News - Google One adds VPN access to all plans

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Google One adds VPN access to all plans

Source By Myles Illidge
1 year ago

Google One is expanding its security features and offering subscribers on any tier access to its virtual private network (VPN) service, the company announced in a blog post. The VPN service was previously limited to those on the 2TB plan, which costs $10 (R186) a month. However, subscribers can now access it on any tier, including the Basic plan at $1.99 (R37) a month. This could make the cloud service attractive to users looking for a cheap VPN, as other VPNs like NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN start at $4.19 (R78), $16.95 (R315), and $9.99 (R186) a month, respectively. While it should be noted that these VPNs offer significantly discounted fees on six-month and 12-month contracts, Google’s One service doesn’t tie users into months-long agreements. The VPN will hide your Internet traffic from hackers and network operators, and Google says it will “never use the VPN connection to track, log, or sell your online activity”. Google One’s VPN offering isn’t currently available in South Africa. The company shared a list of 22 countries that will gain access to the service on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac devices. Google began rolling out its VPN to all subscribers in these countries on Wednesday, 8 March 2023. The tech giant is also introducing a dark web report for all tiers in the US to allow them to see whether their personal information is available on this “underground” part of the Internet. The dark web is usually only reachable with dedicated software. The dark web report monitors the darknet for stolen information, including names, physical and email addresses, and phone and Social Security numbers. If matching information is found, the dark web report advises users on how they can protect their data.