Indians are familiar with sharing Netflix accounts. One account, four users. Now, the same Indians are looking to share the cost of virtual private networks (VPNs) as increasingly they pay for VPN accounts. The reasons are several. There are thousands of websites that are now banned in India, using opaque and official or unofficial means. To access many of these websites, Indian users are now turning to VPNs. Then, there is the safety and surveillance aspect. As cybercrimes, identity thefts and the risks of surveillance grow in India, users are turning to VPNs.
Here is a number: According to data extracted from Google Play Store and Apple App Store using Sensor Tower service, India ranked fourth among 85 countries in the VPN penetration rate for the first half of 2021. India's VPN installation penetration went up from only 3.28 per cent population in 2020 to 25.27 per cent in the first six months of 2021.
But beyond the numbers, there are stories. A group of friends was looking for a fourth member to share their Virtual Private Network (VPN) account with. Even before I could say yes to my part of the contribution, they had found someone else.
Though soon, another friend approached with a similar proposal, asking me if I wanted to share an account with her. That is just how popular and useful VPNs are now deemed in India. While a lot of VPN use is to access streaming content that is geographically locked out of India, that's not the only reason why Indians are now using VPNs.
A tech enthusiast, on the condition of anonymity, says that user information can be stolen even from poorly configured private WiFi, let alone public WiFi, which is next level insecure. Because the data travelling through VPN is encrypted, it helps during banking transactions as it cannot be snooped from unsecured websites from internet connections. Now that there is talk of banning VPNs in India, there is a fear among users that it would lead to inconvenience. At the same time, experts say that banning VPNs is no solution because there are many more different methods that cybercriminals for their activities. Last month, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs noted that the use of VPNs should be banned in India. Here is how a VPN works.
A VPN user says that the ban proposal is ridiculous. "Today they want to block VPNs citing crime, next they would want to disable password protection on phones as criminals use passwords on their phones to hide evidence," says the person.
Experts say that there is a legitimate use of VPNs. "I use VPN for privacy reasons. A friend told me that out of many other issues, using the public internet is dangerous without VPNs. So when I go to an airport or a cafe and use the net, I like to feel secure. And again, privacy is very important to me. The service providers and these corporate conglomerates already know too much about me than I am comfortable with," says Mritunjay Rathore, who started using VPNs a while ago.
Karan Saini, an ethical hacker, notes that VPNs allow people to access the uncensored internet. He says that a sizeable number of websites are blocked in India -- over 4000 -- without regard to their content, whether pornographic, scientific, cultural, or anything else. He says that the ability of Indian internet users to browse the web freely is decisively fettered and will continue to be in the foreseeable future.
"Considering that, banning one of the ways in which users circumvent censorship should be considered extremely harmful for the ecosystem of the internet in India and quality of life in the country in general," says Saini.
Saini is a big believer in VPNs and their ability to protect user information. He says users should use VPN services (they don't necessarily have to be commercial VPN services), even if they have nothing to hide. "A ban on VPN services will hamper democratic freedoms enjoyed by Indians, and which are furthered by the internet," says Saini.
Who is likely to get affected the most by the VPN ban, and will it help stop cybercrime? Experts say that a ban will create hassles for users, without impacting cybercriminals.
"If there is a ban on VPN, the biggest challenge will be faced by internet companies or big corporations as they use it the most to tackle various attacks," says cyber security researcher Rajashekhar Rajaharia. "Most ethical hackers and cyber security researchers also use VPN because they do not want their IPs to be tracked."
But how bad can banning VPNs get? Rajaharia says it will not make much of a difference to cybercriminals as they will continue to use the TOR browser which is near impossible to ban or block. "VPN can be tracked but TOR cannot be tracked, which makes TOR a bigger challenge. While VPN or proxies are used by big companies, TOR is used by hackers, so the authorities cannot entirely stop hackers or spammers from carrying out their activity," he says.
Akshay Pednekar, a Mumbai-based cyber security analyst, says that if the government is thinking of banning something, it should aim at TOR and not VPNs. "TOR was built to access the internet," he says, adding that this feature of TOR has resulted in an ecosystem of the deep web where a lot of illegal activities going on. Banning VPNs is unlikely to offer any solution, he suggests.
