US Lawmakers Push FTC to Crack Down on VPNs That Use Deceptive Practices
Two Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to stop VPN providers from using deceptive practices to mislead customers into believing their services are secure.
“The VPN industry is extremely opaque, and many VPN providers exploit, mislead, and take advantage of unwitting consumers,” US Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-California) and US Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) told the commission.
In a letter(Opens in a new window) sent to the FTC today, the lawmakers urge the agency to crack down on the consumer VPN industry for engaging in deceptive marketing claims and shady data practices. They point to the impact of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which has already led nine US states to ban abortions. The lawmakers are now worried abortion seekers will flock to VPNs, under the presumption the services will protect their digital privacy.
The problem is that users have no way to verify the data protection claims from VPN providers, including if they truly maintain a “no-logs” policy on processing user data. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of VPN services available to download, yet there is a lack of practical tools or independent research to audit VPN providers’ security claims,” the lawmakers wrote.
Of course, customers can rely on review sites and blogs to help them find a worthy provider. But the lawmakers point out that “some VPN review websites are owned by companies that also offer VPN services. Meanwhile, blogs can profit from partnerships with the VPN providers.
“Many popular VPN services also spread inaccurate information on their websites,” the letter added. The lawmakers cite a study(Opens in a new window) from Consumer Reports last year, which found 12 out of the 16 VPN services
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