More than a million downloads In just three months and one Apparently Improper VPN list which hide an opaque ownership network that can be attributed to the China. An investigation conducted by Tech transparency project and published by Financial times Light up the spotlights 20 App VPN currently available in the digital stores of Apple e GoogleChinese societies are hidden behind, in many cases masked by offshore entities.
Five of this VPN – Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, Thunder VPN, Snap VPN E Signal Secure VPN – are attributed to Qihoo 360a company included by the US Department of Defense in a list of companies that are affiliated Chinese armed forces. The group, officially known as 360 Security technologywas hit by penalties in 2020, precisely because of these connections.
The most critical aspect is the absence of transparency: the VPN involved does not explain the property, often hidden behind opaque business structures. And one of them even succeeded Buy Google Verification Badgegenerally reserved for services that are considered reliable.
The researchers warn that millions of American users, including many teenagers, are Involuntarily their data movement deviating from controlled infrastructures from Chinese companies. The risk is not only theoretical: through these channels it is technically possible to collect sensitive information, including navigation chronologies, positions and personal data.
In particular, Apple is in the sights of criticismMainly because of their public statements aimed at the safety and protection of privacy. The standards promised by the Cupertino Company – such as the dedication to ensure that all apps come out “Well -known sources” and are subject to “Check at every level” – They now seem strongly compromised. Google is not exempt from responsibilityBut the reputation built by Apple on users’ security makes the question even thorner.
The fact that many of these apps are free contributes to explaining the rapid diffusion: the lack of economic costs is compensated by the income of user data. A reality that confirms a recurring principle: If the service is free, the real product is the user.
Despite the scope of the phenomenon, the political debate recently focused more on individual apps such as Tap That on the entire ecosystem of potentially vulnerable digital services, of which VPNs are certainly part. The absence of specific regulations for those who can offer VPN in the official stores opens spaces of maneuver hard to control, especially in a Geopolitical context already tense.
Finally, the case raises questions about the Real functioning of the revision systems adopted by the digital stores. According to Apple’s data in 2023 in 2023, more than 35 thousand apps were deleted for fraud, but there is no clear communication about how much the checks have surpassed before they are exposed. And it is precisely this ambiguity that makes millions of devices vulnerable.
Moreover, it becomes clearer every day that the conflict between the world superpots is not only played on the actual military field, but also and especially on technological and computer security. The continuous attacks transmitted by IT tools are increasingly controlled by the competent bodies, while Restoration policy can no longer ignore the technological dimension.
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