{"id":33850,"date":"2021-10-08T16:05:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T20:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=33850"},"modified":"2021-10-09T09:30:50","modified_gmt":"2021-10-09T13:30:50","slug":"the-business-of-vpns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/08\/the-business-of-vpns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Business of VPNs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian X. Chen<\/a> (via Roustem Karimov<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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The reality is that web security has improved so much in the last few years that VPN services, which charge monthly subscription fees that cost as much as Netflix, offer superfluous protection for most people concerned about privacy, some security researchers said.<\/p>\n

Many of the most popular VPN services are now also less trustworthy than in the past because they have been bought by larger companies with shady track records.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

For several years, I subscribed to a popular VPN service called Private Internet Access. In 2019, I saw the news that the service had been acquired by Kape Technologies<\/a>, a security firm in London. Kape was previously named Crossrider, a company that had been called out by researchers at Google and the University of California for developing malware<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the last five years, Kape has also bought several other popular VPN services<\/a>, including CyberGhost VPN, Zenmate and, just last month, ExpressVPN<\/a> in a $936 million deal. This year, Kape additionally bought a group of VPN review sites<\/a> that give top ratings to the VPN services it owns.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Nick Heer<\/a>:<\/p>\n

According to a May 2021 Restore Privacy<\/em> report<\/a>, Kape bought Webselenese and its vpnMentor<\/a> and Wizcase<\/a> review websites. Both websites aggressively push their top three picks which, funny enough, are all owned by Kape. Wizcase also publishes reviews of security software, and picks Intego as the best antivirus software for the Mac; Kape also owns Intego.<\/p>\n

But if you were browsing either review website, you would probably miss Kape’s ownership. While a legitimate news organization would typically display conflicts of interest in immediate context, the word “Kape” appears nowhere in the on-page text, nor does it appear on the dedicated ExpressVPN review page<\/a>. Wizcase’s “About” page<\/a> says that the review site “believe[s] in transparency” and the footer on every page claims that it is an “independent review site”. vpnMentor says<\/a> that its “reviews are not based on advertising” and its claims of honesty make it a “powerful transparency tool for the internet”.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n

Joseph Menn<\/a> (via Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

When a senior executive at virtual private network company ExpressVPN admitted to working on behalf of a foreign intelligence service to hack American machines last week, it stunned employees at his new company, according to interviews and electronic records.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Nick Heer<\/a>:<\/p>\n

This is a more comprehensive look at ExpressVPN’s sketchy history and its ownership<\/a> that leave me with the impression that the world of VPNs is mostly bullshit. The honest take is that these products help users circumvent geographic restrictions, particularly for things like streaming services. I am convinced that, if streaming companies and media rightsholders were less concerned with nit-picking contracts and more focused on providing a great experience, there would be far less demand among everyday users for VPNs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n