Over the years, people have looked to various tools to try to stay safer online, including anti-virus software or virtual private networks, but you can get a false sense of security from some VPNs.
We’ll start with the basics – a VPN is a software service that routes data to and from your computer or smartphone through an encrypted tunnel, something Elias Huerta has been using for several months.
“The number one reason that I got a VPN was to feel safer online in public places,” Huerta said.
Sounds great, but testing by consumer reports reveals many VPNs don’t live up to their claims.
“When you are using a VPN, you are actually giving a VPN your data. So there’s a false sense of security where that VPN is able to access and use your data as they see fit,” Amira Dhalla with Consumer Reports explained.
CR’s tests included a check to see whether best security practices were used, whether data was leaked, and what the VPN’s privacy policy said about how customers’ personal data might be used. Of the 16 VPNs tested, three came out on top – Mullvad VPN Ab, iVPN, and Mozilla VPN.
“These three VPNs did the best because they limited data sharing, they had accurate marketing messages, they included third party audits of their programs, and they had open-source code and modern protocols,” Dhalla said.
When shopping around, CR said to be wary of any VPN that promises to provide complete anonymity online or to protect you from all advertisers, governments, or Criminals online – or ones that offer “military-grade enCRyption” which CR said doesn’t actually mean anything.