
Find all our investigations into the dangers of free VPN apps in one place. We look at ownership issues, security risks and how operators ignore Apple's privacy rules.
VPN, Internet Rights & Security Research
Find all our investigations into the dangers of free VPN apps in one place. We look at ownership issues, security risks and how operators ignore Apple's privacy rules.
We found that Taiwanese App Store users are unwittingly putting themselves at potential risk by downloading Chinese-owned VPN apps even as tensions escalate.
We are tracking the most popular VPNs during internet shutdowns around the world and testing them for privacy and security issues.
Many the most popular free VPN apps downloaded during internet shutdowns are run by opaque and untrustworthy businesses, potentially exposing citizens' digital footprint.
We tested the most popular free VPN iOS apps in the U.S. and found that just three fully respect your choice to refuse permission for advertisers to track you
We analyzed the privacy labels displayed by the top 20 VPN apps in the US, UK, Australian and Canadian iOS App Stores and found that just 12% were completely accurate.
At least 10 of the most popular free mobile VPN apps in the US have hidden Chinese ownership. As the pandemic drives up VPN demand, we investigated who is behind them.
We reviewed our free VPN investigations and found 75% of all the apps we looked at still pose a risk to consumers, yet Google and Apple continue to ignore the evidence.
Apple has introduced strict new data-sharing rules for VPN apps but 80% of the most popular free VPN apps remain available in the App Store despite flouting them.
The Risk Index put the 150 most popular free VPN Android apps to the test and discovered a disturbing number of privacy flaws.
Over half of the most popular free VPN apps are run by secretive companies with hidden Chinese ownership. Very few do enough to earn the trust of the privacy-conscious.
This live tracker documents VPN demand spikes around the world and provides context for these increases.
Russian state officials and companies have allocated almost $10 million to spend on VPN technology since the invasion of Ukraine.
This report identifies the emerging trends in VPN demand following seismic changes to how we live and work due to the pandemic. It will be updated regularly.
31% of internet users worldwide use a VPN, according to our new global VPN usage statistics report, which features rich insights into VPN user behavior.
There were over 480 million mobile VPN apps downloaded around the world in the last 12 months, an increase of 54% compared to the year before.
NetProtect also owns IPVanish, StrongVPN, and Encrypt.me.
Head of Research
Simon Migliano leads our research and investigations into VPN safety and digital privacy. Utilizing these findings, he produces in-depth VPN reviews and expert guidance on online safety.
His work examining dangerous free VPNs, identity theft, and internet censorship has been featured in over 1,000 publications worldwide including the BBC, CNET, Wired, and the Financial Times.
Digital Rights Lead
Samuel Woodhams leads our research on censorship, surveillance, and internet freedom to help defend internet freedoms around the world.
His research has been featured by the BBC, Washington Post, Financial Times, and The Guardian.