Simon Migliano

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Simon Migliano
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Born1978 (age 45–46)
EducationB.A. Joint Hons in French & English, University of Liverpool, 2000 Graduate Diploma, Journalism, University of Technology Sydney, 2005
Occupation
  • VPN author
  • Journalist
Organizationtop10vpn.com (2016 - present)
Known for
Websitesimonmigliano.com

Simon Migliano (born 1978) is a British author and journalist known for his research into Virtual private network, internet censorship,privacy and Computer security.[1] He is employed by UK VPN review website Top10VPN.com as Head of Research, where he also tests and reviews VPN services.[2] Journalists have cited Migliano as a digital privacy expert and a cybersecurity expert.[3][4][5][6]

Research

As part of his work for the Top10VPN.com website, Migliano has published a series of research reports on topics that include the risks associated with free VPNs, global VPN usage and demand statistics, the economic impact of government Internet outage, List of websites blocked in Russia and the dark web trade in hacked account credentials.[7]

Migliano’s research has been reported on by major news publications such as The New York Times[8] and The Guardian[9], and cited in reports by international government bodies, including the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)[10] and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).[11]

VPN investigations

Migliano has published a series of investigations exploring the risks of free VPN services. In 2018 he found that half of the most popular mobile VPN apps had ownership links to China.[12][13]

In early 2019, Migliano published a security review of the top 150 free VPN apps in the Google Play|Google Play Store that found that 25% fail to protect their users' privacy due to DNS leak|DNS leaks.[14]

He has published a number of follow-ups to these two investigations that put pressure on Apple Inc.|Apple and Google to adopt a more stringent vetting process for VPN apps in their app stores.[15]

VPN statistics

Migliano has been monitoring significant increases in demand for VPN services around the world since 2020.[16] He has documented notable surges in Iran, where VPN demand increased by 3,082% on September 22, 2022 after WhatsApp and Instagram were blocked in response to protests over the death of Mahsa Amini,[17][18] and in Russia, which increased by 2,692% on March 14, 2022 when Instagram was blocked following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine.[19]

In 2020, Migliano worked with German market research firm GWI (company)|GWI to publish a study of global VPN usage, which found that 31% of internet users worldwide use a VPN.[20][21]

Cost of internet shutdowns

Migliano works with fellow researcher Samuel Woodhams to co-author the Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns report.[22] Initially an annual report first published in January 2020, the report is now a live tracker of the economic impact of internet shutdowns. As of January 2023, they have calculated the economic impact of deliberate government internet outages to have been almost $41.5 billion worldwide since 2019.[23]

Since it was first published in 2020, Migliano and Woodhams’ research continues to be cited in media coverage of major internet shutdowns around the world.[24][25][26][27]

It has also been widely cited in academic papers and public policy documents.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

Websites blocked in Russia

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Migliano began monitoring Internet censorship in Russia|Russian internet censorship and identifying List of websites blocked in Russia|websites that were blocked in Russia as a result of the war. As of February 2023, Migliano had analysed over 25,000 blocked Domain name|domains and identified 4,315 that had been blocked for publishing content relating to the war in Ukraine, including 3,595 news websites, a figure that includes temporary Mirror site|mirror sites used to try to beat the censors.[36][37]

Dark web

In February 2018, Migliano first published the Darknet Market Price Index, which tracked the average selling price on Darknet market|darknet markets of popular account credentials.[38] He found that Apple account credentials were the most valuable to hackers among consumer Brand|brands, changing hands for $15.39 on average. The most recent edition of the Index found that Apple ID|Apple IDs were much less valuable by August 2020 and were only worth $6.41.[39]

Migliano published a study in March 2023 showing that there were more hacked account credentials for streaming services than for any other type of online account listed for sale on the darknet markets. He also found that there were more stolen log-in details for NordVPN listed for sale than for any other single account, followed by PayPal.[40]

Early life and education

Born in Italy in 1978, Migliano earned his Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Technology, Sydney in 2005 following a B.A. Joint Honours in English and French from University of Liverpool in 2000. Migliano first became interested in VPNs and internet censorship after his experiences of working in China and leading a Shanghai-based team remotely from London.[41]

