Fresh out of a report by Comparitech comes a potentially concerning bit of news that 13 free VPNs have links to domains and IP addresses in Russia and China.

The report’s authors say that these links don’t necessarily signal that the governments in either Russia or China own or control these particular VPNs, although they advise users to be cautious about using them.

If you’d like to switch over to a VPN that doesn’t make you feel like you have to watch your back, check out those listed in my Guide to the Best VPNs.

the list of offenders

If you need a reliable, trustworthy free VPN, I urge you to check out Proton VPN. Proton is transparent with their operation. I’ve used it, and I trust it.

As for Russian- and Chinese-connected VPNs, here’s the list of shame, to which the scumbags of the world are constantly adding:

Android: Snap VPN, VPN Free, QuarkVPN, Turbo VPN, Signal Secure VPN, VPNify, VPN Proxy Master, and Proxy Master.

Apple’s iOS (for iPhones): WireVPN, FastVPN Super, NowVPN, the ludicrously, awkwardly named VPN – Fast VPN Super, and the unfortunately but catchily named Ostrich VPN.

Out of these 13 apps, some of them communicate with Russian domains. Others, with Russian IP addresses. And others, with Chinese domains. Four of them—Snap VPN, Turbo VPN, Signal Secure VPN, and VPN Proxy Master—communicate with both Chinese domains and Russian IP addresses.

If you use any of these, stop. As in, stop right now. Stop forever. And don’t just stop using them. Delete them off all your devices. Then go find a better VPN, because you should really be using one.

Check out my Guide to the Best VPNs for more VPNs that won’t steal, spy, or creep on you. Most decent ones out there cost you money, since the companies running them aren’t making bank by stealing people’s information or receiving shadowy money from governments.

If you need a reliable free VPN, though, Proton VPN’s free option is where it’s at.