• IllNess@infosec.pub
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    2 days ago

    How is it possible to keep it free?

    The devices of our free VPN customers are used to create a secure peer-to-peer network that our commercial clients can use to securely route their traffic via various global endpoints. As a free client, you will likely not notice any impact on your resources as that happens. The data transferred in the background will be metered by your mobile operator according to your data plan.

    https://bigma.org/faq.html

    • psmgx@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I mean at least they’re saying it. Will the average person read this or understand it? Nah

  • Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldOP
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    2 days ago

    Big Mama is made up of two parts: There’s the free VPN app, which is available on the Google Play store for Android devices and has been downloaded more than 1 million times. Then there’s the Big Mama Proxy Network, which allows people (among other options) to buy shared access to “real” 4G and home Wi-Fi IP addresses for as little as 40 cents for 24 hours.

    I am surprised this is legal. I have zero knowledge of the nuances of law, but there is no situation where allowing a completely random 3rd party to use your IP/network on an on-demand basis is legitimate. This is not a “grey area” (in the real sense, not in the judicial sense).

    • 69420@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      …situation where allowing a completely random 3rd party to use your IP/network on an on-demand basis…

      I mean, this is kind of the entire concept of Tor.

      • Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldOP
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        2 days ago

        But Tor is explicitly designed for this sort of thing and does not have a paid access system.

        Nowhere on Big Mama VPN’s landing page does it say that by using their service you open your network to access by randoms.

    • ronalicious@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      may be a grey area technically or legally, but very sketchy as a user.

      no thank you sir, I don’t like it.

    • Alphane Moon@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 days ago

      First time I heard about Hola. Read an article about them. They claimed that:

      Hola CEO, Avi Cohen, said: “Hola offers a valuable free service to its users, and our community agrees, consistently rating it higher than any other VPN service. The health of the Internet and the safety of its users are top priorities for Hola.”

      Avi Cohen is liar and scoundrel.