A recent report from the Technology Transparency Project (TTP) has exposed a worrying trend: numerous VPN apps available on the Apple and Google app stores, many ranking among the top 100 free VPNs in the US, have undisclosed ties to Chinese companies. This raises significant privacy and security concerns, as user data could potentially be shared with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, encrypt internet data, providing users with a degree of anonymity online. However, the TTP’s April report revealed that over 20 of the top 100 free VPNs in the US Apple App Store in 2024 showed evidence of Chinese ownership, a fact conspicuously absent from their app descriptions.

These apps actively concealed their Chinese connections, often using layers of shell companies to mask their true origins. This lack of transparency leaves users vulnerable, unknowingly entrusting their sensitive data to entities with potential allegiances to the CCP. The continued availability of these VPNs on major app stores highlights a pressing need for greater scrutiny and transparency in the VPN market.