The really troubling cases are paid VPN providers who claim they do not log but have been found later to do so. For example, one VPN provider (HideMyAss) was asked by the FBI to provide information on one of their customers due to suspicion of illegal activities on the dark web.
They do so by blocking IP addresses that access their service with large amounts of people at the same time. For instance, when you access them through a shared IP address at the same time as other users. This can be very annoying if you just want to watch a movie. Luckily, there are some VPN providers that make sure there is always a server you can use to watch Netflix.
Many VPN providers have fast and easy access to Netflix across the globe. Many free VPNs do this (more on this later) and some providers make it clear in their license agreement that they might do this. This, of course, defeats the entire purpose of getting a VPN service at all.
Lack of Customer Service
What is Star VPN?
Simply put, Star VPN is a straight-forward, bare-bones VPN provider. Star VPN does not offer things such as a kill-switch, which would help protect users on the internet were they to lose their VPN connection. We were also not able to find information about which tunneling protocol Star VPN uses.
Unfortunately, though, many free VPN providers were not designed to provide the average user with more privacy and anonymity on the internet, but solely to make money. A prime example is Hola VPN, a VPN service you should steer clear from. These kinds of VPNs are not in the business of selling a VPN service but selling your personal data to third parties. When you use a VPN service you route your traffic through their servers. You pay them a subscription fee, they encrypt your data and they promise not to log or store all your data.
We recently reviewed several VPN apps and services, and the paid Private Internet Access ($7 per month or $40 yearly) took the top spot. The runner-up option, CyberGhost, is also paid at $60 per year. Some private network services will allow you to use their private servers in exchange for your data.
It’s not the cheapest VPN on this list, but it remains popular among users in China for good reason. It has a huge range of VPN server locations, the fastest servers, allows five simultaneous device connections, offers 24/7 live chat support, and claims 99.9% uptime. Security is second to none, boasting an automatic kill switch and leading encryption. We also like that PIA’s ‘Detect Best Server’ function takes the guesswork out of things for you, by suggesting which of its 60+ locations you should adopt at any given time. If you can find a paid VPN app, or one that has in-app purchases for higher levels of service, consider that option instead.
The best free VPN for 2020:
However, it might only be a matter of time before ShadowSOCKS is blocked as well. Even if they do work, free VPNs tend to be less reliable, impose data and bandwidth limits, and have a much smaller selection of servers than paid ones. Furthermore, free VPNs often make money by spying on your online activities and selling the collected data to third-parties, including advertisers. Comparitech researcher Aaron Phillips gathered detailed connection data on 59 VPN providers within China, using their Windows apps and preferred high-security settings. The test pits every provider’s recommended configuration against China’s best defenses.
The most serious risk of free VPN apps is that you may lose control of your data. A VPN service is supposed to encrypt your data stream from your device all the way to the service’s servers, at which point it enters the open internet. But a shady or poorly configured service could compromise your traffic, either by design or by accident, or could even piggyback on your encrypted connection for nefarious purposes. VPNs are also blocked by streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Because these companies have contracts with movie distributors that only allows them to show content in specific countries, they have started going after VPNs.
- Unfortunately, though, many free VPN providers were not designed to provide the average user with more privacy and anonymity on the internet, but solely to make money.
- A prime example is Hola VPN, a VPN service you should steer clear from.
- These kinds of VPNs are not in the business of selling a VPN service but selling your personal data to third parties.
To access blocked sites and apps within China you will need a VPN, however many VPNs don’t work in China. We rented a server in Shenzhen and tested 59 providers to find the best VPN for China. Star VPN allows peer-to-peer (P2P) connections on three servers. However, three servers are only available for paying customers, those who use the free version will have access to just one server.
If you want a premium VPN that allows you to use Netflix, take a look at ExpressVPN. This usually means there is something that you aren’t supposed to have access to, but you do with a VPN.
With a VPN, people access the content of another country on these streaming services. Since Netflix might not have the rights to show that content in your country, they are fighting the use of a VPN.
If you plan to visit or live in China and want to maintain access to western sites, apps, and services, then you’ll need a VPN. However, not all VPNs work in China, and some that do are frustratingly slow.
P2P Connection
Although the company initially refused, they ended up handing over very specific logs about the user, including login times, downloads, bandwidth usage, etc. VPNs will slow down your internet connection for a couple reasons. The first is that your data must travel further to get to its destination because it’s re-routed through the VPN server, adding an extra hop.
I lived in China for many years and used FlyVPN at that time, which I found to be an excellent VPN service. However, I really like the five devices option and low prices of Private Internet Access, since I use it at home in the USA for security reasons. ExpressVPN is possibly the most popular VPN service in China.
For instance, some governments block certain content for their citizens because they think it’s unfit or it threatens their values. Or sometimes certain content providers lock out users from out countries because they simply have not paid part of the license-fee, for example. You can use a VPN to bypass these restrictions and access the content anyway. For this reason, VPNs aren’t very popular with these governments.
However, many free VPN services earn their money by selling your data to, for example, advertisers. In this case, you are better off not having any VPN service at all and instead installing an Adblocker or some other security features. Since a VPN redirects your internet traffic via an exteral server, using a VPN could slow down your connection. However, there are many good premium VPNs out there that offer stable and fast connections, anyway. Moreover, many free VPN services enforce speed limits or have servers that become too crowded at times, so using a free VPN could definitely slow down your internet connection significantly.
Crypto OPSEC : Accounts, Cell Phones, 2FA & Security
Of course, they might not state their intention in the first place. However, there have been cases where VPN companies are monitoring the data from their users for their own benefits. Yes, they might help bypass your internet restrictions and hide your IP address, but the private network companies might actually do the tracking instead. Also blockades specifically designed for VPN services are not always a problem.
The second reason is because VPNs are encrypted, so it takes time for your device’s hardware to encrypt and decrypt internet traffic on the fly. If true and enforced, the crackdown would block all access to VPN services used to circumvent the Great Firewall. ShadowSOCKS is a VPN-like service designed in China to circumvent the state’s control of the free internet. Some providers recommend using it instead of a VPN, because the government has not yet put resources into widespread detection and shutdown of ShadowSOCKS server networks.