[continued from previous message]   
      
   And the same is true when it comes to cyber safety. Hundreds of millions   
   of users are now downloading and installing VPNs, secure tunnels that   
   route all internet traffic to and from a device via third-party servers.   
   VPNs are powerful tools. And from the wrong developers they’re dangerous   
   tools. A bad VPN is much worse than no VPN.   
      
   A VPN ban would just make this worse. Google’s warning to only use   
   verified apps from official sources would be impossible. Users would   
   turn to illicit downloads without any of those critical security checks   
   in place. It would be a hackers’ paradise.   
      
   Google says “once installed, these applications serve as a vehicle to   
   deliver dangerous malware payloads including info-stealers, remote   
   access trojans and banking trojans that exfiltrate sensitive data such   
   as browsing history, private messages, financial credentials and   
   cryptocurrency wallet information.”   
      
   In a report released last month, Zimperium warns that “while headlines   
   have often highlighted the risks of VPNs linked to high-risk   
   jurisdictions, a broad-scale security and privacy analysis by Zimperium   
   zLabs of 800 free VPN apps for both Android and iOS reveals the threat   
   is far more widespread. Our research found that a significant number of   
   these applications exhibit dangerous behaviors."   
      
   Google’s advice to install VPNs only from official stores is key. But   
   I’d go further. Free VPNs are best avoided. Chinese VPNs must be   
   avoided. Google and Apple have been criticized for allowing unsafe VPNs   
   onto their app stores. Use your own judgment and select a reputable VPN   
   from a well-known western brand. And be prepared to pay for it.   
      
   “Determining a VPN’s true operational base is notoriously difficult,”   
   Telecoms Tech News says. “Many providers use a complex web of shell   
   companies in privacy-friendly nations to mask that their infrastructure   
   and staff may reside elsewhere. This corporate obfuscation makes it   
   nearly impossible for the average user to know who is handling their   
   sensitive data.” That means, hard as it might be, “before installing a   
   VPN, especially a free one, users should attempt to investigate its   
   origins.”   
      
   Meanwhile, keep an eye on the news. A clampdown on VPN usage really   
   could be on its way. And just as with the threat to end-to-end   
   encryption it’s an alarming new direction for internet freedoms.   
   Legislators need to stop and think.   
      
   https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/11/11/porn-ban-google-issues   
   -new-warning-for-all-smartphone-users/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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