<s>
A	O
virtual	O
private	O
network	O
(	O
VPN	O
)	O
service	O
provides	O
a	O
proxy	B-Application
server	I-Application
to	O
help	O
users	O
bypass	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
censorship	I-Application
such	O
as	O
geoblocking	O
and	O
users	O
who	O
want	O
to	O
protect	O
their	O
communications	O
against	O
data	B-General_Concept
profiling	I-General_Concept
or	O
MitM	O
attacks	O
on	O
hostile	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
many	O
providers	O
simply	O
provide	O
an	O
Internet	B-Application
proxy	I-Application
that	O
uses	O
VPN	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
OpenVPN	B-Language
or	O
WireGuard	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commercial	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
are	O
often	O
used	O
by	O
those	O
wishing	O
to	O
disguise	O
or	O
obfuscate	O
their	O
physical	O
location	O
or	O
IP	O
address	O
,	O
typically	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
to	O
evade	O
Internet	B-Application
censorship	I-Application
or	O
geo-blocking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Providers	O
often	O
market	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
as	O
privacy-enhancing	O
,	O
citing	O
security	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
encryption	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
underlying	O
VPN	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
users	O
must	O
consider	O
that	O
when	O
the	O
transmitted	O
content	O
is	O
not	O
encrypted	O
before	O
entering	O
the	O
proxy	O
,	O
that	O
content	O
is	O
visible	O
at	O
the	O
receiving	O
endpoint	O
(	O
usually	O
the	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
provider	O
's	O
site	O
)	O
regardless	O
of	O
whether	O
the	O
VPN	O
tunnel	O
itself	O
is	O
encrypted	O
for	O
the	O
inter-node	O
transport	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
client	O
side	O
,	O
configurations	O
intended	O
to	O
use	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
as	O
proxies	O
are	O
not	O
conventional	O
VPN	O
configurations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
less	O
common	O
alternative	O
is	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
SOCKS	B-Application
proxy	I-Application
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
computer	O
magazines	O
,	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
are	O
typically	O
judged	O
on	O
connection	O
speeds	O
;	O
privacy	O
protection	O
,	O
including	O
privacy	O
at	O
signup	O
and	O
grade	O
of	O
encryption	O
;	O
server	O
count	O
and	O
locations	O
;	O
interface	O
usability	O
;	O
and	O
cost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
are	O
commonly	O
exposed	O
to	O
misinformation	O
on	O
the	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
market	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
for	O
them	O
to	O
tell	O
apart	O
vague	O
and	O
bold	O
claims	O
and	O
facts	O
in	O
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Consumer	O
Reports	O
,	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
providers	O
have	O
poor	O
privacy	O
and	O
security	O
practices	O
and	O
also	O
make	O
hyperbolic	O
claims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
were	O
criticized	O
on	O
various	O
grounds	O
by	O
British	O
YouTuber	O
and	O
web	O
developer	O
Tom	O
Scott	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
has	O
noted	O
that	O
users	O
should	O
reconsider	O
whether	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
is	O
worth	O
their	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
are	O
not	O
sufficient	O
for	O
protection	O
against	O
browser	O
fingerprinting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
unapproved	O
VPN	B-Application
services	I-Application
was	O
banned	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
circumvent	O
the	B-Application
Great	I-Application
Firewall	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Russia	O
has	O
banned	O
various	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
providers	O
in	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
+	O
Service	O
Leak	O
Protection	O
Protocols	O
Obfuscation	O
/	O
Censorship	O
Avoidance	O
Network	O
Neutrality	O
Server	O
First-party	O
DNS	B-Protocol
servers	O
IPv6	O
supported	O
/	O
blocked	O
Offers	O
kill	O
switch	O
Offers	O
OpenVPN	B-Language
Offers	O
WireGuard	B-Application
Supports	O
multihop	O
Supports	O
TCP	O
port	O
44	O
Supports	O
Obfsproxy	O
Offers	O
SOCKS	B-Application
Supports	O
SSL	O
tunnel	O
Supports	O
SSH	O
tunnel	O
Blocks	O
SMTP	O
(	O
authent	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Blocks	O
P2P	O
[	O
Dedicated	O
or	O
Virtual	O
Diskless	O
Avast	B-Application
SecureLine	I-Application
Avira	B-Application
Phantom	I-Application
VPN	I-Application
ExpressVPN	B-Application
Hotspot	B-Application
Shield	I-Application
Elite	I-Application
IPVanish	B-Application
IVPN	B-Application
Mullvad	B-Application
and	O
SOCKS5	B-Application
NordVPN	B-Application
and	O
SOCKS5	B-Application
Private	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
Access	I-Application
Private	O
Internet	O
Access™	O
is	O
default	O
secure	O
from	O
this	O
vulnerability	O
since	O
we	O
use	O
real	O
bare	O
metal	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
