{"id":239245,"date":"2021-04-30T13:40:13","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T10:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/"},"modified":"2021-04-30T13:40:13","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T10:40:13","slug":"5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/","title":{"rendered":"#5 Signs a VPN Isn\u2019t Trustworthy\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fdeb5d8de9\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fdeb5d8de9\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Reviews_and_Recommendations\" >Reviews and Recommendations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Presentation\" >Presentation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Language_Errors\" >Language Errors<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Be_Wary_of_Free\" >Be Wary of Free<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Checking_the_Record\" >Checking the Record<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Bad_Policy\" >Bad Policy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy\/#Making_the_Right_Decision\" >Making the Right Decision<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#5 Signs a VPN Isn\u2019t Trustworthy\u00a0&#8220;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-723803 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/shadowy-figure.jpg?width=1200&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A shadowy figure using a smartphone.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"555\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hacker-using-smartphone-men-black-clothes-1493675057\" data-credittext=\"releon8211\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hacker-using-smartphone-men-black-clothes-1493675057\">releon8211\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>VPNs are a big business worth <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/542817\/worldwide-virtual-private-network-market\/\">billions of dollars<\/a> a year. With so much money up for grabs, it\u2019s no surprise that many VPN providers just aren\u2019t trustworthy. So how do you choose a good, trustworthy VPN? Here are some telltale signs to watch out for before opening your wallet.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reviews_and_Recommendations\"><\/span>Reviews and Recommendations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One tried and tested way to find out whether or not a VPN is worth your time and money is to go by internet reviews or the recommendations of people you trust. For example, we have a guide to choosing the best VPN with examples of services that we like, as do many other sites. Not all sites are equally trustworthy, however, with at least <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudwards.net\/bestvpn-and-buffered\/\">one example<\/a> of a review site owning a VPN service and giving it a high rating.<\/p>\n<p>As such, we recommend that you exercise caution when going off reviews and keep an eye out for a few things. For one, many reviews will parrot marketing copy, so when you see too many similarities between a VPN provider\u2019s site and a review, you can assume that something fishy is going on. Also, if a claim in a review sounds too good to be true, or the tone seems too \u201csalesy,\u201d there\u2019s a good chance that the review is slanted.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Choose the Best VPN Service for Your Needs<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Presentation\"><\/span>Presentation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another thing you should look out for when shopping for a VPN is the way that the service presents itself. While many providers\u2014from market leaders like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nordvpn.com\">NordVPN<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxnzmft.com\/?offer=3monthsfree&amp;a_fid=howtogeek&amp;data1=content&amp;data2=722871\">ExpressVPN<\/a> on down\u2014have a habit of making slightly exaggerated claims about how private VPNs are, some go beyond that and then a little further.<\/p>\n<p>One example of that is X-VPN, which claims to have 50 million users on its website. However, a quick look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a> page on the Google Play Store shows that it\u2019s been installed over 10 million times. As Google\u2019s bracket runs until 50 million, we highly doubt that X-VPN really has that many subscribers. VPNs are pretty popular apps, but they\u2019re not quite that much in demand.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-722872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/xvpn-claim.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Claim from X-VPN site\" width=\"632\" height=\"411\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This is just a bit of marketing hyperbole, but some services go further than that, using outright scare tactics to get you to sign up. One example of this is RusVPN, which hits a few red flags. First up is a very oddly constructed testimonial by an American man named Brian. This isn\u2019t how real people speak.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-722873\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rusvpn-testimonial.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Testimonial from RusVPN\" width=\"650\" height=\"458\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dicey testimonials are part and parcel of the modern internet, of course, but scroll a little further and you\u2019ll see this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-722874\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rusvpn-scare-tactics.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Infographic from RusVPN\" width=\"650\" height=\"312\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In our case, the above is nonsense, as we connected to a Dutch server using another, better VPN\u2014it\u2019s a shame that RusVPN didn\u2019t catch that\u2014and we\u2019re also using a Linux machine, not Windows.<\/p>\n<p>As for the threatening black block on the right with the shadowy figure lurking above it, most information (like bank accounts and credit card information) is transmitted over connections using HTTPS, and passwords are hashed (made unreadable) before being sent. Having a VPN switched on doesn\u2019t make sending any of this information any safer.