You probably already know that with one of the best VPN services, you can ensure your anonymity online, bypassing internet restrictions.
What you might not expect is that the government of a country like Iran, where a draconian new internet law will further restrict online freedoms and criminalize circumvention software, is somehow tied to a foreign VPN provider.
That is why allegations that Hamid Rezazadeh, son of Vice President of Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali, is behind the Vancouver-based Betternet VPN have caused widespread concern both nationally and in the VPN industry. the VPNs.
The Iranian VPN saga
The controversial link between Iranian officials and Canadian-based free VPN software came to light when Swiss-based Iranian journalist Abdollah Abdi (opens in a new tab) posted a lengthy thread in which he shared incriminating evidence about his social media pages.
Ensieh Khazali's response was immediate. In a series of tweets (opens in a new tab), she dismissed such claims, explaining that her son is in Canada on a temporary trip for "knowledge-based" research.
However, it was not difficult for Iranian social media users to dig into the story by finding Rezazadeh's profile on the professional website Rocketreach. This clearly describes him as the software manager, CEO, and founder of Betternet VPN.
Although the message has since disappeared from the site, the vice president's brother, Mehdi Khazali, has confirmed the veracity of these accusations.
"He closed his company in Iran and moved to Canada, where he created another company active in the field of VPNs," he told RFE/RL (opens in a new tab).
Mrs. Ansieh Khazali's wife falsely claimed that her son had gone to Canada for a short business trip, that her son had started a VPN production company in Canada! There is another important thing.. 1/3 https://t.co/sIcixPilOF pic.twitter.com/A7uiCq1Gtg8 de septiembre de 2022
Read more
With the Iranian government's strict stance on the use of VPN services and online freedoms, calls inevitably continue for Ensieh Khazali to resign from her official position.
The story also sparked resentment around what Iranians called aghazadehs. It describes the hypocrisy around government figures who, while strongly criticizing the West at home, still send their children to study and work there.
In addition, Canada and Iran have had a contentious relationship since 2012 and the North American country refuses to grant visas to many Iranian citizens.
Is it safe to use Betternet VPN?
It is impossible to determine whether or not there is a malicious intent to collect sensitive user data behind the controversial Iranian ownership of Betternet. What is undeniable is that their software is not known as the most secure VPN on the market.
Although it's a popular giveaway (it's been downloaded over 50 million times on Google Play alone), a 2016 research report (opens in a new tab) found the presence of malware and tracking libraries built into the Betternet app to Android.
Betternet LLC Inc. is registered in California. And, the United States and Canada are two of the founders of the intelligence-sharing alliance known as Five Eyes. That's probably not the best news for those looking to protect their data from the prying eyes of the government.
In terms of ownership, Betternet is part of the Pango Group, which was acquired last year by digital security company Aura. The parent company also owns other VPN providers like Ultra VPN and Hotspot Shield. It should be noted that the latter made the news a few years ago following reports of data abuse by VPN users.
Looking at Betternet's privacy policy (opens in a new tab), it was also clear that Aura collects tons of user information. These include approximate geographic location and ISP to be shared with third parties, device-specific information, and up to three years of VPN connection timestamps.
TechRadar cybersecurity specialist Mike Williams was also unimpressed when he reviewed the premium version of Betternet VPN.
He concluded: “Betternet is a fast and very easy to use VPN, but the lack of features, multiple privacy issues, and poor unblocking results are real issues.
Compare Today's Best Overall VPNs