- Tor Browser Has a New WebTunnel Feature to Avoid Censorship - How-To Geek - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- The CIA Is Now Trying to Recruit Russian Spies On Telegram - TIME - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Dark Web Alerts: Identifying Criminal Data Exposure on the Dark Web - Security Boulevard - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Mullvad aces security audit with this new privacy tool - TechRadar - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Billions of Google Chrome users warned to avoid browser over red alert privacy concerns check your sett... - The US Sun - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How the decision on Space Command's home will be made - POLITICO - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Bitcoin Mixers: Clearnet vs. Darknet Which Offers Greater Anonymity? - Crypto Mode - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- Matt Taibbi: Report on the Censorship-Industrial Complex - Scheerpost.com - April 27th, 2023 [April 27th, 2023]
- The Ultimate 2023 Guide to The Tor Browser Explained - Pixel Privacy - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- What is Tor & How Do You Use It? Microsoft 365 - January 17th, 2023 [January 17th, 2023]
- Improving privacy when browsing web: Alternative browsers and chrome extensions - HackRead - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Tor Browser Bundle - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Hacktivists seek to aid Iran protests with cyberattacks and tips on how to bypass internet censorship - CNBC - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- This security firm claims to have the right tool for your privacy, and it's not a VPN - TechRadar - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- A VPN Isn't the Only Way to Change Your IP Address - CNET - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Hi, I'll be your ransomware negotiator today but don't tell the crooks that - The Register - August 6th, 2022 [August 6th, 2022]
- Rewards for Justice Reward Offer for Information on Russian Interference in U.S. Elections - United States Department of State - Department of State - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- How Tor Is Fightingand BeatingRussian Censorship - WIRED - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- What Is Incognito Mode And Should You Be Using It? - Forbes - July 29th, 2022 [July 29th, 2022]
- TOR Browser - Onion VPN on the App Store - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- Tor Browser now bypasses internet censorship automatically - BleepingComputer - July 17th, 2022 [July 17th, 2022]
- The dangers of the dark web: being safe online - Open Access Government - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Tor vs VPN: Which One Should You Use? - Dignited - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Rewards for Justice Offers Up to $10 Million for Information on Foreign Interference in US Elections - HS Today - HSToday - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Kremlin tightens control over Russians' online lives threatening domestic freedoms and the global internet - Jacksonville Journal-Courier - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Defence in Amanda Todd 'sextortion' trial zeroes in on missing data - The Tri-City News - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Now that 'Roe' has been overturned, it's up to the tech industry to protect our data - Fast Company - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- QAnon Is Celebrating the Return of Its Leader After 18 Months of Silence - VICE - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- 3 ways to find out if your passwords are being sold on the Dark Web - Komando - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- EXPLAINER: EFCC 'Linked Naira Marley to the Dark Web'. Here's What You Need to Know About the Internet's Most Hidden Part - FIJ NG - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- What is the Dark Web? - AOL - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- Cookie Banners Can Be AnnoyingHere's How To Block Them - WRAL News - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- DuckDuckGo tries to explain why its browsers won't block some Microsoft web trackers - The Register - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- Proton VPN Secure Core: what it is and when you should use it - TechRadar - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- How to Download & Install Tor Browser in Windows 10 - May 7th, 2022 [May 7th, 2022]
- How to Unblock a Webpage from Behind a Firewall - Beebom - May 7th, 2022 [May 7th, 2022]
- Download Tor Browser For Windows & MAC (Offline Installer) - May 1st, 2022 [May 1st, 2022]
- Tor Browser - Dark Web Portal Exposed | Dark Web Wiki - May 1st, 2022 [May 1st, 2022]
- Top 10 dark web links & Tor websites for 2022 - Surfshark - May 1st, 2022 [May 1st, 2022]
