VPNs Leaked 1.2TB of Your Data and That is Pretty Awkward

Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash

20 Million VPN users across seven different VPN services had their data compromised (including personally identifiable information) when it ended up on the dark web.

That’s unacceptable.

Your average tech-bro (and a rapidly growing subset of tech-gals) advise using VPNs and the Tor Network to protect your privacy.

But, Tor is not that secure either.

It is not the privacy mana that it is made out to be. Just ask Ross Ulbricht who is currently serving a double life sentence.

In regards to the Facebooks and the Twitters of the world, remember, “If you’re not paying for the service, you’re the product.”

But, people paid for these VPN services and still had their data leaked. This begs another question:

“Is this going to be the new normal? Should we expect our personal data and browsing history to be leaked when we go online?”

Well, the short answer is NO.

But, I guess we should still accept that every company out there may do something questionable with our data.

This brings us to the bifurcation in the road and the crux of this edition of the newsletter.

Should you embrace the absence of privacy online because it helps advertisers show only the most ‘relevant of ads to you?

OR,

Should you consider this an assault on your inviolable rights because these ads have proven to sway public sentiments and election results?

Let us know know your opinion via this writing prompt. Simply log in, click on the prompt link and start writing.

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