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LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable for assault after deliberating about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie. “It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.” McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.” The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.” McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.

CFPB finalizes rule capping overdraft fees at $5

Heil Dogg tangi: Influx of police to monitor Napier gang funeralWARREN, N.J., Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tevogen Bio (“Tevogen” or “Tevogen Bio Holdings Inc.”) (Nasdaq: TVGN ), a clinical-stage specialty immunotherapy biotech developing off-the-shelf, genetically unmodified T cell therapeutics to treat infectious disease and cancers, today expresses gratitude to shareholders for their unwavering support and trust in Tevogen Bio and its leadership. The commitment fuels the company’s determination to advance its mission of developing accessible, life-saving therapeutics. The company recently announced significant progress through its third quarter financial results for 2024, including, reduction of a net loss by $52.5 million, elimination of nearly all liabilities, and reiterating availability of sufficient capital to fund operations for the next 33 months. Ryan Saadi, MD, MPH, Founder and CEO, Tevogen Bio commented, "We remain steadfast in our mission to advance medical science, however as CEO of the company, preservation of shareholder value remains a priority. We urge all stakeholders to consider the profound impact short selling innovative healthcare companies has on lifesaving therapies. While stock price fluctuations are part of the public market dynamics, Tevogen Bio is acutely aware of the undue influence short sellers have.” William Keane, VP of Strategic Initiatives, and graduate of the FBI National Academy stated, “We are aware and monitoring the actions of potential short selling activity targeting our company. We will continue to bring light to this situation and will work with the appropriate authorities as needed.” The company plans to provide further updates on its progress in the coming weeks. About Tevogen Bio Tevogen is a clinical-stage specialty immunotherapy company harnessing one of nature’s most powerful immunological weapons, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, to develop off-the-shelf, genetically unmodified precision T cell therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases, cancers, and neurological disorders, aiming to address the significant unmet needs of large patient populations. Tevogen Leadership believes that sustainability and commercial success in the current era of healthcare rely on ensuring patient accessibility through advanced science and innovative business models. Tevogen has reported positive safety data from its proof-of-concept clinical trial, and its key intellectual property assets are wholly owned by the company, not subject to any third-party licensing agreements. These assets include three granted patents, nine pending US and twelve ex-US pending patents, two of which are related to artificial intelligence. Tevogen is driven by a team of highly experienced industry leaders and distinguished scientists with drug development and global product launch experience. Tevogen’s leadership believes that accessible personalized therapeutics are the next frontier of medicine, and that disruptive business models are required to sustain medical innovation. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements relating to: expectations regarding the healthcare and biopharmaceutical industries; Tevogen’s development of, the potential benefits of, and patient access to its product candidates for the treatment of infectious diseases, cancer and neurological disorders, including TVGN 489 for the treatment of COVID-19 and Long COVID; Tevogen’s ability to develop additional product candidates, including through use of Tevogen’s ExacTcell platform; the anticipated benefits of ExacTcell; expectations regarding Tevogen’s future clinical trials; and Tevogen’s ability to generate revenue in the future. Forward-looking statements can sometimes be identified by words such as “may,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “possible,” “potential,” “goal,” “opportunity,” “project,” “believe,” “future,” and similar words and expressions or their opposites. These statements are based on management’s expectations, assumptions, estimates, projections and beliefs as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of factors that involve known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties and other factors not under the company’s control that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from the results, performance or other expectations expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: that Tevogen will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the effect of the recent business combination with Semper Paratus Acquisition Corporation (the “Business Combination”) on Tevogen’s business relationships, operating results, and business generally; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Tevogen; changes in the markets in which Tevogen competes, including with respect to its competitive landscape, technology evolution, or regulatory changes; changes in domestic and global general economic conditions; the risk that Tevogen may not be able to execute its growth strategies or may experience difficulties in managing its growth