By Following the suspension placed on Twitter operations by the Federal government, Nigerians have resorted to using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the bird app.
A virtual private network gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection.
Most importantly, VPNs provide two of the most important services which are encryption and virtual IP addresses.
Encryption locks data in a layer of unbreakable code while virtual IP addresses help one to gain access to virtual, non-local IP addresses.
However, with the super-abilities of VPN, one still needs to be extra careful.
Below are five dangers associated with using untrusted VPNs;
Users Data Privacy – Using certain VPN services can land you data, digital footprints in the wrong hands. For example, even if a VPN advertises a strict zero-logging policy, if they’re located in a country whose government requires data retention laws, the VPN can be forced to store user information in secret. In this case, it doesn’t matter what the VPN’s policy is, your data can be compromised.
Choosing the wrong VPN – One of the central dangers of using a VPN is choosing the wrong one.
Free services that advertise on browser extension stores and mobile marketplaces are notorious for claiming fast downloads and anonymized activities when in reality they can be more dangerous than not using a VPN at all.
All devices aren’t automatically protected – If you use VPN software to protect your PC or smartphone, that’s the only device that gets protected.
In order to keep data safe, you must install an app on every device that connects to the internet (or else use a VPN router).
Viruses and malware- are still a threat – Most VPNs do not protect your computer from viruses or malware.
You’ll still need to be mindful of downloading suspicious files, especially through torrent and P2P networks.
Speed issues – VPN will often slow your connection speed by 10-25% depending on the service, all thanks to encryption overhead.
This can be frustrating if you frequently stream HD movies or do a lot of online gaming.
Fake VPN scams – In an ironic twist, many online hackers rely on scamming those who are working the hardest to avoid scams.
This means that consumers should be wary of free anti-virus installers, fake ‘alert’ pop-ups, and, yes, VPN software.
In the worst case, however, they also sell or supply data to government authorities. Even if the provider promises not to sell the data, it is already a risk that the data is stored at all.
Not a day goes by without a new data leak being reported, whether due to poor security or criminal hacker attacks.
