www.howtogeek.com Open in urlscan Pro
3.222.102.97  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

GET /search/?q=

<form method="get" class="search-form js-searchBox icon i-search" id="searchform2" action="/search/?q=">
  <input id="js-search-input" type="text" name="q" class="input-text search-input" autocomplete="off" placeholder="Search How-To Geek" autofocus="">
</form>

Name: articleNewsletterForm — POST

<form class="user-static-form user-content" enctype="multipart/form-data" id="articleNewsletterForm" method="post" name="articleNewsletterForm">
  <h2 class="newsletter-widget-title">The Best Tech Newsletter Around</h2>
  <p class="f-errors" id="f-validation"></p>
  <div class="form-group">
    <input maxlength="4000" id="newsletter-form-email" name="newsletter-form-email" placeholder="Email Address" required="" type="email">
  </div>
  <div class="form-group">
    <input class="main-cta primary-cta brand-cta" id="SubmitButton" name="SubmitButton" type="submit" value="Subscribe">
  </div>
  <div class="form-group">
    <p class="f-errors" id="newsletter-form-validation" style="margin-top: 1em; font-size: small; color: red"></p>
    <div class="g-recaptcha-container newsletter-form-captcha" hidden="">
      <div id="site_captcha_5"></div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <p class="content-note bottom-note">By subscribing, you agree to our <a href="/page/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a> and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.</p>
</form>

Text Content

HOW-TO GEEK

Newsletter
Log in
Trending Cybersecurity Week 2023 PC Optimization Microsoft Excel Windows 11 Xbox
Playstation Cord Cutting
 * * Desktop
     * Windows
     * Mac
     * Linux
     * Chromebook
   * Mobile
     * Android
     * iPhone
     * Carriers
   * Hardware
     * Computer Hardware
     * Wi-F & Networking
     * Smart Home
     * eReaders
     * Audio
     * TVs
   * Web
     * Web Apps
     * Social Media
     * Computer History
     * Cyber Security
     * Google
     * Microsoft
     * Privacy & Security
   * Cutting Edge
     * EVs
     * Virtual Reality
     * AI & Machine Learning
     * Cryptocurrency
   * Lifestyle
     * Gaming
     * Streaming
     * Photography
     * DIY
   * Reviews
   * Buying Guides
 * * More
     * Deals
     * Giveaways

 * Join Our Team
 * Newsletter
 * Advertise with us
 * Log in

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 * Write For Us
 * Home
 * Contact Us
 * Terms
 * Privacy
 * Copyright
 * About Us
 * Fact Checking Policy
 * Corrections Policy
 * Ethics Policy
 * Ownership Policy


Copyright © 2023 www.howtogeek.com



 * Home
 * Android


DON'T INSTALL AN ANDROID VPN IF IT DOESN'T HAVE THIS BADGE

By Andrew Heinzman
Published 1 day ago


Google Play now shows a prominent badge for independently audited VPNs.

Google
Readers like you help support How-To Geek. When you make a purchase using links
on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

To help users protect their privacy, the Google Play store now includes a
prominent badge for MASA-audited VPNs. While an independent audit doesn't
guarantee that a VPN app is secure, it proves that the app developer is
following basic privacy practice and has avoided some common security pitfalls.
Non-VPN apps will feature a similar auditing label in the coming months.



Technically speaking, Google Play already showed a MASA auditing badge in the
"Data safety" section of VPN app listings. This new label is more useful because
it's more obvious—it's a big green shield, sort of like the verification badges
on social media. (Google Play will also display an explanation of its
"Independent Security Review" badge when you search for a VPN or other related
apps.)

Independent auditing badges are made in association with the App Defense
Alliance (ADA), which launched its Mobile App Security Assessment (MASA)
auditing program in 2022. As explained by Google, MASA auditing proves that an
app developer has "designed their apps to meet these industry mobile security
and privacy minimum best practices." The program also helps to identify basic
security vulnerabilities that may have gone undetected by the app developer.

All said, the MASA program isn't incredibly rigorous. But a low bar is still
better than no bar. If a VPN app developer isn't willing to prove that they've
met the bare minimum security practices, they may be untrustworthy. After all,
VPNs can access all of your web traffic and have an extremely high potential for
abuse.



Note that the Google Play Store is supposed to reject malicious or insecure app
listings. The new Independent Security Review badge is a neat idea, but it
highlights the failure of Google's app review process. Android users shouldn't
need to look for badges or labels—they should be able to confidently install any
app from the Play Store.

The new Independent Security Review badge is currently rolling out. It may not
immediately appear in your Play Store, and some trustworthy VPN apps haven't
undergone MASA auditing just yet. In its Security Blog post, Google claims that
NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the first apps to receive the independent auditing
badge.

Source: Google




THE BEST TECH NEWSLETTER AROUND








By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal
communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.

Share Tweet Share Share Share
Copy
Email
Share

Share Tweet Share Share Share
Copy
Email
Link copied to clipboard
Related Topics
 * Android
 * google play
 * google
 * Android
 * VPNs

About The Author
Andrew Heinzman (995 Articles Published)


Andrew Heinzman has written about technology for more than half a decade. He
originally joined the How-To Geek team in 2018 and served as News Editor of its
former sister site, Review Geek.

Outside of work, Andrew enjoys music, good food, and spending time with his
cats.


Close



 * ANDROID


 * IPHONE

TCL'S NXTPAPER 11 IS A COLORFUL, AFFORDABLE KINDLE REPLACEMENT

8 hours ago

WAZE NOW WARNS DRIVERS OF CRASH-PRONE ROADS

9 hours ago

HOW TO MOVE APPS TO SD CARD ON AN AMAZON FIRE TABLET

11 hours ago

HOW TO RECORD AUDIO ON AN ANDROID PHONE

13 hours ago

HOW TO STOP YOUR ANDROID PHONE FROM TURNING OFF

13 hours ago

EXPRESSVPN NOW INCLUDES A PASSWORD MANAGER

1 day ago
See More

HOW TO UNBLOCK A NUMBER ON IPHONE

4 days ago

VIVALDI ON IPHONE ADDS TAB PINNING AND SEARCH ENGINE SHORTCUTS

5 days ago

HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR REMINDERS WITH IOS 17

6 days ago

HOW TO VIEW SAVED CREDIT CARD NUMBERS IN SAFARI ON IPHONE AND IPAD

6 days ago

GOOGLE CHROME ON IPHONE CAN NOW HAVE A BOTTOM ADDRESS BAR

Oct 31, 2023

WHAT ARE AAE FILES FROM AN IPHONE, AND CAN I DELETE THEM?

Oct 31, 2023
See More


TRENDING NOW

PLEASE APPLE WATCH, LET ATHLETES REST



GOOGLE CHROME CAN FIND DISCOUNT CODES AND SAVE YOU MONEY



HOW TO SEND A POWERSHELL COMMAND'S OUTPUT TO A FILE




CLOSE ✕
WATCH
NEXT
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute

Current Time 0:00
/
Duration -:-
Loaded: 0%


Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind liveLIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
Playback Rate

Chapters
 * Chapters

Descriptions
 * descriptions off, selected

Captions
 * captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
 * captions off, selected

Audio Track

Picture-in-PictureFullscreen

This is a modal window.



Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque
Font Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge
StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional
Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall
Caps
Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone
Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

Advertisement





Skip Ad
5



Sign in with Google