TIL those 'free VPN' browser extensions are actually selling your data

I always figured they were just making money off ads or something, no big deal. Then I actually read the privacy policy on one with 2 million users and it straight up said they collect browsing history and sell it to third parties. A buddy in IT showed me how to check network traffic and sure enough it was pinging ad servers every 10 seconds. Any recommendations for a solid VPN that doesn't pull this junk?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_nguyen241mo ago

Mullvad is the only one I trust after getting burned by a "free" extension that was literally sending my search data to some sketchy third party. ProtonVPN's paid tier has been solid for me too, just stay far away from anything that's actually free.

uma_nguyen241mo ago

Has anyone else noticed that even some paid VPNs have been caught logging data they promised they weren't? I'd add that after paying for a year of one of the bigger names, I checked their privacy policy updates and noped out real fast.