Researchers find secret ties and vulnerabilities in popular VPN apps

A new study has uncovered that more than 20 VPN apps on the Google Play Store share the same codebases and infrastructure, despite presenting themselves as independent services. Together, these apps account for 20 of the 100 most-downloaded VPNs on the platform, with a staggering 700 million users.

The findings raise serious questions about trust and transparency in an industry built on privacy — and highlight how poorly app stores may vet VPN providers.

The research, conducted by The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, traced these apps back to just three VPN families, some with ties to Russia and China. Investigators used business filings and fore...