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TechRadar
TechRadar
Chiara Castro

Free VPN apps found to have ties with Russia and China – and they're hiding in Google and Apple’s app stores

Apple Google Russia China Android
Russian flag on a laptop.
  • Security researchers found Russian network fingerprints on 12 free VPNs available on Google and Apple's app stores, and Chinese traces on six
  • Five of these VPNs are also thought to have ties with a Shanghai-based firm believed to have links with the Chinese military
  • While network fingerprints don’t necessarily signal Chinese or Russian ownership, experts advise caution

Twelve free VPN services available on the official Google Play and Apple App Store may have links with Russia, and six with China.

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