Proton says 85% of VPN apps downloaded in the U.S. contain trackers, with some also collecting users’ physical location.
A VPN is supposed to give users more privacy, but a new analysis from Proton suggests many mobile VPN apps may be doing the opposite.
After examining more than 7,000 mobile VPN apps worldwide, Proton found that 85% of the VPNs in its U.S. analysis contained tracking components used for analytics, advertising or profiling.
Some of the apps were also capable of accessing users’ physical location and other device information.
According to Proton, trackers found inside the analyzed VPN apps can collect information such as unique device identifiers, device models, network types and mobile carrier details.
The company identified 64 VPN apps that actively track physical location through GPS and other geolocation data. These apps accounted for more than 3 million U.S. downloads in June, representing roughly 20% of the downloads in Proton’s dataset.
Among the VPNs identified as tracking location were VPN Proxy Master, VPN-Fast VPN Super and X-VPN.
The findings are particularly notable because people generally install VPNs specifically to improve their privacy and prevent websites and internet providers from seeing aspects of their online activity.
Proton also examined where tracking data from the VPN apps was being sent.
Its analysis estimated that VPN apps sending data to trackers in China accounted for 1.5 million June downloads. Apps communicating with trackers in Russia accounted for 1.4 million downloads, while those linked to trackers in Israel accounted for 2.6 million.
Around 800,000 downloads came from apps that communicated with trackers in all three locations.
Proton stressed that the presence of a tracker does not necessarily reveal exactly how the collected information is ultimately used. However, the company argues that users should be aware when VPN applications are capable of collecting and sharing this type of information.
Proton also looked at who owns VPN services available through the U.S. Apple App Store and Google Play.
Of the 390 VPNs included in that part of the analysis, 64 were owned by Chinese companies, according to Proton. The company said 31 of those attempted to conceal their ownership through entities registered in places including Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
Proton said the Chinese-owned VPNs were downloaded more than 13.2 million times in June 2026, while the Chinese-owned apps that were specifically identified as hiding their ownership accounted for more than 3 million downloads during one month.
The company argues that ownership transparency matters because VPN providers potentially have access to significant amounts of information about their users.
Proton’s research also highlighted VPN services that rely on advertising, analytics and other forms of monetization.
Three services examined by the company Phone Guardian Safe WiFi, My Mobile Secure VPN and Urban VPN, are owned by market-research companies, according to Proton.
The company argues that this creates a potential conflict for services whose users expect privacy. A VPN has access to a particularly broad view of a user’s internet activity because traffic is routed through its infrastructure.
At the same time, Proton acknowledged that many VPN applications use tracking components as part of common mobile-app monetization practices.
Proton also criticized Apple and Google over how VPN applications are reviewed before being made available through their app stores.
The company claims the platforms rely heavily on information provided by developers and do not independently verify whether every VPN behaves according to its stated privacy policies.
Proton is calling for stronger checks of VPN ownership and privacy practices, along with clearer disclosures about where VPN operators are based and how their applications handle user data.
The findings come with an obvious caveat: Proton operates its own VPN service and therefore competes directly with many of the providers included in the analysis. Its research should be considered in that context.
For users choosing a VPN, the findings reinforce the importance of checking who operates the service, what permissions its application requests and whether its privacy claims have been independently audited.
Source: DigitalTrends
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