Many of the apps share information with data brokers — and some may even be turning it over to the Chinese government.It’s common practice among most school districts to restrict the internet access of their students to prevent them from browsing porn and— from social media platforms to educational sites about racial identity, mental and reproductive health. And, increasingly, it’s common practice among many kids to use apps that bypass those restrictions so they can view those sites anyway.
“Me and a lot of other friends all using in school and it works charms on there wifi!” Would 100% suggest this to any teenagers or adult who is looking for a VPN for free,” reads one review for VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy.users’ approximate location, network activity, unique device identifiers, and IP address, according to its privacy policy. Mobile Jump Pte Ltd. did not respond to a request for comment.
Concerns about foreign VPN companies collecting Americans’ data are not new. In early 2019, months before the government first began investigating the national security risks posed by TikTok, Senators Ron Wyden and Marco Rubio wrote to Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS, asking the organization to conduct a threat assessment of the risks posed by foreign VPNs to U.S. government employees and servicemembers.