and expanding operations; the risk that Tevogen may not be able to develop and maintain effective internal controls; costs related to the Business Combination and the failure to realize anticipated benefits of the Business Combination; the failure to achieve Tevogen’s commercialization and development plans and identify and realize additional opportunities, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of Tevogen to grow and manage growth economically and hire and retain key employees; the risk that Tevogen may fail to keep pace with rapid technological developments to provide new and innovative products and services or make substantial investments in unsuccessful new products and services; the ability to develop, license or acquire new therapeutics; that Tevogen will need to raise additional capital to execute its business plan, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; the risk of regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to Tevogen’s business; uncertainties inherent in the execution, cost, and completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials; risks related to regulatory review, approval and commercial development; risks associated with intellectual property protection; Tevogen’s limited operating history; and those factors discussed or incorporated by reference in Tevogen’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Tevogen undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. Contacts Tevogen Bio Communications T: 1 877 TEVOGEN, Ext 701 Communications@Tevogen.comCongressional Republicans and former Trump appointees have spent the last year building out their response to the movement protesting Israel’s war in Gaza , and now that Donald Trump is returning to the White House they warn that protest leaders, activists and those who help them raise money could face an onslaught of federal investigations and possible indictments. An NBC News review of congressional hearings and letters, along with lawsuits filed by organizations led by former Trump officials, provides a preview of which federal laws a second Trump administration could use when pursuing investigations and potential prosecutions. 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are Judging from what has been pushed thus far, there are several legal measures most likely to be used once Trump returns to Washington. One would be deporting foreign college students in the U.S. on a visa after they’re found to have openly advocated for Hamas or another U.S.-designated terror group, or after they participated in an unauthorized campus protest and were suspended, expelled or jailed. Another measure would be to pursue federal prosecutions of demonstrators who block synagogue entrances or disrupt Jewish speakers at events. A third approach is to charge protest leaders and nonprofits that aid in fundraising for protest groups with failing to register with the U.S. Justice Department as an “agent of a foreign principal.” And a fourth avenue is to open investigations into protest leaders who are in direct contact with U.S.-designated terror groups while advocating on their behalf. The multifaceted law enforcement approach is a marked departure from the Biden administration’s response to the protest movement. Some of the nation’s leading civil rights groups told NBC News that they are gearing up for a flood of legal battles to protect the protesters. “Trying to predict what Trump will do is a fool’s errand. We have to be prepared for the most extreme version of what he’s threatened,” said Ben Wizner, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. “We have to take him both literally and seriously.” ‘A new sheriff in town’ U.S. & World Child care cost as much as rent for many families at inflation's peak, new data shows Thanksgiving dinner is historically affordable this year Biden administration officials have told NBC News that prosecuting speech-related crimes related to the anti-war protests is not a high priority for the current Justice Department, nor is seeking out student protesters on foreign visas a top concern for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “President Trump will enforce the law,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in an email to NBC News. Ernst recently asked the FBI to open an investigation into a pro-Hamas student group at Columbia University called Columbia University Apartheid Divest. A member had threatened “Zionists” on social media , which the organization had initially distanced itself from after a strong public outcry but later supported in an Instagram post . CUAD also has handed out pro-Hamas flyers that circulated around campus featuring masked men holding weapons. “There is a new sheriff in town,” Ernst said. The FBI has yet to respond to Ernst’s request, her office said. