Why Might Your VPN Provider Be More Dangerous Than Public WiFi?
Stop Trading One Risk for a Bigger One: Learn Why Modern HTTPS Makes Most VPN Marketing Obsolete, and How to Actually Protect Your Privacy
The Fear Marketing Machine
VPN companies launched massive marketing campaigns highlighting the dangers of public Wi-Fi, spending hundreds of millions on ads and influencer sponsorships. These campaigns paint a terrifying picture of hackers lurking in every coffee shop, ready to steal your data. Their message has been so compelling that using a VPN in public places has become common wisdom.
What Your VPN Provider Can See
Nobody tells you this: you only shift traffic from your computer to the VPN server. You basically hand over all traffic from your computer to the VPN server. Who owns and controls these servers? Even if your traffic is encrypted, they can capture your traffic metadata, such as:
Websites you visited, which can reveal your interests, work patterns, and daily routines
Countries you're sending traffic to, potentially exposing your business relationships or personal connections
Your location and movement patterns
Applications you're using, which can expose sensitive information about your work and personal life
They can also potentially hack into your computer because they now have a direct connection.
They can gather and sell this data to third parties, potentially exposing more about you than a public WiFi ever could.
Practical Solutions
What should we do in a public place, then? Here are your options, from simplest to most advanced:
Use your mobile hotspot. It's safer than a random VPN server and requires no technical setup.
Nothing! Most websites use HTTPS, and most of your data is already encrypted. Just pay attention to your Internet browser warning messages, and don't ever ignore them. Also, keep your computer up-to-date and install all security patches.
If you want to use VPN to improve your privacy
Spin up your own VPN server in the cloud, and you’ll have complete control over your traffic. It requires some technical knowledge and costs $5 - $50 per month. Algo VPN or a simple VPN server software can do the job.
Use a trustworthy VPN provider that is transparent about their privacy policies and has a good tracking record. Also located in countries with severe privacy laws, like Switzerland and the Netherlands. ProtonVPN is a good example. You can check their no-log policy and law enforcement data requests policy.
Beyond Personal Security
This information is helpful for individuals or companies with 1-6 people. Private or Public VPNs do not protect users against other Internet dangers, like visiting a high-risk website. For a more serious, professional solution, you can check out our post about enterprise-grade security solutions like managed firewalls and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) architectures.
Stay safe!