Not everyone wants a VPN so they can keep their online activity private. Many just want to bypass region locks and watch HBO Max in the UK, or a movie on Netflix US that isn’t available in other countries.

However, when you do use a VPN, which stands for Virtual Private Network, you would correctly assume your data is encrypted whatever you do.

But this is not always the case, as I will explain.

Almost all VPN services offer extensions for web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, as well as apps for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS.

When you use a browser plug-in like this, the protection only applies to your activity in the web browser and not to other applications on your device. This is useful if you want to ensure that the maximum speed of your Internet connection is available for downloads and to avoid problems with other applications that might not work properly if they are forced to use a VPN connection.

But the way these extensions are marketed, both in their name and descriptions, makes it seem like they are just another “app” for using the VPN service.

Look in the Chrome Web Store, for example, and you’ll see extensions calling themselves “Free VPN Extension” and “Unlimited Secure VPN.” Read their descriptions and things are just as misleading.

“Ultra security, privacy, and anonymity,” says one, while another claims to “protect you from fraud and hackers… and protect your personal data.” Yet another says “Secure your browser activity with military-grade encryption while using public Wi-Fi hotspots, a corporate network, or a school network.” »

What is the problem? It is this: none of these extensions is actually a VPN. they are agents

Poxy proxies

A proxy server is similar to a VPN in that it changes your IP address and can make a website, Netflix, or other web service appear to be in a completely different location than your actual location.

A VPN does this too, but a proxy does not create an encrypted tunnel like a VPN does. And that means your ISP (and anyone else with a vested interest in spying on you) can still see the websites you visit, the files you download, and possibly sensitive information you send via email or other email services unencrypted. .

In fact, although HTTPS is used for many websites (meaning that the data is encrypted), it is not used by all. Also, when you visit a website, its address (such as www.techadvisor.com) must “resolve” to an IP address in order for your browser to display that web page.

This process is called a DNS lookup and is not always encrypted when using a proxy. So when the information is not encrypted, it is sent to a DNS server in plain text, revealing the sites you visit to anyone who has access to that server.

Is is It is possible to encrypt DNS lookups over HTTPS, but no description of the VPN browser extension (that I have seen) explains whether or not this happens with this particular plugin. The thing is, this is too complicated for most people to understand and even if you’re a security expert, it’s not clear what most VPN browser extensions actually do.

You can read more about proxy services if you are interested.

Many VPN services use careful wording in their browser extensions so they don’t actually intend to encrypt your internet connection. Instead, they talk about “HTTPS everywhere” and list the features available in the associated VPN service, but without specifying that some (like encryption of all data) don’t apply to the browser extension you’re using. install.

Not all VPN services are as bad as the others, but unless you’re already familiar with proxies, they’re all misleading to one degree or another. I have yet to see a single extension that explains to unsuspecting users that a “VPN proxy” is not actually a VPN connection and does not protect you in the same way.

Take the ZenMate description, for example. “ZenMate Free VPN Browser Extension uses strong encryption to protect all your traffic and hides your real IP address so you can access any blocked website, protect your data and browse the internet anonymously without data caps. »

Clearly misleading. In fact, even a VPN won’t make you anonymous, let alone a proxy.

ExpressVPN is better, calls it a proxy and explains more clearly in the description what the extension does. However, it adds to the confusion by calling it a “VPN proxy” when the VPN is already part of the company name.

But instead of writing this article as a warning, I’ve also reached out to every company featured in Tech Advisor’s Best VPN Service Roundups to ask them to change the name and description of the extensions they offer to specify that it’s only a proxy. services and not VPN.

When VPN is part of the company name, it is unavoidable to include it in the extension name. For others, the acronym VPN should not be used at all.

When is it safe to use a proxy?

If you just want to unblock YouTube, Netflix, or a website that you can’t access because it’s blocked in your region, a proxy is fine.

However, while visiting a blocked website could land you in trouble with the authorities, a proxy will not do the trick: you must use a VPN. And preferably a top VPN that takes security and privacy seriously, not just any old VPN.