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment. A Columbia University spokesperson said CUAD is not a recognized organization by the school and the flyers were under investigation. Members of CUAD declined to comment. Reed Rubinstein, who held high-ranking positions in both the Justice Department and the U.S. Education Department in the first Trump administration, is now a senior vice president at America First Legal, a public policy law firm in Washington, D.C., founded by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller. (Miller is expected to return to the White House as a deputy chief of staff for policy.) Under Rubinstein, America First Legal has in the past year filed four lawsuits that provide a glimpse into how the Trump administration could differ from its predecessor. America First Legal alleges in the suits that the State Department, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education have protected pro-Hamas extremists. In court papers and in letters to several federal oversight officials, America First Legal has also said it believes the Justice Department should have forced several leaders of pro-Palestinian groups to report themselves under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, which requires individuals acting as “an agent of a foreign principal” to register themselves with the Justice Department. It has also accused the Department of Education of not following Title VI regulations, which prohibits schools that accept federal funding from allowing on-campus discrimination based on race, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics including being Jewish. “There’s a difference between lawful speech and unlawful conduct,” Rubinstein told NBC News. “Law enforcement has an obligation to act.” Although the lawsuits haven’t progressed in court, they provide a possible road map for how Trump-minded prosecutors could respond to the protest movement. So far, only the Education Department has responded to the allegations, court papers show, and said the agency doesn’t have sufficient evidence to respond to the claims that policies aren’t being enforced. The Justice Department didn’t respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople at the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education all said they can’t comment on pending litigation. Rubinstein in an interview brought up an additional law he expects a second Trump administration could enforce. Known as the FACE Act , the law prohibits people from using force, threats or intimidation while blocking entrances of places of worship. Earlier this month, protesters with SJP Chicago gathered at the Chicago Loop Synagogue to demonstrate against an Arab Israeli speaker who had served in the Israeli military. Videos posted to social media showed demonstrators blocking the synagogue’s entrance, banging on the windows and getting inside. “You do not have the right to deny somebody the ability to congregate in a church or synagogue,” Rubinstein said. “We would like to see the Department of Justice do its job.” A spokesman for the FBI’s Chicago office said its policy is not to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. The Chicago Police Department said it arrested two protesters and charged them with trespassing and one with property damage, both misdemeanor charges. SJP Chicago did not respond to a request for comment. But in an Instagram post, it said protesters were not being anti-Jewish. “Zionist have scrambled to throw together a narrative that these acts were anti-semetic and fueled by hate (what’s new).” An expected flood of legal battles Some of the nation’s leading free speech and civil rights groups say they are gearing up to fight a new Trump administration and any attempts to go after protesters or their funders. Since 9/11, organizations including the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), along with the ACLU, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Knight First Amendment Institute have represented Muslim Americans and pro-Palestinian activists in cases involving free speech, surveillance or abuse. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy executive director, argued that the Biden administration failed to enforce FARA against leaders of pro-Israel groups. Mitchell said both Trump and President Joe Biden single out pro-Palestinian activists with either a lack of enforcement or with too much enforcement. “Just as Americans who peacefully marched, protested and lobbied against segregation, the Vietnam War and South African apartheid were not deterred when government agencies spied upon, smeared, arrested and brutalized them,” Mitchell said, “the college students, human rights activists and everyday Americans peacefully opposing the Gaza genocide have not been deterred by such government abuses and, God willing, will not be deterred by such abuses in the future.” Both CCR and the ACLU told NBC News that their concerns go beyond what the administration could do to crack down on just the protests. They pointed to the possibility that a Republican-led Congress could pass a bill currently under consideration that would strip away the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that a Trump appointed treasury secretary designates as providing material support to “terrorist supporting organizations.” CCR also said it worries a second Trump administration could wrongly level accusations of failing to register as foreign agents against protest leaders and nonprofits that aid protest groups with collecting donations. CCR is also watching whether a Trump Justice Department will charge certain activists accused of supporting Hamas and other U.S.