VPNSecure.me terminated a "lifetime" license: Difference between revisions

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''The following text on this page was a reported single incident as of March 2025. A while later in May 2025, Ars Technica reported their research into this issue, as more complaints started coming in; "In March, complaints started appearing online about lifetime subscriptions to VPNSecure no longer working".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=12 May 2025 |title=VPN firm says it didn't know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513003807/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |archive-date=13 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>''

I'~~ve purchased a supposed Lifetime Subscription~~ to VPNSecure.~~me in 2018~~. ~~As of beginning of~~ 2025 ~~I cannot~~ access ~~any servers.~~

''In May 2025, Ars Technica reported their research into this issue, as more complaints started coming in; "In March, complaints started appearing online about lifetime subscriptions to VPNSecure no longer working".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=12 May 2025 |title=VPN firm says it didn't know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513003807/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |archive-date=13 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>''

==Background==

The license was purchased in 2018 through StackSocial. The full name of the item was "VPNSecure: Lifetime Subscription". For a ~~while~~ the VPN worked ~~totally fine~~.

The license was purchased in 2018 through StackSocial. The full name of the item was "VPNSecure: Lifetime Subscription". For a period of time the VPN worked as expected.

==Company ~~Acquisition~~ and ~~Deactivation~~==

==Company acquisition and deactivation==

In May ~~2023~~, VPN Secure was acquired by ~~new owners~~. According to their email to customers, they acquired "the technology, domain, and customer database — but not the liabilities." On April 28, 2025, all lifetime deal accounts were deactivated.

According to an article from the registers from May 14th 2025, VPN Secure's owner, Boost Network Pty Ltd, was acquired by InfiniteQuant Ltd in May 2023. According to their email to customers, they acquired "the technology, domain, and customer database — but not the liabilities." On April 28, 2025, all lifetime deal accounts were deactivated. https://web.archive.org/web/20250515211209/https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/14/vpn_secure_axe_lifetime_deals/

The new owners ~~claim~~ they were unaware of the lifetime subscriptions when they made the acquisition, stating: "Unfortunately, the previous owner did not disclose that thousands of Lifetime Deals (LTDs) had been sold through platforms like StackSocial."

The new owners claimed that they were unaware of the lifetime subscriptions when they made the acquisition, stating: "Unfortunately, the previous owner did not disclose that thousands of Lifetime Deals (LTDs) had been sold through platforms like StackSocial."

From the Terms of service page, we can see the company owner changing from Boost Network Pty Ltd, to HOLDXB on April 18th 2024, to InfiniteQuant Ltd on May 28th 2025.

Here is an Internet Archive page from March 1st 2024 where the company owner had not yet been changed: https://web.archive.org/web/20240301013017/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

Here is an Internet Archive page from April 18th 2024 where the company owner changed to HOLDXB: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

Here is an Internet Archive page from May 28th 2025 where the company owner changed to InfiniteQuant Ltd: https://web.archive.org/web/20250528093817/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

Ultimately, we can see that there was a lack of communication towards the users of their VPN Service about the change of owners, the change of the Terms of service and the lack of an early statement of the removal of the lifetime license.

==Adding active logins as a requirement==

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====Inactive Account Policy====

'''~~IMPORTANT~~''': following policy was introduced in May 2024 ~~- way~~ after the purchase. ~~See~~ Internet Archive from April 2024 where the policy is not yet ~~in place~~: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

'''The''' following policy was introduced in May 2024, which was substantially after the user's purchase.

Here is an Internet Archive page from April 18th 2024 where the policy had not yet been written: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

Here is an Internet Archive page from May 11th 2024 where the policy had been written: https://web.archive.org/web/20240511012147/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/

~~So it's~~ a ~~classic~~ case of changing the terms of purchase after the fact.<blockquote>To maintain the integrity and efficiency of our services, any account with no active login for a period of six months will be automatically erased. Please note that this includes accounts with lifetime deal access.[[File:VPN Secure email to customers.png|thumb|VPNSecure's email to customers which has the template appearance of having been written by chatgpt <ref>{{Cite web |title=reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/vpns/comments/1ka40gh/vpn_secure_deactivated_all_lifetime_deal_accounts/#lightbox}}</ref>]]If you have purchased a lifetime deal but fail to connect to your account within the specified six-month period, you will lose access to the lifetime deal. It is essential to log in at least once every six months to keep your account and lifetime deal active.

This is a case of changing the terms of purchase after the fact.<blockquote>To maintain the integrity and efficiency of our services, any account with no active login for a period of six months will be automatically erased. Please note that this includes accounts with lifetime deal access.[[File:VPN Secure email to customers.png|thumb|VPNSecure's email to customers which has the template appearance of having been written by chatgpt <ref>{{Cite web |title=reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/vpns/comments/1ka40gh/vpn_secure_deactivated_all_lifetime_deal_accounts/#lightbox}}</ref>]]If you have purchased a lifetime deal but fail to connect to your account within the specified six-month period, you will lose access to the lifetime deal. It is essential to log in at least once every six months to keep your account and lifetime deal active.

