A VPN, or a virtual private network, is often used by people who wish to keep their online browsing and activities private. In the simplest terms, a VPN helps you hide your true IP address, and even masks your location to the site and apps that you are using.

A lot of people use this to browse otherwise restricted content, too. Some use this belief that it will keep their personal information safer from prying eyes on the web. Some, on the other hand, use it when they play in an online casino or play any other games. Most of the time, people go for a “free’ VPN service. But how “free” are these free services?

How can it be “free?”

Now that you understand how a VPN service works, you might notice that providing such a service is not entirely free of costs. Setting up and maintaining a proxy server, for one, already costs money. Next would be the development and maintenance of the app itself. After all, providing this kind of service will always still be a business and the people behind it need to earn their money from it, too. So, how are these “free” VPN services able to keep their business afloat despite not charging their customers for their services? The answer is simple: it is not free. Sure, you do not pay for it using your own real money, but you still pay for it in another way, nonetheless. How do you pay for it, then?

Notice how there are so many ads ion the VPN app that you downloaded? Sometimes, it can even be one ad per 30 seconds. Companies and services pay for their ads to be shown though free apps like a free VPN service and the developers earn money from it, especially if you end up clicking on the ad--that is already considered a “conversion,” in the perspective of the ad setter.

Also, most “free” VPN services run in a “freemium” setup, where you can use the basic aspects of the services for free, but you also have the option to pay a certain amount to either enjoy the service without any ad intrusions or to enjoy a better and more “premium” service. Either way, these “free” VPNs are not free at all, but rather only hiding in the guise of being free. Asa user, in turn, you only pay for it in another way that you may not even be aware of in the first place.

The catch

Aside from showing ads and limiting the bandwidth and usage time for “free” users so you would be forced to buy the “premium” version, there are more ways a VPN service can earn money from you. These “other” means, however, are not as harmless as you may think.

As already proven by several studies, a lot of “free” VPN services have malware is hidden within their apps or service, that can secretly infect your devices and put your cybersecurity at risk. Also, some companies running free apps and services, including VPNs, have been exposed for selling the collected data of their users to data brokers. Data brokers, in turn, use these data for better ad targeting. This is one reason why you are sometimes baffled that you see more ads for a certain product suddenly.

So, you may not dish out cash for a VPN service, but you still pay for it in another way--sometimes, you pay more than what you get in return.

Final thoughts

Nowadays, cybersecurity and safety when browsing online are one of the most essential things for many people. However, you also must be careful about where you will entrust your online security and safety too, as you are never sure if you are safe...or just putting yourself to worse risks.