Indeed, data privacy is one of the biggest issues for the world. New websites and social media accounts keep showing up. And, they claim that their service is the best solution for all your privacy needs, no matter what those are. These websites use marketing teams to ensure their ‘reviews’ show up first when you start looking for information. What is surprising is that some of the VPN providers operate these teams themselves. They disguise themselves as anonymous companies to hide their biased reviews. They hope that users will mistake their blogs and press releases for expert insight.
What users consider as ‘unbiased review’ on certain websites is mere paid advertisement. Certainly, the websites are breaking the trust of their users. From the point of view of a user, paid promotions and affiliate marketing make it almost impossible to find out whether or not the review is genuine.
However, this post is not going to be lengthy to show how bad advertising is. Rather, there is more to it. What is important for these VPN providers is to showcase transparency. They should highlight their advertisements as advertisements, not anything else.
This post will analyse how certain ‘bad’ websites and related resources use techniques to take advantage of users who are looking for trustworthy answers. Plenty of similar websites will claim that they are acting in favour of users. In fact, they are only here to generate revenue by fooling users.
A common thing in these websites is that they have a list of providers that appear to be the best ones for users to choose from. These websites claim to have done all the research for you. All you need to do is click and buy. They make you feel confident that you made the right choice.
However, there is a big problem when it comes to ranking the VPN services. Keep in mind that every VPN provider offers almost similar services. As such, their services either safeguard your data or leave it exposed. Ranking the providers is just a tactic to steer users toward the option that earns the reviewers the most profit.
Let’s discuss one of the ‘review’ websites to make things clear. Their homepage displays a list of the ‘10 best VPN providers’ in the following order.
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- ExpressVPN
- PerfectPrivacy
- IPVanish
- Mullvad
- CyberGhost
- TrustZone
- ibVPN
- Private Internet Access
However, this review website included a disclosure at the bottom of the page. It was about advertising and how it works. Clicking the link will take you to another page. Surprisingly, they took affiliate programs from eight VPN providers out of ten VPN providers. Here they are.
- NordVPN
- SurfShark
- ExpressVPN
- PerfectPrivacy
- IPVanish
- CyberGhost
- TrustZone
- Private Internet Access
Isn’t that interesting? A further analysis revealed that there are more than 75 VPN providers that the website reviewed. And all eight providers mentioned above managed to stay on the top 10 list just by paying for the website. To find a VPN that was not paying the site, you have to scroll down to rank 6. It means that the providers that dominated the top positions had a financial relationship with the site. The non-paying provider stays down the list, reducing its chances of being chosen by users.
Moreover, the list starts with NordVPN, an organisation known for hiding security breaches on time. Another provider, ExpressVPN, has a history of using weak 1024-bit encryption technology to safeguard user data. As per standard, these VPNs do not deserve to be on the top 10 list that claims to protect user information. Furthermore, this review website claims to implement strict criteria when listing its recommendations. The inclusion of the providers in the list proves that the criteria can change according to needs.
If this website and similar others wanted to help their readers, they would have displayed everything. They should have left the choice to users instead of presenting the options by themselves. A provider could be bad or good depending on the user. Encouraging users to make an informed decision by presenting options is more valuable than favouring a handful of providers.
It does not mean that the review websites should just list the names of providers and leave everything to the users. Even worse than biased rankings are sites that list providers with no context. They show just prices and links, offering little guidance for users. Most of the time, they will encourage you to click on a link that sends you to a full review of the VPN. The review sites expect you to choose one from their recommendations.
The recommendations shown in a small area are advertisements and nothing else. Again, you will find familiar names: NordVPN and ExpressVPN. They are showcased as the best not because of superior quality but the lucrative deals they come with. To make this point clear, look at the commission that these five providers pay in exchange for a referral.
