Code signature of Google AdMob can be found in 2 apps. Now we're diving into deeper waters populated by more rarer, and in some cases, more dangerous species: 3 apps use MixPanel, a marketing analytics tool 2 have the Adjust mobile retargeting tool running, and 2 have have mobile analytics and attribution platform Kochava built into them. Honorable mention goes to Google Tag Manager, which is embedded into 3 apps. The bronze is split between AppsFlyer, a data-driven marketing tool, and the good ol' Google Analytics, each with 6 clients out of 20 VPN apps. The second place in terms of popularity is taken by another Google tool - Google Firebase Analytics, which is built into 11 applications. The most popular, found in 13 apps out of 20, is Google CrashLytics, a real time crash reporting tool which is part of Google's Firebase ecosystem. Let's take a closer look at what these trackers are exactly. You can use this website to check any of the VPN apps you are interested in yourself:Įxodus Privacy Trackers and 'best' VPNs: Look under the hoodĪs we've already mentioned, out of the 20 VPNs we chose to review based on their inclusion in various ratings, 14 have trackers built into their Android apps. These are Techradar, Tom’s Guide,, vpnMentor,, Makesuseof, and PCMag among others. We won’t out any specific VPNs, but we will name the publications so that you can have a crude idea where to look for our heroes and anti-heroes. It has turned out that at least 14 VPN apps have tracking scripts embedded in them. Here's what we did: We selected 20 VPNs that have made it into the "best VPNs" lists compiled by various technology and cybersecurity publications over the past year and checked if they have any in-built trackers in their Android apps. Instead we will give you some information to ponder over. There is very little wiggle room when it comes to sharing data with third parties - after all, that is what VPNs are designed to prevent and which many of them pride themselves on doing.īut what if some of the important facts about a VPN slip under the experts' radar or get omitted by them on purpose? We will not entertain conspiracy theories and declare all tech publications frauds and sell-outs. It's usually a range of different criteria that reviewers take into consideration: connection speed, number and location of servers, customer support - we can all agree that these are important - but what we expect from VPNs by default is a certain degree of privacy and protection from trackers and advertisers. Trust, but verifyĪnd while your friends may have valuable firsthand experience with VPNs, there's also seemingly nothing wrong with trusting high-in-regard industry experts on the matter: they would carefully vet each service provider, poke it with a privacy-sharpened stick and arrive at a verdict: Yea or Nay. A regular user simply lacks time or resources to examine each and every of dozens of VPN providers, review thousands of testimonies (provided they are not carefully curated) and make an informed choice. To learn more about IVPN’s AntiTracker visit our dedicated FAQ.When we look for a VPN to install, it's usually friends or tech publications we refer to. Since AntiTracker blocks advertising services, they won’t collect your personal information, and ads targeted to you won’t follow you around.įor stronger protection against the leaders of the surveillance economy, you can also block domains for Facebook and Google services by enabling AntiTracker’s Hardcore mode.Įach IVPN plan includes AntiTracker, it works on every device supported by our service and uses a continuously updated block list ( OISD full). This prevents companies from profiling you based on the actions you have taken in a browser or in apps. With AntiTracker enabled in the IVPN apps, network connection requests by third-party trackers are stopped. Besides profiting from ads, site operators might get paid by the third parties for valuable information about your behavior. Most websites and apps either run ads or pass on user data to third parties, enabling companies to build a detailed profile of your preferences. This provides additional privacy protection on top of the regular VPN benefits gained by using IVPN. It prevents snooping on your activities by social networks, data brokers and marketers. AntiTracker is a built-in tool for IVPN apps that blocks ads, web trackers, adware and malware.
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