In late June of this year, the European Commission announced a significant reduction in mobile data roaming charges. Active as ever, proXPN is encouraging a more widespread implementation of caps on charges to allow more people to take advantage of VPN security. This was shortly followed by their encouragement of the Department of Homeland Security’s software vulnerability sharing plan. With a constant increase in the number of cyber attacks aimed at all sectors, proXPN is pushing for data encryption to become a standard practice for both businesses and individuals.
Mobile Data Roaming Charges and Security
The caps placed on mobile data roaming charges across Europe has reduced costs by 36%.
Further reductions in 2013 will see data charges falling to as low as €0.20 per megabyte of data downloadedfrom the already lowered cost of €0.45 + VAT implemented this year. Call and text charges on roaming have also been reduced, and EU residents now enjoy making calls at a maximum of €0.24 + VAT per minute, while receiving costs only €0.07 cents per minute. Sending SMS is down to €0.08.
ProXPN has applauded this move as it gives mobile users greater flexibility when using their VPN secured mobile devices to communicate and make important transactions privately. Most Internet users are mobile these days, and being able to process secure transactions and communicate without worry of data mining and snooping is a great boon to them. Visitors will benefit as well, not only being able to watch videos and use social media for cheaper rates, but they will not be vulnerable when using Maps, checking emails, and calling for assistance.
Telecom operators in the EU are free to implement further reductions on roaming charges, or to remove them completely. This is great news for EU users, but it is hoped that the telecoms do not charge higher rates outside the EU to recover their loses. ProXPN is therefore encouraging the broader implementation of data charge reductions to offer all mobile Internet users the same advantage. They are hopeful as this would also secure EU users traveling outside the region.
Mobile workers have suffered from large bills for roaming charges, and this could cause many to seek other ways to reduce expenses. Many already try to take as much advantage as they can of free services to compensate. This largely involves the use of unsecure free WiFi connections, which could put their devices and the office network at risk. The use of a VPN service to secure their devices is an additional cost that they cannot bear. So proXPN hopes that with a more widespread reduction in mobile data roaming charges, mobile workers will have their budgets freed to continue using their VPNs and so maintain secure connections when working out of the office.
Sharing Software Vulnerabilities Helps People Stay Secure
The Department of Homeland Security announced plans in mid-May of this year to begin discreetly sharingwith application developersclassified information on software vulnerabilities.The DHS plan involves using exploits for such flaws in cyberespionage missions. Intelligence agencies such as the NSA would purchase them from bug hunters and resellers. The indicators would then be shared with government cleared security service providers who would detect and block the exploit-carrying malware from designated company networks. The focus is on companies that are deemed to possess critical infrastructure like financial institutions utilities, and defense manufacturers.
Some security experts protested that without universal availability of data, the plan could miss smaller businesses which are already hacker targets. Hackers would then use these unsecured businesses as entry points to larger, critical infrastructure companies. ProXPN concurs, but also encourages the plan as a starting point. Any limitations that cause security holes can be later adjusted after close consideration. This way, a plan of action for increased security that protects important infrastructure can be implemented immediately.
ProXPN is dedicated to providing secure Internet access to all. They have developed their VPN service on the principles of user privacy to protect netizens from online scams, fraud, and unauthorized data manipulation. The proXPN VPN encrypts user data and shields user locations to protect them from intrusion. For more on proXPN and other secure VPN providers, please visit our top VPN providers page.
