On the whole, the VPN industry can do better on a number of fronts.

We found problems with a number of these VPNs, along with dozens more that we screened before beginning our in-depth analysis of the test group, with input from researchers at the University of Michigan. We also looked at various VPNs’ marketing copy and whether it accurately presented the products and their underlying technology. We based our results on inspection of VPN features, analysis of network traffic, evaluation of user interfaces, and publicly available documentation. The bottom line: You shouldn’t use a VPN unless you trust it more than you trust your ISP.Ĭonsumer Reports conducted an in-depth test of 16 well-known VPNs, carefully evaluating their security measures (how resistant they are to leaks and hacks) and their privacy practices (how much data the services themselves collect, what it’s used for, and who it’s shared with). Either kind of company is in a position to make money by sharing your information with data brokers, and you’re counting on them to keep it secure from attackers. On the other hand, using a VPN requires some level of trust, because that company now gets all the information you are hiding from your ISP. These services can be useful, especially if you want more privacy from your internet service provider. Security experts have mixed opinions on who can benefit from using a commercial VPN. That means your internet service provider (ISP) such as Comcast or Verizon sees that you are using a VPN, but it doesn’t know anything else about what websites you’re visiting. If you use a VPN, everything you see and do online-watching videos, sending email, browsing through news sites-goes through the VPN’s servers or servers they pay to use. A VPN is a service that directs your data through an encrypted tunnel. Many people looking for stronger data protection and privacy turn to commercial VPNs, or virtual private networks.

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