Hidden Dangers of Using Free VPNs in 2021
VPNs are useful tools that protect you while you browse the internet. They protect you from some types of viruses, they let you access geographically resisted content, bypass censorship, and even mask your browsing activity. However, you should be careful when you’re choosing a VPN to use. In most cases, going with a paid VPN service is probably better. We’ll explain why this is the case below.
Why You Should Avoid Free VPNs
There are several dangers that are associated with free VPNs. For starters, free VPNs often record your activity. One of the benefits of a free VPN is that it masks your activity online, protecting your personal information from third parties.
You don’t want to have your data recorded while using a VPN period. The data collected by free VPNs are usually used to target you with annoying ads. This can be quite irritating. Some free VPN companies even go so far as to sell your data to third parties.
In addition, most free VPNs don’t have the resources of paid VPN companies. This means that you will be limited while streaming and that you will have access to fewer VPN servers. You will most likely experience slow browsing and streaming speeds while connected to a free VPN service. You might also be only able to download a small amount of data which won’t be very useful.
Also, many free VPN companies are located in countries that make them turn over your data to the authorities if it is requested. This isn’t the best in terms of privacy.
You might also not be able to bypass geographical restrictions with a free VPN. With some streaming services, such as Netflix, you won’t be able to bypass geographical restrictions without some software wizardry on the part of your VPN provider. You probably won’t get this with a free VPN, since it won’t have the resources to bypass the geographical restrictions imposed by some streaming platforms.
Moreover, some free VPNs may try to stop you from torrenting. This is kind of puzzling since one of the major benefits of a VPN is that it masks your identity while carrying out activities such as torrenting. With torrenting, you download files from the computers of others and they can do the same from your computer. A VPN can act as a barrier of protection while you torrent.
One of the most concerning risks associated with free VPNs is the possibility of encountering malware. Unfortunately, some free VPNs may contain malware. This is quite ironic since VPNs are meant to protect users and not hurt them with things like malware.
Not all free VPNs are bad, however. While you shouldn’t expect the highest-end features while using a free VPN, you shouldn’t be exposed to things like malware and you should be able to browse and stream at decent speeds.
VPN providers such as ProtonVPN, Windscribe, TunnelBear, ZoogVPN, and Hide.me offer free VPN services that are of decent quality. ProtonVPN is even capable of bypassing Netflix.
Final Thoughts
Free VPNs can do more harm than good and should be avoided in general. However, if you really don’t want to pay for a VPN service, ProtonVPN, Hide.me, Tunnelbear, Windscribe, and ZoogVPN are free options that will do a decent job.
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