VPN or Virtual Private Network has been a man-made gift to those who’re unable to access certain websites owing to governed restrictions on the internet. But the internet was never meant to be a gated society, which is why you have VPNs to access content and platforms that speak against a particular regime.
There are a slew of apps that support the service, which can be either availed for free or you’d have to pay to use them. And now, the Speed Test app from company called Ookla is the latest to support the service, which eventually will be offered via a pay-to-use model.
This speed test app allows users on mobile as well as the desktop to gauge the internet speeds offered by their Internet Service Provider (ISP). And now, users on Android and iOS can make use of this app to open restricted websites anonymously.
It’s called Speed Test VPN, and Ookla says the app “creates an encrypted connection between your device and our VPN servers.” To make this service work, Ookla has partnered with NetProject, the global leader in internet protection to offer the Speed Test VPN feature.
The service will work on devices in most parts of the world, except for China, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, the company has listed on its website.
But a speed test app won’t be usable if it cannot access your phone’s MAC address and location. How will Ookla make sure of a user’s privacy in that case?
“Speedtest VPN is a zero logs service, meaning we do not collect, store or sell any online activity data. This includes sites you visit, your search history, and your app content.”Ookla on Speed Test VPN
And with regards to privacy, Ookla is clear that only user’s anonymised location will be used and not their actual position at the exact moment.
“For instance, if you are physically in New York but are using a VPN server in London, Speedtest will default to running a test to a London server because that is the location to which the VPN has connected to your device.”Ookla on Speed Test VPN
The company is running the feature in beta phase for now, which is why the service is currently entirely free to use. “Once the beta phase ends, you will still have 2GB of free data available to use over VPN per month,” Ookla clarifies here.
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