Are you unwittingly using a Chinese VPN?

When you use a VPN, you expect software that you can trust. Unfortunately, it isn't always as straightforward as that. Although the term "VPN" might give you peace of mind as you connect to the internet, not all VPN services are what they claim, with some of them secretly being based in China. If you know anything about international privacy laws, that will be a pretty shocking revelation.

If you've been looking for an affordable VPN solution on your mobile, tablet, or smart TV, you might have found yourself looking into the depths of the Apple App Store or Google Play. Unfortunately, these platforms have a number of Chinese VPNs available in the mix.

But these China-owned services will almost certainly not appear in any best VPNs list, and they're unlikely to perform to the standards required of gaming VPNs. Beyond all of that, of course, you have no idea what these questionable services are doing with your private data.

Tech Transparency Project and the Chinese VPNs

Back in April 2025, the Tech Transparency Project (known as the TTP, and previously the Google Transparency Project) identified that apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play were owned by publishers linked to the Chinese military.

This, in effect, puts all data transferred via these VPNs in the hands of the Chinese government. VPN use is only permitted in China if the VPN company agrees to hand over browsing data to the ruling party in Beijing. As far as privacy is concerned, that's like trying to have a bath in a glass house full of cameras.

Companies that have been sanctioned by the U.S. government, shell companies in Hong Kong, and even VPNs targeted at children were found by the TTP. Most of these VPNs were removed from the respective app stores, but a new report from the TTP shows that some were allowed to continue, while new ones with similar origins have been added.

How to spot Chinese VPN apps

TTP has provided a list of the China-linked VPN apps on iOS and Android. If you're concerned, use your browser's text find feature (CTRL+F) to search for the name of the VPN you're using. Or simply stop using the VPN with the quirky name you installed the other day.

One of the most interesting things about these VPNs is how they style themselves as clever knock-offs, with similar-sounding names. So, instead of NordVPN, you've got "Now VPN." One has labeled itself "WireVPN," hooking onto the wireguard protocol used by VPNs. Another is "Hula VPN" which sounds very similar to Hola VPN - a legitimate provider.

Bad VPNs affect the trust level of the entire industry. App stores permitting these services to list their software - and profiting from sign-ups and in-app purchases - should think again. They could be causing considerable damage to this privacy technology's wider reputation.

With so many untrustworthy VPNs on both mobile platforms, it could prove difficult to avoid signing up to one. So, take the smart option and rely on a well-known European or North American VPN service, like NordVPN.

If you're planning on using a (trustworthy) VPN for gaming, our Minecraft VPN and Warzone VPN guides have some helpful pointers.