[md_]

I don’t think that’s necessarily true.

Do I trust ProtonVPN’s free tier less than I trust a random access point named (say) “NYC Free WIFI”? I would say no: I know who ProtonVPN is, and I’m only trusting them, not all their other users.

I agree a lot of free VPNs are shady as fuck, but free tiers from reputable companies are reasonable, and if anything may be more trustworthy than your home ISP.