A Chinese VPN App for the iOS Poses a Security Risk for 8 Million Users
- A VPN app that’s exploding in popularity right now collects user data and shares it with the authorities.
- The app’s developer resides in Singapore, but the VPN services are based in mainland China.
- The privacy policy isn’t keeping it a secret that the app is tracking its users and even uses the device’s sensors.
According to a report by Forbes, the VPN product is known as “VPN – Super Unlimited” poses a security risk for over eight million iOS users in the United States. VPN (Virtual Private Network) apps are supposed to help people stay safe and anonymous when browsing the net, passing the traffic data through encrypting tunnels and bumping it over servers that offer a masking IP address. However, the vendors who offer these apps can potentially eavesdrop on the data that passes through these tunnels, as everything is in their control.
In the case of the “VPN – Super Unlimited”, it’s growth in the past twelve months reached an impressive rate of 740%. The developer of the app is “Mobile Jump”, a Singaporean developer who publishes security apps for the iOS and Android platforms. The issue is that according to a recent investigation by top10vpn, the app’s service infrastructure is actually based in mainland China. Upon further investigation, researchers have found that the particular app is collecting an unusual amount of user information, including location data (IP addresses and GPS). To make things even more crystal clear, the privacy policy of the app states that they share that data with authorities around the world, including those in China.
“VPN – Super Unlimited” may or may not pose a security risk for the people who use it, but all the red flags are there, and its users should not consider their privacy secured. As we have warned before, free VPN apps are free because they are looking to make money out of selling your data or use you as the receiving end of advertising, or both. Most people prefer to just grab a free VPN app from the app store instead of subscribing for a paid product, but there are key differences between these two categories.
If you are in need of a reliable and trustworthy VPN app while on the go, check out our list with the six best VPN products to choose for the iOS platform. Alternatively, if Android is your cup of tea, check this list with the seven best VPN solutions to use right now. If you can’t afford any of these and you need to pick from the free offerings, these can be trusted: Betternet, TunnelBear, Unlimited Free VPN Monster, VPN 360, FinchVPN, VPN Proxy by Hexatech, ZPN, Free and Unlimited VPN, FREE VPN, Fire VPN, Free VPN Master, Fast VPN, UAE FastVPN, GetBehind.me, VPN Master, Free Unlimited VPN, Super VPN Hotspot.
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