VPNhub says it does not collect user data and offers a paid version to eliminate ads and bring faster browsing
Yes, that’s what you read: Pornhub, the adult entertainment site, has launched a free and unlimited VPN. Named VPNhub, it allows the user to browse anonymously and in encrypted form, without the operator being able to see or limit the content accessed.
VPNhub has a free mode, which has no franchise limit, but reduces browsing speed to some extent and shows ads. “With 90 million visits a day, most of which access from anywhere, it is especially important that we continue to ensure the privacy of our users,” explained Corey Price, Vice President of Pornhub, the motivation behind the launch of the Engadget.
The first thing I thought of when I read Unlimited Free VPN was to find out what data VPNhub collects (I imagine you do too). Pornhub is emphatic: “We never store, collect, sell or transmit your personal information to third parties”.
This is also highlighted by VPNhub’s privacy policy: “We do not track user activities outside of our apps, nor do we track users’ activities on the internet while they are connected to our VPN services.” They claim to only collect the Device Advertiser ID and use third parties like Analytics and Firebase to track and analyze your behavior within the app only.
How does the service make money then? With VPNhub Premium, which eliminates ads, offers greater browsing speed, allows you to select any of 15 countries (with a thousand different servers), and enables access from applications for Mac or Windows; the free version only works on Android or iPhone. VPNhub Premium costs BRL 179.90 per year or BRL 45.90 per month.
As Engadget points out, Mindgeek, which owns Pornhub, doesn’t have a good reputation for security. Last year, it was discovered that Pornhub had unwittingly hosted malicious ads for over a year. In 2016, the Brazzers forum, another porn site by Mindgeek, was attacked and usernames, emails, and passwords were leaked onto the internet. In 2012, it was YouPorn’s turn, which had 1.1 million accounts exposed.
Opera had also released a free unlimited VPN ( which made you the product ), but it was discontinued at the end of April for no apparent reason. A free alternative could be ProtonVPN, released by the creators of ProtonMail, which is only speed-limited and appears to be secure.