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Comment by lazzlazzlazz | Hacker News Reader

I understand people say things like this because they're the edgy, hot take - but the Onavo VPN software is absolutely not malware. It's a performant, free VPN that people use in exchange for some anonymized data. There have been no known leaks or breaches.

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It's obviously in exchange for data, but I'm skeptical of how anonymised it is, given that FB has made a business of tracking everyone on the web as much as possible.

From Apple's App Store Review Guidelines:[0]

> 2.5.14 Apps must request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity. This includes any use of the device camera, microphone, or other user inputs.

So did Onavo "provide a clear visual indication" whenever collecting data? Somehow I doubt that, because it would have been a constant warning.

0) https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

There is a constantly visible indicator that you're using a vpn on everything but the iPhone X. It's a stretch admittedly, but there's an argument to be made.

That is definitey not an argument.

An indicator that you are using a VPN does not fit the above requirement in any way.

The data is not anonymized, they say they may share anonymized data with partners. Malware is too strong but if you read the product description and FAQ, it's deliberately deceptive. Lieware? Slimeware?

"Spyware" is perfectly sufficient.

> anonymized

Do you have any proof of this?

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