Proton Says 85% of U.S. VPN Apps Carry Trackers as 64 Chinese-Owned Apps Draw Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · Yahoo News Canada · Aug 28
Proton Says 85% of U.S. VPN Apps Carry Trackers as 64 Chinese-Owned Apps Draw Scrutiny
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo News Canada · Aug 28
Summary
Proton said its review of more than 7,000 mobile VPN apps found 85% of those downloaded in the U.S. include trackers, undermining tools users install to protect privacy.
Around a quarter of the U.S.-downloaded apps actively collect physical location data, Proton said, exposing visits to protests or meetings with journalists, lawyers or sources.
The report identified 64 Chinese-owned VPN apps among 390 downloaded from Apple’s App Store and Google Play in the U.S.; those apps logged more than 13.2 million downloads in June alone.
Proton said third-party analysis detected analytics, advertising and profiling code that can harvest device IDs, handset models, network type and carrier data.
The warning adds to long-running concerns over free mobile VPNs, with Proton urging users to stick to paid, well-known providers and avoid China-linked apps.