VPN slogans everywhere are "Protect Privacy" and "Anonymous Browsing," but things are not that simple. A security technology expert pointed out in an analysis that VPNs are not a万能 privacy神器, but rather a way to "shift trust onto others."

Let's first look at where the risks are. When you send credit card numbers, identity information, or other sensitive data over a public network, that data is like shouting it out loud in a coffee shop, and it can be intercepted at any time. The most common attack method occurs in places like cafes and restaurants—attackers set up a hotspot with a name almost identical to the real Wi-Fi, luring you to connect. Once connected, your data is even before it reaches the actual internet, fully exposed under the attacker’s watch.

So how does VPN solve this problem? The principle is straightforward: it creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN service provider. All outgoing data is encrypted first, then transmitted through this secure tunnel. This way, even if you are connected to a phishing Wi-Fi, the attacker cannot understand what you are transmitting. However, the key point is that you need to trust that the VPN provider will not misuse your data—that is the core of trust redistribution.