The news comes after a recently published study by NordVPN claims that after surveying a larger number of the population in the UK for their interests in VPN, some alarming results were discovered.
This includes 40% speaking about using free services that are not only dangerous but actually controlled by hackers. Moreover, you’ll be amazed to learn that this study in question started in the year 2020 and it also enrolled a whopping 150,000 citizens from nearly 18 different nations.
Results also showcased how younger males that fell in the 25 to 44 age bracket are likely to utilize VPNs. Meanwhile, the study revealed how it was Gen Z that are guaranteed to use services for free which put others at a major risk due to having a lower figure for disposable income.
Other results showed how 73% of users having VPNs gave out a series of reasons for using the tool. The main was protection in the form of great privacy and also bypassing things like security risks as the topmost reason to put out such services in the first place. Moreover, 27% claimed to use it to gain access to content that’s usually restricted in other parts of the globe.
But the world’s top VPN service provider, NordVPN says that making use of such free services might put individuals at a greater risk than having their data at the disposal of criminals online. Similarly, it also adds a greater degree of vulnerability in terms of turning them into a target for ads that are deemed to be malicious.
Interestingly, the United Kingdom was believed to have one of the greatest figures for users getting access to free webpages through VPN. And that entails those that lie in the 11 to 25 age bracket and also those who had less income.
Furthermore, the study saw how millennial males that make up the majority of users for this tool are the ones who are more liable to get affected by the issues that such free of costs tools come with.
Always remember that the attention surrounding VPNs continues to grow as we speak as more individuals care about what sort of information they’re publishing online.
Other than that, their habits of using the web could be improved, yet some individuals continue to select free-of-cost VPNs when compared to those that continually are paid. But then a smaller majority spoke about using it at work and even forgot about how integral it is to have safe web connections when using the service at home.
Experts feel the issue linked to free services has to do with the fact that it’s necessary to produce revenue even though it’s for free. And while it does not offer any fee or charges, they do track the user and even sells information of users to interested third parties.
What happens in the end is that you get bombarded with a bucketload of advertisements or they set up strategies that convince users to switch to a paid system.
In terms of what is needed to keep users secure while surfing the web online, the answer is simple. It’s mostly linked to keeping your password strong and using software that’s designed to ward off threats. Similarly, it always helps to limit the amount of data shared online as it might come to bite you later.
Read next: This New Study Reveals How People Feel About AI Making Moral Judgements
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World
No comments:
Post a Comment