TIL that 'free' VPN apps can actually be a data trap

I tried one of those free VPN apps from the app store to watch a show while traveling, and it popped up a bunch of sketchy ads and slowed my connection to a crawl. Turns out they were selling my browsing data to third parties the whole time, which is basically the opposite of what I wanted. Has anyone else had a free tool like that backfire on them in a weird way?

3 comments

3 Comments

ellis.leo28d ago

Did you actually read the privacy policy before you hit install, or did you just skip past it like most people do? I'm asking because those "free" VPNs usually spell it out in plain language that they're collecting and selling your data, but nobody ever reads those things. The real question is whether you would have still downloaded it if you had known upfront that your browsing habits were the product they were selling to advertisers.

jake98628d ago

Heard a buddy tell me about this exact thing last week. Downloaded a free VPN to watch some sports stream from overseas. Didn't read a single word of the fine print. Two weeks later his phone started blowing up with ads for local gyms and fast food joints. Turns out the VPN was selling his location data to whoever paid for it. He uninstalled it fast but who knows what's still out there now.

julia54928d ago

Wait, you mean free stuff on the internet isn't actually free?