popular social networking sites on the back of deadly protests across the country. As a result of these restrictions, people began to use VPNs, which they installed on their mobile phones and computers.
Should I use Free VPNs?
Perhaps unexpectedly, most Zimbabweans opted for the free VPNs that are available for both Windows and Android devices. However, questions soon arose as to whether or not these free VPNs were safe. Should you use a free VPN or does using one compromise the data on your phone or computer?
Is it safe to use Free VPNs?
- Free VPNs come with annoying ads. This is the first price that you are likely to have to pay when you choose to install a free VPN on your computer or phone. The people behind every VPN obviously are looking to make some money. So, how do they recoup their expensive when their product is being offered free of charge on Google Play? Well, the answer lies in the ads. These people get paid whenever someone clicks on an ad. Admittedly, this does not happen that often, but it still happens often enough to make the creation of “free,” software worthwhile.
- Free software comes with a wide range of risks to devices. You should be relatively safe should you get your VPN from an official app store such as Google Play. Otherwise, there is every risk that you will introduce malware on your device.
- Free VPNs submit your data to their creators. Making money online is partly about gathering data. One of the ways through which the creators of free VPNs make money is by selling your data to third parties. These may be advertisers and others. If you are not comfortable having your information peddled out there, you should, therefore, make sure that you stay away from free VPNs.
Summary
Staying safe while browsing across the internet is a major concern for most people. That is why it is so important for you to think twice before installing that piece of software that may be advertised as free. One way or the other, the people behind these pieces of software are going to have to make money off of their creations. You should, therefore, be wary of any claims that software is freeware. So, back to the question; “are free VPNs safe?” The answer to that will have to be; mostly. But you should take care when installing free software to only get it from official stores.