In a shocking discovery, at least five VPN apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store were found to have links to the Chinese military. And three of them had already been downloaded over a million times before anyone noticed, according to a report by 9to5 Mac.
VPNs are supposed to keep your internet activity private and secure, but what if the very app you trust is secretly watching you? That’s exactly the concern raised by this investigation, conducted by the Tech Transparency Project and the Financial Times.
The Five VPNs in Question:
--Turbo VPN
--VPN Proxy Master
--Thunder VPN
--Snap VPN
--Signal Secure VPN (Not related to the Signal messaging app)
These apps have ties to Qihoo 360, a cybersecurity company that was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 due to its alleged connections with the Chinese military. The US Department of Defense even labeled it as a military-affiliated company.
The investigation also found that another company involved, Guangzhou Lianchuang, is hiring people to “monitor and analyze platform data.” Even more concerning? They’re specifically looking for candidates who are “well-versed in American culture.” What exactly are they monitoring? That’s the big question.
After being tipped off by the Financial Times, Apple quickly removed Thunder VPN and Snap VPN from the App Store. However, the other three are still up for grabs, leaving many wondering why they haven’t been taken down yet.
Apple responded by saying it takes user privacy and security “extremely seriously” and that any VPN app that doesn’t follow its strict guidelines will be removed. But the fact that these apps were available for so long raises concerns about how thoroughly app stores vet VPN services.
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