Kaspersky Secure Connection: VPN service is a new application of Russian Kaspersky security company for the Android mobile operating system.
The application is available for free but also for a fee. The free version of the application gives you daily traffic to 200 Megabytes, while the premium version eliminates the limitation, and can be used up to five devices.
The application promises to protect the privacy and data of its users when they are online, encrypting connections and not logging what users do online.
Nevertheless it asks for access to your contacts, calls and location, and if you deny any of these it doesn't start. If you check the full list of permissions requested by the app, you'll find many more, such as Identify (locates accounts in device), device and app history (reads your bookmarks and web history) and also reads what's on USB storage devices.
It is not clear why these rights are required and the basic reason for a service provider to work VPN, but rather that's why it has negative reviews on Google Play.
The current quota of 200 Megabytes per day is sufficient for a somewhat small one tour maybe even check your email, but don't expect it to last long. That's 200MB.
If you need a VPN to start streaming media or open heavy sites on the program browsing which you prefer, 200MB is not enough at all.
But we should mention another issue related to the protection of your privacy, which only becomes apparent if you allow the rights. The application is powered by the Hotspot Shield. The Center for Democracy and Technology has filed a complaint against Anchorfree, Inc., the company behind the Hotspot Shield. (PDF)
The Center for Democracy and Technology asks the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Hotspot Shield Free Virtual Private Network (VPN) security practices and data exchange, a product of AnchorFree, Inc. Hotspot Shield Free VPN promises secure, And anonymous internet access. As described in detail below, this complaint concerns the undisclosed and unclear data exchange and redirect traffic that takes place at Hotspot Shield Free VPN. It is something that should be considered an unfair and misleading commercial practice in accordance with 5 article of the FTC.
To say it nicely: Avoid the Kaspersky Secure Connection application until Kaspersky has a mind. However you can try it out F-Secure Freedome VPN, an application that requires fewer permissions to run.
