Global VPN use spiked during March 2020, study finds

VPNPro is a prominent review site for those services that are often perceived as essential to privacy and security while using the internet these days. It has conducted a study that may show how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the rate of their uptake. The results reportedly show that it has generally increased, jumping from between 10 to 50% across each country assessed.

More specifically, VPN uptake has reportedly increased 50% in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. It has also gone up 47% in Germany, and 22% in Australia. VPNPro also asserts that it secured new-user data from some specific providers: for example, SurfShark uptake doubled in Germany, Portugal, and Italy, whereas that of HolaVPN did the same in the US, Italy and Spain. These results apply to the month of March 2020.

This report also suggests that the recent need to bring a range of professional occupations home due to lockdowns or social-distancing requirements is a major factor in this uptick in VPN popularity. Finally, some of the services contacted in relation to this new study issued assurances that they and their server infrastructure are equal to this influx of new users.