VPN downloads surge in response to Hong Kong security law

Virtual Private Networks, the tools that help people bypass web restrictions and disguise their digital footprints, represented seven of the 10 most-downloaded apps in Apple Inc’s Hong Kong app store, excluding games, on May 21, according to data provider SensorTower. — dpa

Hong Kong saw a spike in downloads of software designed to mask Internet usage on May 21 after Beijing signaled plans to usher in a new national security law that could tighten its grip on the city.

Virtual Private Networks, the tools that help people bypass web restrictions and disguise their digital footprints, represented seven of the 10 most-downloaded apps in Apple Inc’s Hong Kong app store, excluding games, on Thursday, according to data provider SensorTower. There weren’t any on the list in the preceding days. One popular provider, NordVPN, said it received 120 times more downloads Thursday compared with the day before.