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[Norton]Are free VPNs safe? 7 things to know before using free VPNs
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A virtual private network — better known as a VPN — is a key way to help protect your privacy when online, especially when you’re logging on from a public space such as a hotel lobby, coffee shop, library, or airport.
When you sign up with a VPN provider, you first log onto that service before you connect to the internet. When you do this, government agencies, businesses, hackers or others don’t see your IP address when you’re searching the web.

VPN providers also encrypt your data, scrambling it so that snoops can’t see what sites you visit, files you download, games you play, or videos you stream.

Online privacy, though, isn’t absolute, even with a VPN. That’s because your VPN provider will know your IP address and what sites you visit. The key, then, is to work with a VPN that you trust. You want a VPN that doesn’t track your data when you’re online. If your provider doesn’t log your keystrokes, it also won’t provide your information to other agencies or businesses.

Most VPN providers charge for their services. Others, though, don’t. You might be tempted to sign up for one of these free services. After all, who doesn’t like to save money?
But are free VPNs safe to use? Maybe not.

Not all VPNs are created equal

You sign up with a VPN to protect your online privacy. But a 2016 study of 283 Android VPN apps by The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia found that many VPNs don't offer the kind of security users need.
According to the report’s findings, 67% of the VPN apps studied in this analysis embedded at least one tracking library in their code to track users’ online activity. That's worrisome. If a VPN is tracking your activity, it may intend to sell that data to third parties, for purposes of marketing or ad-targeting.
The study also found that, for several reasons, 84 percent of the analyzed apps didn't properly encrypt the online data of users. This means that it could be easier for snoops to track what users are doing when browsing the Internet.

Free VPNs are more likely to track your data. The CSIRO study said 65 percent of paid VPN providers didn’t track users’ online activity, but only 28 percent of free services did the same.
Why? Free services need to make money somewhere. If they're not charging you to use their service, how else do they earn a profit to support the product they provide?
At the same time, paid VPNs are more likely to provide stronger encrypting services. That’s because they’re profiting from subscriptions. They’re more likely then, arguably, to spend the money necessary for stronger encryption methods.

7 things you should know about using a free VPN
If you’re considering a free VPN, it’s smart to be aware of issues that could be related to free offerings, including these.


https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-p...-safe.html
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