Australians continue to opt for free VPNs, ignoring potential privacy risks

By Newsdesk

February 27 2024
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Australians, alongside citizens of Sweden, South Korea, and Mexico, are increasingly choosing to use free Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), despite the potential threats to their privacy.

Australians continue to opt for free VPNs, ignoring potential privacy risks

This trend persists even as the number of paid VPN users in Australia sees a significant rise. According to a recent survey conducted by NordVPN, while there has been a noticeable drop in the usage of free VPNs in most of the 20 surveyed countries, Australia is among the few nations where the use of such services has actually increased since the previous year.

Marijus Briedis, the Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, highlighted the risks associated with free VPNs. "A free VPN is often a privacy illusion," he noted. Briedis explained that the cost of operating a vast network of servers is immense, necessitating that companies find ways to make their operations profitable. "One of the main ways free VPNs make money is by selling your personal data to brokers," Briedis revealed, adding that this data is then purchased by advertisers to refine their marketing campaigns, thus compromising users’ privacy and security.

The survey also shed light on changing reasons behind VPN usage, revealing a slow but steady shift towards prioritizing online privacy and data protection. The proportion of people using VPNs for privacy reasons increased from nearly 37% to 40% since 2022. However, concerns about device and account security have slightly diminished.

Interestingly, the survey suggested a generational divide in attitudes towards digital privacy and security. Younger Australians appeared to be less concerned about these issues when compared to older generations. "Digital privacy and security awareness comes with maturity," Briedis remarked, indicating that Australians aged between 25 and 44 show the highest concern for digital security and demonstrate the most prudent VPN usage habits.

Australia stands out for its high level of VPN awareness and usage among the surveyed countries. Approximately 68% of Australians are aware of what a VPN is, and 32% reported using one. This represents a significant increase from 2022, when only a quarter of respondents said they used a VPN. The typical Australian VPN user is male, aged between 25 and 44, employed, and financially comfortable.

In contrast, the global average for VPN awareness and usage across the 20 countries involved in the research in 2023 is slightly lower, with nearly 64% awareness and about 29% usage. The leading countries in terms of VPN usage include Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

However, despite the overall decline in the use of free VPNs in the biggest markets, Australia, Sweden, South Korea, and Mexico saw increases in the percentage of people opting for these services. The trend in Australia saw the number of free VPN users grow from 33% to 35%.

The survey, aimed to gather insights into VPN awareness and usage, was conducted by an external agency on behalf of NordVPN between January and October 2023. It included responses from 54,625 participants across 20 countries, with quotas placed on age, gender, and place of residence to ensure nationally representative samples among internet users.

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