School districts are increasingly restricting internet access for students, but many students are finding ways to bypass these restrictions using apps like VPNs. However, free VPNs, often used by teens, can collect sensitive personal information and sell it to data brokers, with potential ties to China. The U.S. Justice Department recently indicted a Chinese national for using free VPNs to gain access to IP addresses, including in the United States, and renting them out to criminals for illegal activities.
Research from Reset Tech shows that China-linked VPN companies are popular among school-aged children, openly targeting teens to circumvent school Wi-Fi. Apps like VPN – Super Unlimited Proxy and Turbo VPN collect and sell users’ information while aggressively marketing to children. Concerns have also been raised about the privacy and national security risks posed by foreign VPN companies, prompting action from lawmakers like Senators Ron Wyden, Marco Rubio, and Anna Eshoo.
Senators have urged government agencies like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assess the risks posed by foreign VPNs to U.S. government employees and servicemembers. Concerns have also been raised about the privacy practices of VPN companies in light of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Senator Marsha Blackburn expressed alarm at VPN companies targeting children and selling their data to actors like the People’s Republic of China.
Despite heavy restrictions on VPNs in China, there are broader concerns about data breaches and privacy threats. In a recent incident, a Singapore-based VPN with ties to China exposed 360 million user data records online, including email and IP addresses, location data, and website visit history. However, not all critics are focused solely on international apps, as some believe that mainstream social media services also collect and use data for various purposes.
Overall, the issue of VPN companies collecting and selling users’ data, particularly targeting children, raises significant privacy and national security concerns. Lawmakers and government agencies are taking action to address these threats, calling for assessments of the risks posed by foreign VPNs and urging the FTC to curtail abusive data practices. The prevalence of free VPNs among students highlights the need for more robust measures to protect users’ privacy and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.