- For a 1-month plan, ExpressVPN pays $13
- For a 1-month plan, NordVPN pays $11.95
- For a 1-month plan, VPNArea pays $4.95
- For a 1-month plan, VPN.ac pays $2.90
Sadly, PerfectPrivacy does not display its commission rates openly on its website. So, it can be concluded that ExpressVPN and NordVPN provide the best commission rates for referrals. This is why they are on top of the list. The provider’s one-month plan costs $12.99. If the affiliate program pays 100% commission on the first month (which is what NordVPN and ExpressVPN reportedly offer), the review site would earn $12.99 per customer referred. NordVPN and ExpressVPN make it financially attractive for review sites to promote.
Once again, you see the name of the providers ranked in a way that pays maximum to the review website owner. This is where the problem lies with affiliate programs. Upon receiving commission on a signup basis, the review site owner gets motivated to list the providers that pay more. They will hardly list the providers that pay them less, even if the VPN service is useful to users.
Most of the time, you will find the recommendations with separate ‘review’ pages to make them look unbiased and independent. In reality, they are marketing tools designed to steer you toward their preferred choices. The reviewers will highlight the press releases and media of the VPN providers. They present advertisements as facts to lure users. These reviews are often tucked away, while the main navigation pushes users toward list-style pages filled with affiliate links. These are the ones they would prefer you to browse. The review articles gain traction thanks to SEO (search engine optimisation). They take advantage of it to rank their site on Google. More traffic means more clicks. But it often comes at the cost of independent, high-quality content and integrity.
But not every review site persuades users towards their opinion. Some of the reliable review sites follow a list of criteria to make their product reviews stand out. They would not use affiliate programs to make their reviews biased. No wonder, there are several ways to advertise a product and take undue advantage of users. But good review sites would never risk breaking the trust of their readers. Hence, they would recommend the best products that users would find helpful.
A good review site might run sponsorship programs to compensate for the website’s expenses. And, the finances will be transparent. If the review site is a non-profit organisation, the finances received cannot be used for private gain. Besides, the users can see where the money came from and where the site spent it. Most importantly, the reviews done are handled by separate teams consisting of contributors and editors. The administrative team will take care of the finances and sponsorships. The editors are responsible for unbiased recommendations. They operate independently. They will recommend products that benefit the users who are looking for privacy by using a reliable VPN service.
A good review site has strict policies where sponsors cannot influence the recommendations made. Also, the sponsors do not determine whether the site should endorse them or exclude a competitor. Furthermore, a reliable review site gives access to its internal workings so that the community can keep an eye on it. As a result, the reviews are real. Maintaining a clear separation between business operations and editorial decisions is a long-standing strategy in the media industry. It helps preserve integrity and credibility. By following this model, the entire team and organisation remain a trustworthy and reliable source of information, free from commercial influence.
Conclusion
There are lots of points to cover when it comes to VPN reviews. The current scenario of privacy reviewers and so-called ‘experts’ has serious flaws. Many of them comment on companies that actually pay for their reviews. This is morally wrong. It is also just another way for tech giants to make it easier to collect user data.
Review websites should make it clear to their readers that the VPN companies have paid for the recommendations. It could be via sponsorships or affiliate programs. The disclosure should never be in the footer. Not publishing the disclosure is unacceptable. The advertisement disclosure should be clear and appear in front of the user. Customers do not usually look for disclosures when visiting review sites. They cannot be expected to instantly know whether the information is unbiased or driven by financial gain. It is good for the website to reconsider the needs of its business model to make it sustainable in the long run. A site that runs on donations from users can still operate flawlessly. Building a site by earning the trust of a large community is no doubt challenging. But the difference in quality and integrity is truly significant.
VPN providers should focus less on paid reviews and more on securing their infrastructure. Frequent security audits are a strong way to prove their commitment to user safety. A VPN provider should not hide far away while anonymous leadership controls the company. There is no denying that as a user, you deserve complete privacy. On the other hand, providers should be transparent enough to gain your trust. Certainly, you will never give money to an anonymous investor living in some part of the world. In the same way, it does not make any sense to risk your internet traffic to some anonymous overseas provider.
It is wise to do thorough research before narrowing down your choices for the best VPN provider. Find out who owns the company and ensure that the technologies and policies reflect their values. Also, understand what a VPN does for you. The more you gather information, the more you can make informed decisions. This is the only way to ensure your privacy stays intact.