-designated terror organizations with violating a U.S. anti-terror law that prohibits advocating for terror groups while in coordination with them. “We are prepared for the Trump administration coming in and changing the game, particularly around the question, ‘Where does speech fit into this?’” said Vince Warren, CCR’s executive director. “To the extent that the Biden administration drew a line between speech and actionable conduct, we don’t think that the Trump administration will do that at all.” CCR is also concerned about the plans laid out in Project Esther , an initiative backed by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that published Project 2025 . Project Esther urges law enforcement to use a plethora of federal and state laws to dismantle what it terms the “global Hamas Support Network” using racketeering laws — used to break up the mafia — along with anti-terrorism and anti-hate speech laws. “They will throw any type of spaghetti up against the wall,” Warren said. The Knight Institute said although it expects the new Trump administration to aggressively police speech, it is prepared to fight back. Earlier this month, Knight successfully rebuffed the Biden Treasury Department, which had blocked a New York based nonprofit from organizing an overseas conference with Hezbollah members, arguing it can’t work with people sanctioned for ties to terrorism groups. The agency reversed course and settled the case earlier this month after Knight argued that an academic exchange of ideas could not violate anti-terror laws. “If there’s one thing the First Amendment protects, it’s the right of Americans to criticize their own government’s policies,” said Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institute’s executive director. The ACLU’s Wizner struck a similar note, saying: “The courts have made clear that the First Amendment protects all manner of controversial advocacy, including advocacy of violence, so long as the speaker isn’t actively inciting imminent harm,” Wizner said. Impact on college campuses Kenneth Marcus, who ran the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights during the Trump and George W. Bush administrations, now leads the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, one of the leading civil rights organizations focused on Jewish students. Over the past year, the center has sued a growing list of universities arguing officials failed to stop what it sees as widespread antisemitism on campus. Marcus said he has met with Department of Education officials requesting an expansion of civil rights enforcement to protect Jewish students on campuses. The Department of Education didn’t respond to questions regarding Marcus’ concerns. “We know that President Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the campus situation,” Marcus said. During the presidential campaign, one of the 20 promises in the preamble to the Republican Party platform was to “deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.” NBC News reported in August that the Biden administration said it was not targeting visa revocations for foreign students who may have engaged in speech-related offenses or participated in unauthorized campus protests and had not terminated any university or college student visas due to protest activity related to the Israel-Hamas war. Trump’s return to Washington could lead to possible attempts to revoke student visas for foreign students who openly support Hamas or other U.S.-designated terror organizations, Marcus said. Marcus also anticipates more intervention from the Justice Department when Jewish students say they are being targeted on campus. At a campaign stop in September , Trump said that at the start of his second presidency, he would inform universities that if they allow violence and threats against Jewish students, they “will be held accountable for violations of the civil rights law.” “My administration will move swiftly to restore safety for Jewish students and Jewish people on American streets,” Trump said. This article first appeared on NBCNews.com . Read more from NBC News here: Trump’s mass deportations could split 4 million mixed-status families. How one is getting ready. SEC issues summons for Gautam Adani, nephew on bribery allegations Will Trump's former defense lawyer protect the Justice Department from Trump?

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND) today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) in adult growth hormone deficiency (GHD) for TransCon hGH (lonapegsomatropin-tcgd; marketed as SKYTROFA® for pediatric GHD). The FDA set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of July 27, 2025. “This marks another step towards achieving our objective to expand SKYTROFA’s label beyond pediatric GHD and expand its reach to address new groups of patients,” said Jan Mikkelsen, Ascendis Pharma’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Adult GHD is an undertreated condition associated with significant comorbidities and higher annual healthcare costs compared to the 5-10% of patients who receive treatment, indicative of the high unmet need.” The sBLA submission is based on results from foresiGHt, a Phase 3 randomized, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled (double-blind) and active-controlled (open-label) trial that compared the efficacy and safety of weekly TransCon hGH with weekly placebo and daily human growth hormone (hGH) in adults with GHD. The trial evaluated 259 adults with GHD aged 23 to 80 years old, randomized 1:1:1, titrated to receive a target fixed dose of TransCon hGH, placebo, or daily hGH based on age and oral estrogen intake with approximately equivalent hGH mg/week for TransCon hGH and daily hGH. TransCon hGH demonstrated superiority on its primary efficacy and key secondary efficacy endpoints at Week 38, with TransCon hGH-treated participants showing a statistically significant reduction from baseline in trunk fat and increase in total body lean mass at Week 38 compared to placebo. In the trial, TransCon hGH was generally safe and well tolerated, with no discontinuations related to study drug and with comparable safety and tolerability to daily hGH treatment. About Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency Growth hormone plays