At least five VPN apps in the App Store were found to have links to the Chinese military, according to a new report today. Three of them have racked up more than a million downloads.
A subsidiary of one of the Chinese companies behind the apps is currently hiring for a role in “monitoring and analysing platform data,” with a familiarity with American culture listed as a job requirement …
Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps are designed to protect the privacy of internet usage, protecting against man-in-the-middle attacks using fake public Wi-Fi hotspots, as well as ensuring your ISP or mobile carrier can’t track the websites you visit.
Additionally, VPNs can be used to circumvent geoblocks on anything from streaming video services to content banned by a country’s government.
However, VPNs are only as trustworthy as the companies behind them. A fake VPN can expose all your browsing data to its developer.
