Man I remember when I first got into VPNs like 10 years ago it was all about free ones and thinking yeah I'm private now but smh now I realize how naive that was. I tried a few free VPNs recently just for kicks and wow the hidden costs are nuts. Like one I tested kept logging my data and selling it to third parties for ads I didn't even agree to. And the worst part? The speed was terrible like barely 10 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection but they claimed unlimited everything. It's crazy how much things have changed from those innocent days of just trusting a free VPN on some shady website. Now I see reviews showing some of those free services actually keep logs for years and sell your info to marketers or even worse like law enforcement sometimes. Just wish I knew back then what I know now. Back then I thought free was safe but turns out it's just a cheap cover for hidden costs and data selling. Wanna say if you really care about privacy don't fall for the free hype. Spend a few bucks and get a legit paid VPN. At least then you know they're not just selling your data or throttling your speeds.

Yeah I feel that, been doing this like 2 years now and I already saw how shady some free VPNs are. Used one for a week thinking it was chill and then I saw my data being sold to some shady ad company, bruh. Really made me realize if you want real privacy you gotta spend a little. No free ride is really free.

tbh if you really wanna avoid the shady free VPNs, check out ProtonVPN or Mullvad. Both got solid privacy policies, no logs and decent speeds for a paid VPN. Trust me, spending a few bucks is way safer than risking your data with freebies.

Did you ever think you'd get burned by a free VPN so badly back in the day? ymmv but I guess experience's the best teacher here.

spot on, bruh. free always comes with a catch, you just gotta see it before it bites you. ever find a legit free VPN that didn't turn out to be a scam?

ngl, felt safe at first but prob wasn't really, just hype. kinda sus now that i think about it

Always read the privacy policy of free VPNs, I once trusted one and it sold data to a third party. Felt kinda safe but turned out I was just another data point. Never again.

spot on. I remember using a free VPN a while back and feeling pretty chill, then I found out it was tracking and selling my data. lol, felt kinda dumb after.

did you mean to say "back in the day" or "kinda safe huh" because those two don't really fit together if you think about it, old free VPNs were always kinda sketchy even if they felt safe at first

Haha yeah, I caught that too. I mean, I used some free VPNs years ago and they seemed fine but now I realize they were probably always sketchy, just felt safe in the moment. You gotta be careful with free stuff, always.

Different angle: I actually tried a free VPN last year just out of curiosity and felt safe until I read a review that said most free ones just log your activity. Ended up deleting it after that lol. It's wild how much trust we give 'em sometimes.

Always check the privacy policy before trusting a free VPN, most of them log your data even if they claim they don't. It's like they say, "free" usually means you're the product. Better to shell out a few bucks for something legit if you care about your privacy.

Different angle: I think back then we kinda assumed the free ones were safer cuz they seemed legit. But rn, do you think some of those old free VPNs mighta actually been worse than now? Or were we just naive?

exactly what i was thinking.

Bruh, yeah, I remember thinking that too. Like, if it's free and looks legit, it gotta be safe right? turns out a lot of those old free VPNs were just as shady or worse, just didn't know better back then.

man, those free VPNs back then felt like they had a halo over them but really, who knew what was lurking in the code? now we kinda gotta double think everything, lol. reminds me of thinking we had safe internet, only to get scammed by some shady app later