We encourage all users to maintain regular activity on their accounts to avoid deactivation.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{StubNotice}}
+{{ToneWarning}}
-''The following text on this page was a reported single incident as of March 2025. A while later in May 2025, Ars Technica reported their research into this issue, as more complaints started coming in; "In March, complaints started appearing online about lifetime subscriptions to VPNSecure no longer working".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=12 May 2025 |title=VPN firm says it didn't know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513003807/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |archive-date=13 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>''
-I've purchased a supposed Lifetime Subscription to VPNSecure.me in 2018. As of beginning of 2025 I cannot access any servers.
+''In May 2025, Ars Technica reported their research into this issue, as more complaints started coming in; "In March, complaints started appearing online about lifetime subscriptions to VPNSecure no longer working".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=12 May 2025 |title=VPN firm says it didn't know customers had lifetime subscriptions, cancels them |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513003807/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/vpn-firm-says-it-didnt-know-customers-had-lifetime-subscriptions-cancels-them/ |archive-date=13 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>''
 ==Background==
-The license was purchased in 2018 through StackSocial. The full name of the item was "VPNSecure: Lifetime Subscription". For a while the VPN worked totally fine.
+The license was purchased in 2018 through StackSocial. The full name of the item was "VPNSecure: Lifetime Subscription". For a period of time the VPN worked as expected.
-==Company Acquisition and Deactivation==
+==Company acquisition and deactivation==
-In May 2023, VPN Secure was acquired by new owners. According to their email to customers, they acquired "the technology, domain, and customer database — but not the liabilities." On April 28, 2025, all lifetime deal accounts were deactivated.
+According to an article from the registers from May 14th 2025, VPN Secure's owner, Boost Network Pty Ltd, was acquired by InfiniteQuant Ltd in May 2023. According to their email to customers, they acquired "the technology, domain, and customer database — but not the liabilities." On April 28, 2025, all lifetime deal accounts were deactivated. https://web.archive.org/web/20250515211209/https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/14/vpn_secure_axe_lifetime_deals/
-The new owners claim they were unaware of the lifetime subscriptions when they made the acquisition, stating: "Unfortunately, the previous owner did not disclose that thousands of Lifetime Deals (LTDs) had been sold through platforms like StackSocial."
+The new owners claimed that they were unaware of the lifetime subscriptions when they made the acquisition, stating: "Unfortunately, the previous owner did not disclose that thousands of Lifetime Deals (LTDs) had been sold through platforms like StackSocial."
+From the Terms of service page, we can see the company owner changing from Boost Network Pty Ltd, to HOLDXB on April 18th 2024, to InfiniteQuant Ltd on May 28th 2025.
+Here is an Internet Archive page from March 1st 2024 where the company owner had not yet been changed: https://web.archive.org/web/20240301013017/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
+Here is an Internet Archive page from April 18th 2024 where the company owner changed to HOLDXB: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
+Here is an Internet Archive page from May 28th 2025 where the company owner changed to InfiniteQuant Ltd: https://web.archive.org/web/20250528093817/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
+Ultimately, we can see that there was a lack of communication towards the users of their VPN Service about the change of owners, the change of the Terms of service and the lack of an early statement of the removal of the lifetime license.
 ==Adding active logins as a requirement==
@@ Line 18: / Line 27: @@
 ====Inactive Account Policy====
-'''IMPORTANT''': following policy was introduced in May 2024 - way after the purchase. See Internet Archive from April 2024 where the policy is not yet in place: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
+'''The''' following policy was introduced in May 2024, which was substantially after the user's purchase.
+Here is an Internet Archive page from April 18th 2024 where the policy had not yet been written: https://web.archive.org/web/20240418204008/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
+Here is an Internet Archive page from May 11th 2024 where the policy had been written: https://web.archive.org/web/20240511012147/https://www.vpnsecure.me/terms-of-service/
-So it's a classic case of changing the terms of purchase after the fact.<blockquote>To maintain the integrity and efficiency of our services, any account with no active login for a period of six months will be automatically erased. Please note that this includes accounts with lifetime deal access.[[File:VPN Secure email to customers.png|thumb|VPNSecure's email to customers which has the template appearance of having been written by chatgpt <ref>{{Cite web |title=reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/vpns/comments/1ka40gh/vpn_secure_deactivated_all_lifetime_deal_accounts/#lightbox}}</ref>]]If you have purchased a lifetime deal but fail to connect to your account within the specified six-month period, you will lose access to the lifetime deal. It is essential to log in at least once every six months to keep your account and lifetime deal active.
+This is a case of changing the terms of purchase after the fact.<blockquote>To maintain the integrity and efficiency of our services, any account with no active login for a period of six months will be automatically erased. Please note that this includes accounts with lifetime deal access.[[File:VPN Secure email to customers.png|thumb|VPNSecure's email to customers which has the template appearance of having been written by chatgpt <ref>{{Cite web |title=reddit |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/vpns/comments/1ka40gh/vpn_secure_deactivated_all_lifetime_deal_accounts/#lightbox}}</ref>]]If you have purchased a lifetime deal but fail to connect to your account within the specified six-month period, you will lose access to the lifetime deal. It is essential to log in at least once every six months to keep your account and lifetime deal active.
 We encourage all users to maintain regular activity on their accounts to avoid deactivation.