an essential role in the health of children and adults, promoting normal growth in children and maintenance of normal body composition and cardiometabolic health throughout adulthood. In adults, growth hormone boosts protein production, promotes fat utilization, enhances muscle mass, and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Adult GHD is a condition in which an individual’s body does not produce enough growth hormone. Symptoms and morbidity can include central obesity, metabolic syndrome, decreased bone density, alterations in lipid profile and markers of cardiovascular risk, fatigue, general weakness, lack of muscle tone, and psychological symptoms such as cognitive impairment, social isolation, lack of motivation, and depression.1 About Ascendis Pharma A/S Ascendis Pharma is applying its innovative TransCon technology platform to build a leading, fully integrated biopharma company focused on making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. Guided by its core values of Patients, Science, and Passion, Ascendis uses its TransCon technologies to create new and potentially best-in-class therapies. Ascendis is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and has additional facilities in Europe and the United States. Please visit ascendispharma.com to learn more. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding Ascendis’ future operations, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to (i) the PDUFA goal date for SKYTROFA, (ii) Ascendis’ objective to expand SKYTROFA’s label and reach to address new groups of patients, (iii) Ascendis’ ability to apply its TransCon technology platform to build a leading, fully integrated biopharma company, and (iv) Ascendis’ use of its TransCon technologies to create new and potentially best-in-class therapies. Ascendis may not actually achieve the plans, carry out the intentions or meet the expectations or projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions, expectations, and projections disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Various important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that Ascendis makes, including the following: dependence on third party manufacturers, distributors and service providers for Ascendis’ products and product candidates; unforeseen safety or efficacy results in Ascendis’ development programs or on-market products; unforeseen expenses related to commercialization of any approved Ascendis products; unforeseen expenses related to Ascendis’ development programs; unforeseen selling, general and administrative expenses, other research and development expenses and Ascendis’ business generally; delays in the development of its programs related to manufacturing, regulatory requirements, speed of patient recruitment or other unforeseen delays; Ascendis’ ability to obtain additional funding, if needed, to support its business activities; the impact of international economic, political, legal, compliance, social and business factors. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Ascendis’ business in general, see Ascendis’ prospectus supplement filed on September 20, 2024 and Ascendis’ current and future reports filed with, or submitted to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on February 7, 2024. Forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future licensing, collaborations, acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments that Ascendis may enter into or make. Ascendis does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Ascendis, Ascendis Pharma, the Ascendis Pharma logo, the company logo, TransCon, and SKYTROFA ® , are trademarks owned by the Ascendis Pharma group. © December 2024 Ascendis Pharma A/S. 1.Hoffman AR, Mathison T, Andrews D, Murray K, Kelepouris N, Fleseriu M. Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency: Diagnostic and Treatment Journeys From the Patients' Perspective. J Endocr Soc. 2022;6(7):bvac077. Published 2022 May 12. doi:10.1210/jendso/bvac077With so many free VPNs available, why would you consider paying for one? The simple answer is that free VPNs are quite ineffective at unblocking the sites you need. Additionally, they can expose your data or steal your information, posing significant privacy and security risks. Explore all the main reasons why free VPNs cannot be trusted. With a free VPN, you might enjoy decent performance initially, but eventually you’ll notice that they fall short in unblocking websites. This can become increasingly frustrating over time, leading you to abandon it altogether. Streaming sites like Netflix have their own methods to detect VPN usage , often causing web pages to crash. While launching Netflix, I experienced crashes on the Edge browser. I had to give up eventually. I tried all the popular browser-based free VPNs , but none could help me access Netflix. The problem with streaming sites is also visible on gaming platforms, Zoom calls, and several social media websites. It’s very easy for most modern websites to detect VPN usage if a free VPN provider is involved. But, that is not the case with a top-ranked VPN like ExpressVPN, Surfshark or NordVPN . Each time you visit a website, your device makes a DNS request through your ISP or router to resolve the domain name into an IP address. In exchange, the website receives your real IP address. It can further use cookies and referrer headers to access your browsing history and online activities. The primary purpose of using a virtual private network (VPN) is to prevent IP address exposure. However, if your DNS information continues to