Opera introduces free unlimited VPN service for Android devices

image credit: countrycaller.com

Opera has finally released its free unlimited VPN service for Android.

The Opera VPN service is a separate application from the company’s web browser.

The VPN service allows you to browse the internet privately and anonymously, hiding what you do online from being tracked.

The VPN also allows you to bypass firewalls and access blocked content (websites and streaming services).

According to Opera, the VPN service will offer the following features:

• Hide your IP address – Opera will replace your IP address with a virtual IP address, so it’s harder for sites to track your location and identify your device. This means you can browse the web more privately.
• Unblocked access to content (websites and streaming services)  via your choice of five virtual locations
• The ability to determine WiFi network security level, as well as connection encryption and protection from threats
• And, a built-in ad-tracker blocker to stop advertisers from following you around the web

Opera’s VPN service will allow you to route your traffic through servers in the US, Canada, Singapore, Germany, and Netherlands.

The free unlimited VPN service is now available on Android although it had previously been released on iOS. and Windows PC and Mac.

Opera was the first major browser to integrate a VPN service into its web browser, Windows PC and Mac VPN service is built into the web browser.

However, the App is free but ads do pop up when in use.

Another issue of concern is that Opera would want to share anonymous data about your mobile usage and browsing patterns and habits with third parties.

On this issue Opera released the following statement:

“This information is made available to third parties who are interested in better understanding the mobile ecosystem and how it’s evolving. It’s important to understand that this is not data about what you do with your phone, but rather this is data about how a large group of people use their phones”.

Most browsers and search engines already harvest data on your patterns and  habits on the internet to “share” (actually sell) with third parties.

They collect data on your personal finances, religious beliefs, political affiliation, race, ethnic background, even health problems or sexual preferences.

This data is then used to target you mainly for marketing purposes, to target the advertising you see online.

So, if you are keen on private browsing on your mobile or PC in a trade off with your patterns and habits being shared then this is the app for you, most apps do it anyway.