Skip to content
  • Home
  • Emerging Technology & News
  • Computer Help
  • Privacy and Security
  • Reimage Windows Repair
The Reimage Blog
Menu
  • Home
  • Emerging Technology & News
  • Computer Help
  • Privacy and Security
  • Reimage Windows Repair
Facebook Twitter
Home  /  Privacy and Security  /  Government censorship threats over TikTok spiked interest in VPNs
PostedinPrivacy and Security Posted on February 8, 2021

Government censorship threats over TikTok spiked interest in VPNs

Posted By Matthew.England

The proposed US ban on TikTok last summer turned people towards VPNs to secure their online activity.

TikTok, the video-sharing social network, drove a lot of interest from consumers last year. It also piqued their interest in Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), according to new research.

The research by Brooklyn, NY-based security advisors Security.org found that interest in VPNs was directly correlated with newsworthy events.

The company measured the amount of web traffic in a day compared to the average web traffic of a week prior to the date and correlated this with significant events during 2020.

VPN technology is used for various reasons. It can be used to create a secure channel to communicate with the workplace protecting sensitive business information, to bypass government restrictions, or to hide activity from Internet Service Providers amongst others.

Almost one in 10 US adult VPN users cite whistleblowing, activism, or bypassing government or organization restrictions as a reason for use of VPN technology.

Security.org’s research showed that interest in VPN technology tends to increase significantly whenever there is a newsworthy event that impacts travel, or internet usage, or impacts working from home environments.

Security.org

On March 22020, the first deaths due to COVID-19 were reported, leading to an increase in VPN interest of 99 percent compared with average web traffic the week before..

On March 24 2020 when the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was announced, there was a 78 percent increase in consumers’ VPN interest.

This was due to people looking to secure their at-home networks for the possibility of stay-at-home orders and working from home due to the pandemic.

On August 13, average consumer interest in VPNs increased by 74 percent when President Trump proposed a ban on TikTok in August 2020. Interest also spiked by 34% on September 20th – the day the TikTok ban was said to start.

When internet censorship is threatened, average consumer interest in VPNs increases, and consumers flock to buy routers – like the GL.iNet Beryl router which has VPN software built in to the router.

A VPN will allow people to access the internet in countries where restrictions are in place. Countries with levels of internet censorship can bypass firewalls to get to otherwise-restricted content.

As restrictions on free content continue to grow, I think that more and more of us will switch to VPN technology. We can then ensure that we have the freedom to access the content we want to and to communicate as if there were no restrictions at all – wherever we happen to live.

Credits: Eileen Brown for Social Business

Source: ZDNet

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Previous Article
Microsoft patent details tech that could turn dead people into AI chatbots
Next Article
iPhone 12 or iPhone 11: Which iPhone should you buy?

About Author

Matthew.England

Related Posts

  • CISA: Do these three things to toughen up your network against hackers

    March 17, 2023
  • GitHub Makes Two-Factor Authentication Mandatory

    March 13, 2023
  • Is Windows 11 spying on you? New report details eye-opening levels of telemetry

    February 9, 2023
Scan Now

Categories

  • Business
  • Computer Help
  • Emerging Technology & News
  • Privacy and Security
  • Reviews

Reviews

Reimage Social

Security

Popular Posts

  • PCWorld calls Reimage “A Fantastic Repair Utility “ July 26, 2011 Reviews
  • 4 Ways to Keep the Ghouls & Goblins Away From Your PC October 26, 2010 Archive
  • The PC Key to Happiness – A Properly Maintained OS September 2, 2010 Archive
  • Google says hacked websites were attacking iPhones for years September 12, 2019 Privacy and Security

Random Posts

  • Critical vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler service leaves PCs open to remote code execution July 6, 2021 Privacy and Security
  • This free Windows 10 upgrade offer still works. Here’s why — and how to get it September 25, 2019 Computer Help
  • Everything Leaving Netflix in March 2023 February 23, 2023 Business
  • How to Remove Annoying Ads From Windows 11 December 21, 2021 Computer Help
© Copyright 2019
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.Ok