References

  1. "Simon Migliano | VPN Research & Digital Privacy". Simon Migliano. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  2. "Simon Migliano - Head of Research | VPN Author & Expert". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  3. "Big Tech could help Iranian protesters by using an old tool". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. "The UK is prepared to go after Silicon Valley bosses if they don't clean up their platforms". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  5. Davies, Rob (2018-09-07). "BA customers' credit card details 'probably already for sale'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  6. Sommerlad, Nick (2018-09-02). "Scam kits costing £170 used to con 500 Brits a day by creating fake emails". mirror. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  7. "VPN, Digital Rights, & Online Security Research | Top10VPN". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. Satariano, Adam; Hopkins, Valerie (2022-03-07). "Russia, Blocked From the Global Internet, Plunges Into Digital Isolation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. Milmo, Dan, ed. (2022-03-12), "Russians seek to evade social media ban with virtual private networks", The Guardian, ISSN 0261-3077, retrieved 2023-03-02
  10. "ENISA Threat Landscape 2022". ENISA. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  11. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2021). Digital economy report 2021 : cross-border data flows and development : for whom the data flow. Geneva. ISBN 978-92-1-113022-5. OCLC 1294349983.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. "Study finds half of most popular VPN apps linked to China". Financial Times. 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  13. Oremus, Will (2019-02-28). "Do You Trust Your VPN? Are You Sure?". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  14. Hodge, Rae. "Best Free VPNs 2023: Our Experts Show You How to Avoid Shady Services and Get Premium Protection". CNET. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  15. "Are Free VPNs Safe? 77% Are Insecure, 86% Are Not Private". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  16. "VPN Demand Statistics: VPN Demand Surges Around the World". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  17. Browne, Ryan. "VPN use skyrockets in Iran as citizens navigate internet censorship under Tehran's crackdown". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  18. "How Iranians are hopping between VPNs to stay connected". euronews. 2022-11-06. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  19. Brandon Vigliarolo. "Russians look to VPNs as Putin locks down internet". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  20. "Global VPN Usage Statistics in 2020 (Key Trends & Analysis)". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  21. Labs, Malwarebytes. "VPNs are mainstream, which is good news | Malwarebytes Labs". Malwarebytes. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  22. "The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  23. "The Global Cost of Internet Shutdowns". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  24. "Uganda social media ban raises questions over regulation in Africa - BBC News". web.archive.org. 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  25. Changoiwala, Puja (2020-04-20). "Internet restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic can be fatal". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  26. "FEATURE-In Myanmar's rebel strongholds, internet can mean life or death". Reuters. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  27. "Myanmar protests bring the country toward state collapse and civil war - The Washington Post". web.archive.org. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  28. "The Promise and Challenge of Strategic Trade Engagement in the Indo-Pacific Region" (PDF). Center for Democracy & Technology: 5. March 15, 2022 – via Center for Democracy & Technology.
  29. "Foreign Censorship, Part 2: Trade and Economic Effects on U.S. Businesses" (PDF). United States International Trade Commission. 5334: 70. July 2022 – via United States International Trade Commission.
  30. Safar, Misgar; Wani, Zahid; Ayoub, Arshia. "Impact of Internet Blockade Post Abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution on Doctoral Students Pursuing Research in Kashmir". Library of Philosophy and Practice. 2021 – via ResearchGate.
  31. White, Patrick Aaron (2020). "Symbiotic Suppression: How Digital Authoritarianism Helps Facilitate Physical Repression in Indian Controlled Kashmir". Honors College. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  32. "Myanmar protests bring the country toward state collapse and civil war - The Washington Post". web.archive.org. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  33. "Uganda social media ban raises questions over regulation in Africa - BBC News". web.archive.org. 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  34. Changoiwala, Puja (2020-04-20). "Internet restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic can be fatal". CNN. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  35. "FEATURE-In Myanmar's rebel strongholds, internet can mean life or death". Reuters. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  36. "List of Websites Blocked in Russia Since Ukraine Invasion". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  37. Meaker, Morgan. "Russians Need VPNs. The Kremlin Hates Them". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  38. "BBC One - Watchdog - Dark Web". BBC. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  39. "Darknet Market Price Index 2018 Report | Top10VPN". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  40. "The Most Popular Hacked Accounts on the Darknet Markets". www.top10vpn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  41. "Simon Migliano | VPN Research & Digital Privacy". Simon Migliano. Retrieved 2022-12-01.

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