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of reasons to use a VPN, but RusVPN is guilty of some blatant false advertising by claiming that your passwords and credit card numbers are up for grabs if you don\u2019t use one. Sadly enough, there are plenty of other providers doing much the same.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Language_Errors\"><\/span>Language Errors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Another minor sign that a service may not be the best fit is poor use of language. While we understand that not everybody speaks English natively, having more than a handful of spelling or grammar issues on a site is a clear sign that the service in question isn\u2019t too keen on details. A professional company will have professional editors for its website. As details are pretty important when it comes to running a VPN, this is a red flag, albeit a small one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is a VPN, and Why Would I Need One?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Be_Wary_of_Free\"><\/span>Be Wary of Free<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another huge advertising ploy is offering a free VPN service. As a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> rule, you don\u2019t want to sign up for most free VPNs. Too many of them have been caught <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/contributors\/2018\/05\/28\/be-cautious-free-vpns-are-selling-your-data-to-3rd-parties\/\">selling data<\/a> to third parties, and the risk that some unknown VPN provider is doing the same is just too big. You get what you pay for, and privacy is just too important to gamble with.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, there are some decent VPN services that offer a free plan alongside their regular offering, usually as a way for you to get to know the service a little before deciding to pay. Among the best are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/windscribe.com\/\">Windscribe<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/click.tunnelbear.com\/aff_c?offer_id=32&amp;aff_id=1244&amp;aff_sub=722871&amp;aff_sub2=content\">TunnelBear<\/a>, which both offer limited service for free and have no record of bad practices.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Checking_the_Record\"><\/span>Checking the Record<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Speaking of which, one thing that you may want to do before signing on to a service is to perform a web search of its name, maybe even adding extra keywords like \u201creputation,\u201d \u201cbreach,\u201d or \u201cselling data.\u201d Although past performance isn\u2019t always an accurate way of judging how a service is now, it can give you an indication of what the company is like.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Avast, which bundles its antivirus solutions with its VPNs, was recently discovered to be <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/3a8vjk\/czech-data-protection-authority-investigation-avast-jumpshot\">selling anonymized customer data<\/a> through its subsidiary Jumpshot. Free VPN <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hola.org\">Hola<\/a> may\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2015\/5\/29\/8685251\/hola-vpn-botnet-selling-users-bandwidth\">hijack your computer<\/a> to join a botnet and often won\u2019t work particularly well to boot.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, some companies recover from their shady pasts: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ipvanish.com\/\">IPVanish<\/a> made <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/ipvanish-no-logging-vpn-led-homeland-security-to-comcast-user-180505\/\">some missteps<\/a> a few years ago, as did <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.purevpn.com\/blog\/vpn-logs-explained\/\">PureVPN<\/a>, but both providers seem to have learned from their mistakes and have reworked their privacy policies, fixing any issues that needed it. Although their history may keep them from getting a rousing recommendation, it shouldn\u2019t keep you from giving them a try.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bad_Policy\"><\/span>Bad Policy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One last thing to always check before making a purchase decision is the privacy policy of the VPN that you\u2019re looking at. Although you can\u2019t always depend on what\u2019s said\u2014too many VPNs are headquartered in out-of-the-way countries to make their claims enforceable\u2014it is a good way to check whether the service has paid attention to detail.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, you want to make sure that you\u2019re dealing with a no-log VPN, one that erases, or at least, doesn\u2019t store the records of your use. Besides that, it\u2019s also important to check that the site\u2014which you usually use to download the client and to submit support tickets\u2014does not store cookies, and that it won\u2019t keep track of your data in any other way. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com\/privacy-policy?gclid=CjwKCAjw9r-DBhBxEiwA9qYUpSo-Km27E2su8PjeaJ-43750AZnICnEvLBrvYXv9WaiK7GAbynWCKhoCM34QAvD_BwE\">ExpressVPN privacy policy<\/a> is one example of a document that clearly lays out its terms and checks off all major concerns.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Making_the_Right_Decision\"><\/span>Making the Right Decision<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Picking a VPN isn\u2019t like picking out furniture: The wrong decision can cost you. With the above five things in mind, though, you should be able to make a more informed decision. If you\u2019re still not sure where to begin, we recommend getting\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expressvpn.com\/\">ExpressVPN<\/a> as a starting point. Many of us here at How-To Geek have used it for years, and we find the service reliable, fast, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/722871\/5-signs-a-vpn-isnt-trustworthy%C2%A0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#5 Signs a VPN Isn\u2019t Trustworthy\u00a0&#8220; releon8211\/Shutterstock.com VPNs are a big business worth billions of dollars a year. With so much money up for grabs, it\u2019s no surprise that many VPN providers just aren\u2019t trustworthy. So how do you choose a good, trustworthy VPN? Here are some telltale signs to watch out for before opening&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":239246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/shadowy-figure.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}