- How to Install the Tor Browser on a Chromebook - May 1st, 2022 [May 1st, 2022]
- How to Anonymous access to the dark web with Tor - BollyInside - May 1st, 2022 [May 1st, 2022]
- How to Change the Tor Browser Language - How-To Geek - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- Bites of Life: Shining Light on the Dark Web - Macalester College The Mac Weekly - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- How to protect against the weakest link in cybersecurity THE USERS - Security Boulevard - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- What Is Dark Social and Why It Matters - Legal Talk Network - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- IP bans - why they happen and how to prevent them - Oneindia - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- Deep Web Tor Browser - Tor Links - Onion Links (2022) - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- How to Install and Use the Tor Browser on Linux - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- The Best VPN for Binance 2022 [How to Use Binance With a VPN] - Cloudwards - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- Three tactics for security providers in the age of Dark Web collaboration - SecurityInfoWatch - April 20th, 2022 [April 20th, 2022]
- Simple way to Install Tor Browser in Rocky Linux 8 - Linux Shout - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Laptop in Veltman apartment had what appeared to be 'hate-related material': docs - Lethbridge News Now - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- How to Access Blocked Websites anywhere and for Free - BollyInside - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Download Tor Browser for Mac - Free - 10.0 - Digital Trends - March 11th, 2022 [March 11th, 2022]
- Open in Tor Browser Get this Extension for Firefox (en-US) - March 11th, 2022 [March 11th, 2022]
- Use Brave Private Browsing with Tor to Hide IP Address - OSXDaily - February 21st, 2022 [February 21st, 2022]
- Are Crypto Transactions More Transparent Than Wire Transfers? - InvestingCube - February 21st, 2022 [February 21st, 2022]
- The Truth about Dark Web Is It Really Dangerous? - Crypto Mode - February 21st, 2022 [February 21st, 2022]
- Tech-Savvy Professionals Among 22 Arrested In Dark Web Narcotics Operation - NDTV - February 15th, 2022 [February 15th, 2022]
- Download Tor Browser for Windows - Free - 11.0.3 - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- Tor Project heads to Russian court to appeal against censorship - The Daily Swig - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- Firefox Monitor may remove personal information now from the Internet - Ghacks Technology News - December 9th, 2021 [December 9th, 2021]
- The Real Russia. Today. Reining in an unruly Communist Party Meduza - Meduza - December 9th, 2021 [December 9th, 2021]
- See the stunning mansion Josh Duggar is calling home during his child pornography trial ahead of possible... - The US Sun - December 9th, 2021 [December 9th, 2021]
- Whats the Difference Between the Deep Web and the Dark Web? - How-To Geek - December 9th, 2021 [December 9th, 2021]
- How to Access the Dark Web Complete Guide? - The Bulletin Time - December 7th, 2021 [December 7th, 2021]
- Theres More to Threat Intelligence Than Dark Web Monitoring - Security Boulevard - November 25th, 2021 [November 25th, 2021]
- You have to work on this through the routeras options diet plan, as some items immediately restore previous setup after a forced reboot - ADOTAS - November 25th, 2021 [November 25th, 2021]
- What is Tor (Browser) & How does it work? | CyberNews - November 23rd, 2021 [November 23rd, 2021]
- Privacy-Protective Internet Browser Tor Is Running Low on Servers - Gizmodo - November 23rd, 2021 [November 23rd, 2021]
- Yes, the Internet has become safer but a VPN is still needed - TechGenix - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Scots businessman caught with the 'most serious' category of child abuse images jailed - Scottish Daily Record - November 19th, 2021 [November 19th, 2021]
- Anna and Josh Duggar welcomed daughter Madyson Lily on October 23, their 7th child * starcasm.net - Starcasm - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Tor Browser (Alpha) 11.0.9 Download | TechSpot - November 5th, 2021 [November 5th, 2021]
- US government offers $10 million bounty for information on Colonial Pipeline hackers - The Verge - November 5th, 2021 [November 5th, 2021]
- The Tor Browser: What is it and why would you use it ... - October 24th, 2021 [October 24th, 2021]
- Tor Explained: What is Tor? How Does It Work? Is It Illegal? - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Alternatives to Using a VPN That Provided Excellent Anonymity While Online - TechBullion - October 21st, 2021 [October 21st, 2021]
- Slicing open The Onion Router (Tor) with no tears - ComputerWeekly.com - October 19th, 2021 [October 19th, 2021]
- What is the dark web? - fox4kc.com - October 19th, 2021 [October 19th, 2021]