VPN.ht is a VPN service launched in 2014 by Wicked Technology Limited, a Hong Kong-based tech company. Initially, the VPN service included Popcorn Time and BitTorrent but after some time the partnership was discontinued.
Today, VPN.ht claims to give its users 100% anonymity when browsing the Internet but is VPN.ht safe?
After analyzing VPN.ht, we found it relatively safe but would not recommend it because of a few issues we discovered about the Hong Kong-based VPN service.
Table of Contents
Jurisdiction
VPN.ht is located in Hong Kong which you would obviously consider to be a safe country away from the jurisdiction of the spying 14 Eyes Alliance. Members of the alliance have a pact to share data and other findings of their espionage activities amongst each other. If one country gains any information about your online activities and identity, they’ll share the data with the other members of the alliance.
The good news is that Hong Kong is not part of the intelligence-sharing arrangement. However, despite the numerous demonstrations against Chinese interference, Hong Kong is still largely under the control of China. This is not good news because China only permits VPN services that are sponsored and monitored by their government. Every VPN service in China must get government approval to operate.
The government and its allies such as Russia can easily demand a back-door access and monitor your online activities. We cannot confirm that such practices happen with VPN.ht but it is something you may have to consider before you sign up for their VPN services.
Not a 100% No-Logging Policy VPN
VPN.ht claims to have a no-log policy. They do a good job of stating this point all over the home page of their website. The company claims that they don’t keep logs and never know what you do with their VPN services but keep in mind that all companies say the same thing, including those that actually log your online activities.
On closer inspection of their Privacy Policy, you’ll notice that indeed the company does not collect or log traffic data but does store your registration email and payment details which contain personally identifiable information. The good news is that they promise not to share the details with third parties.
Another thing you may need to consider if you value your privacy is the fact that VPN.ht leaves cookies and other tracking stuff on your browser to help them with their sales campaigns. VPN.ht may not actually store your browsing data but to be 100% safe, it is wise to go with a VPN provider that doesn’t collect and log any data.
Security Features
In terms of security features, VPN.ht has good tunneling protocol and encryption. They use OpenVPN which is famously known as the best protocol for VPNs worldwide.
VPN.ht also uses AES 256-bit encryption that is known to be impenetrable and is the preferred encryption option by banks, the NSA, military, and tech companies such as Apple and Microsoft. VPN.ht does indeed have the best protocol and encryption to keep your data safe from hackers and prying eyes.
However, the VPN service lacks a kill switch feature which is usually your backup security plan when the VPN goes down for whatever reason.
If the VPN is suddenly interrupted, a kill switch immediately disconnects you from the Internet to avoid exposing your real IP address and traffic. A few tests on VPN.ht revealed IP and DNS leaks, which is the last thing you want in a reliable VPN.
Best Alternative VPNs
Given the shortcomings discussed above, it is quite evident that VPN.ht doesn’t provide the highest level of security.
If you are a security and privacy-conscious VPN user, we highly recommend the following providers:
- Provider
- User Rating
- Our Review
- Price
PureVPN- 4807 Votes
- $3.24 / month
ExpressVPN- 3795 Votes
- $6.67 / month
Conclusion
VPN.ht is not completely safe to use. They have a few security flaws that could potentially affect your browsing security and anonymity. You can try one of the alternative VPNs that provide a higher level of security.