leak to random websites , you cannot trust your free VPN. It’s only a matter of time before your real IP address is leaked. For most of the free VPNs I tested, I discovered they were exposing my DNS requests repeatedly. This is not how it’s meant to be. A good VPN ensures airtight security, preventing your DNS requests from being exposed. Top-rated commercial VPNs have built-in features that let you test for DNS leaks, WebRTC leaks , and IP address exposures. The adage, “if you’re not paying for it, you become the product” couldn’t be truer for free VPNs and proxies. While you might enjoy accessing region-restricted videos through a free VPN, data harvesters benefit even more. They gain extensive insights into your preferences and browsing habits. Since free VPNs need funding, they often sell your data to third parties. Who are these exactly? You may have encountered a few of the big ones: companies like Acxiom, Experian, River City Media, and LocalBlox. While these brokers only sell you targeted ads, the biggest threat comes from cybercriminals on the dark web that do a lot worse . Until a significant breach grabs our attention, such as the NPD data leak , or the AT&T breach , many of us tend to ignore this problem. In the past, I was quite lax about using free VPNs until it affected me personally. My credit card details were leaked online, and someone attempted to make purchases on Macy’s website. The sudden surge in online fraud is something we cannot ignore, and free VPNs are among the worst offenders. With free VPNs, you may expose yourself to having a hidden rootkit that is hard to get rid of, and it can put you at risk of a man-in-the-middle attack. They can also steal your login credentials, passwords, credit card information, and even take screenshots of whatever it is you’re doing. The key distinction between a reputable commercial VPN provider and a run-of-the-mill free VPN is its active adherence to a no-logs policy. Notably, there have been significant advancements in this area in recent years. For instance, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN have transitioned to RAM-only servers , which ensure that all user data is wiped out with every reboot. Given that these VPN providers are based in the British Virgin Islands and Panama, outside the Fourteen Eyes jurisdiction, users can enjoy an added sense of assurance. Even when a VPN provider is based in the United States, such as Hotspot Shield, they enforce explicit in-app no-logs policies. On the other hand, a majority of free VPNs do not have privacy policies that can be trusted. Some of them even made it clear that by using them, you allow your user data to be transferred to China or other countries. Since you may not read the small print, you’re not aware of what you’re agreeing to. Even if you’re indifferent about your data being sold to third parties, we cannot ignore the issue of cyber-surveillance. You might think you’re not important enough to be a target of spying, but many ISPs do track online activities. Government agencies, not necessarily from your own country, can monitor Internet traffic for intelligence, even if you’re not a high-profile individual. Many of these free VPNs lack clear privacy policies or measures to protect their users, increasing the likelihood that they could be designed by cyber-surveillance companies. Additionally, due to browser fingerprinting, your browser, device, and surfing habits create a unique identifier, which can trace you even when you delete cookies. This information is definitely valuable to surveillance agents, advertisers, eavesdroppers, and data thieves. Everybody loves free stuff. And when everyone is connected to the same free VPN service, it is inevitable that the speed is affected. Most free VPN services don’t have a lot of resources allocated, and when there are too many users, you will start to experience speed throttle or even a lost connection. Since free VPNs need to get their funds from somewhere, it’s not uncommon for them to sell your bandwidth to third parties. There is no way to know if the person using your bandwidth knows that they are using stolen bandwidth. Also, if the person using it is doing something illegal, (since it’s your bandwidth) you’re the one that’s going to get in trouble with authorities. We’ve discussed the biggest drawbacks of free VPN products, which should make you pause before using them again. The real question isn’t whether a free VPN can be trusted, but whether the VPN you choose offers genuine value. From a user experience point, the annoying advertisements, especially on mobile apps, is one of the worst aspects of using free VPNs. They always affect your Internet speed. In some cases, they have links to malicious sites. Moreover, free VPNs also limit your ability to select the country to connect to. They only have a handful of servers to begin with. If the free VPN also offers a paid service, they will limit you so you will eventually upgrade to the paid service. For example, the free tier of Hotspot Shield offers 500 MB/day respectively. You can barely watch a streaming movie on Netflix. Not all paid VPNs are created equal; some can be just as frustrating as free ones. This is why we rely on a select few top-tier VPNs that provide the most outstanding service. Our top two recommendations are ExpressVPN and NordVPN , though Surfshark , CyberghostVPN and PrivateInternetAccess are some of the others that are quite high on the list of top commercial VPNs. Image credit: Pixabay . All screenshots by Sayak Boral. Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.