ESET Security - Free VPN feature

[Ross365]

I've been using ESET security software for more years than I can remember and like it. They've emailed me saying I now have (free) access to their VPN system.
I cannot claim any great knowledge of VPN's; searching Google for comments about the ESET system, there don't seem to be any serious gripes about it. If it's the case that using a VPN slows things down by some tiny amount, that would not bother me, so I'm inclined to go ahead and enable it. It's integrated in to software I know and trust and it's free.

Anyone got any views on VPN's?

 

[Richiew]

Not a VPN but TOR (Web browser) is useful for accessing IPs blocked by British courts. It also obscures your location if you find that useful. In summary, it does some of the things that you might use a VPN for.

 

[julianf]

If a business is giving you a "free" vpn, i would assume its because they want your data.

I would rather pay for one, that keeps no logs, and, preferably, allows payment with a block chain currency.


A number of the bigger VPN companies are based out of Israel. You may have feelings about what they may, or may not, want with your data.


Basically, if its free, you are the product. As with all of these things. But, with a corporate (ie not TOR) free vpn, you can be be close to assured that you are being sold some way or other.

 

[Jackimus]

VPNs - great

Free VPNs - questionable, they have to make their money somewhere - selling your data to advertisers is the best case scenario.

Free access to a VPN that you would otherwise have to pay for, because you use their other services? Sure, great.

 

[Ross365]

Not a VPN but TOR (Web browser) is useful for accessing IPs blocked by British courts. It also obscures your location if you find that useful. In summary, it does some of the things that you might use a VPN for.

Yes, I used Tor in the distant past but had forgotten about it.


While I have always liked ESET, I do go along with the idea that with free stuff, you are the product. But given that I've already got ESET security on the PC already, don't they aready "have my data" or is the use of the VPN opening "new/bigger doors"?

 

[skotl]

I'm presuming that you're paying something for ESET, in which case the "you're the product" theory probably doesn't apply. The antivirus / security market is pretty cut-throat so if they can keep hold of subscribers by adding VPN then that makes a lot of sense, commercially.

If it's the case that using a VPN slows things down

That used to be the case, with underpowered PCs and slow internet connections, but you should notice zero effective difference in speed.

From a security perspective, any VPN (by a reputable provider, which I'd count ESET as), is a lot better than no VPN. I'd give it a go.

 

[Ross365]

@skotl yes, since my last post I was thinking about this and I made a mistake by describing the ESET VPN as free. ESET, actually a slightly expensive security package, has been bundling the VPN with its most expenive packages for some time. It looks like its now been forced to include in to their cheaper packages (like mine) because just about all the comparable security packages on the market have already done that. So, it could be that all of the bundled packages are selling your data.

You could go and buy a VPN if you believe that would not sell your data, but I wonder if it would be a good idea to run a general security package from one company, and then a VPN alongside it from a second company? Don't think I want to do the experiment!

 

[Domdom]

Speed when web browsing or using applications that are sensitive to latency, such as video calling etc, will all be slower to a degree. More so if you choose to hide behind a US based server for example.

Latency is a real thing and will remain so until someone accelerates the speed of light. I use VPN everywhere and depending on what I’m doing I tend to switch between the Netherlands and the USA. I can tell you which one is in use by the responses speeds.

They are worth using though. Whether or not you have anything to hide is irrelevant. We all have something worth protecting, privacy.

 

[skotl]

@skotl yes, since my last post I was thinking about this and I made a mistake by describing the ESET VPN as free. ESET, actually a slightly expensive security package, has been bundling the VPN with its most expenive packages for some time. It looks like its now been forced to include in to their cheaper packages (like mine) because just about all the comparable security packages on the market have already done that. So, it could be that all of the bundled packages are selling your data.

You could go and buy a VPN if you believe that would not sell your data, but I wonder if it would be a good idea to run a general security package from one company, and then a VPN alongside it from a second company? Don't think I want to do the experiment!

That makes sense. The "somebody has to pay, somewhere" argument is a reality, so what you describe is entirely unsurprising - compute and network costs continue to tumble so it's sensible that ESET have decided to bundle what was a premium feature into the lower tiers. Anything that makes you think "wait... I could get AV, anti-malware, VPN from three different providers, for a lower cost" is what they're battling.

I think the "sell your data" point was valid ten or more years ago but no reputable company is going to say they won't do that, and then go ahead and do it - the penalties both in the U.S. and the EU (including UK as we still apply most of the EU practices when it comes to data protection) would ruin a company that did this without making it clear.

And I think it's worth reminding ourselves, in as (hopefully!) non-techie manner as possible exactly what access to our data these companies have. I could write pages on this, but I'll boil it down to two points:

1. When you are on any site that begins "https" then nobody, not your ISP, your security vendor or your VPN provider, can see inside the packets that you transmit to that website
2. A VPN hides your source location / IP and the routes that you take to end up on a given website - it doesn't interfere with the data that you transmit to that website

So, as long as ESET is a reputable business (and I see no reason to suspect it will cease to be) then the notion that they will sell your data isn't a real concern.

 

[skotl]

BTW, to give an idea of how much of a commodity VPNs have become, I've happily used Surfshark for years and would recommend them to anyone.

But... #1... their list price is around £30 per year
But... #2... by waiting for promotions I've never paid more than around £15 in total for two years at a time.