What is Onavo VPN? Is it secure to use on Android and iOS devices? There was a time when social media groups competed among themselves to be on the top. These days the scenario has slightly changed. Social media companies are still fighting against themselves, but this time it’s about being the best VPN provider. Virtual Private Networks have become more widespread than social media these days. With everyone from ISPs to security agencies spying on our online activities; Internet users have been frantically searching for ways to protect themselves and their data. Even though VPNs can be pricey sometimes, it still doesn’t prevent people from using them.
What Is Onavo VPN – Facebook Launches Its Own VPN App
What Is Onavo VPN?
Needless to say, there is substantial competition among VPN providers. Given the prevalence of VPNs; every company now aspires to cash in on the trend. Social media groups aren’t too far behind either. Facebook strives to lead this time too; by rendering their own VPN service, and tactfully redirecting users to install it.
In case you haven’t discerned, there is a new feature in the Facebook mobile app; which takes users to the Apple app store to download their very own VPN called Onavo Protect. Onavo VPN used to be a third party service that was bought by Facebook in 2013.
Most users might think that Facebook launching its own VPN is a very convenient feature, but the company’s motives aren’t quite like traditional VPN services. Many people believe Facebook should stop putting out fake news and being politically correct, but this is another topic.(Also check, Keep These Social Media Settings Disabled For Your Own Good)
Is Facebook VPN Safe To Use?
The VPN choice is available at the moment in the US, India, and Brazil, three of the most populated countries in the world. However, it is only available on Facebook’s iOS app, which means that the company is testing the feature with a limited user base. Previously, users in the UK had been given access to the VPN.
At first, when I thought what is Onavo VPN; it seems to be like any other VPN, encrypting your data and masking your IP address to keep you anonymous. VPNs protect you from online threats by passing your data through a secure tunnel between your computer and the VPN server. Since the data is encrypted, even if someone manages to get into your network, the data will only be gibberish to them.
VPNs protect you from everyone, even from the VPN itself. VPNs are not supposed to store IP addresses or log user data. That’s how they maintain your anonymity and privacy online. However, Onavo Protect doesn’t talk about privacy. If you read the app description, you will discover that instead of protecting your data, Onavo collects it and sends it to Facebook.
In short, it implies Onavo is collecting your data instead of maintaining your privacy. The app sends across the data to Facebook to help the company know what users are doing online. This is an outright breach of confidentiality.
We all are aware of Facebook spying on users and selling data to advertising partners. What it does with the data from Onavo isn’t quite clear, but there are speculations that the data is used to find out which app is more popular among users and which app is dripping in popularity.(Also check, 5 Best VPN for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube)
Facebook Is Still Soaking Up the Information About You
This helps Facebook predict acquisition opportunities and also helps them copy popular features from other apps. Basically, when you install Onavo on your device, Facebook gets to know which other apps you are using on your phone, even when you are logged out. This is creepy but very true.
Conclusion -What Is Onavo VPN?
Onavo is a free VPN, and as with most free VPNs, the service you get isn’t of the highest quality. User data is often secretly logged, tunneling protocols are outdated, and there are annoying ads everywhere. For the best kind of online protection, get a paid VPN. It might seem like expensive at first, but it’s worth it.
