Buzz
(Motherland) - VPN providers might still be collecting certain information about you.
If you're familiar with VPNs, you'll understand their primary purpose is to encrypt online data and conceal your IP address. However, your VPN provider might still collect some information about you, and some more dubious services even go as far as excessively gathering data.
A more shadowy VPN will never disclose about their data collection practices. However, legal regulations require companies to outline the types of data they collect and how they utilize it. This is often explained in the privacy policies of VPNs, which you can find on their official websites.
VPN privacy policies should also specify whether any of your data is shared, and if so, with whom.
If your VPN provider lacks a privacy policy, be cautious about this. Even platforms not primarily focused on security such as Instagram, Walmart, Youtube, and CNN all have privacy policies, so you should expect this at a minimum from a VPN service.
If a VPN's privacy policy is very brief or vague, something might be amiss. A legitimate company must clearly outline how they collect, use, and share your data, especially if their purpose is to protect you and your online data.
ExpressVPN provides a typical example of a VPN privacy policy, addressing a range of important topics. This includes data collection and usage, user privacy, third-party cookies and analytics, child users, and data protection.
If you're concerned that your VPN's privacy policy may not be based on reality, ensure that the company has been independently audited. That way, you'll know any false claims have been eliminated.
