The simple answer is that you need to trust the operator of the VPN service and what they may do with your data. Why do you want a public VPN service in the first place? If it’s to hide your online activity from your ISP or government, does your chosen VPN provider share that information anyway, or do they share it with data brokers and other parties anyway?

I don’t have personal experience with SurfShark, but it looks quite expensive for monthly service ($18). Obviously they want you to sign up for an annual ($3.40/month) or two year plan ($2.50/month). It appears that they have at least been audited by Deloitte. I’ve had good experiences with vpn.ac and Proton, and Mullvad frequently gets top recommendations.

If you get a legit answer, let me know. :)

Thanks those who have responded. I guess it remains the case that nobody has yet made a stong arugment against using SurfShark, so I’ll likely stick with them (at least until someon convinces me otherwise). Their are few VPNs that do everything I need, only SurfShark, Proton, Mullvad and Windscribe. I’ve had issues with all but SurfShark, which is why I stick with them, but because I read so much hate for that service I wanted to someone to make a reasoned argument detailing why I shoudn’t use them, before I move to an alternative (likely Proton). I tried asking in Lemmy’s largest Privacy sub and my post was removed without comment and I received no response from the mods when I asked, so I’m glad the mod here is more reasonable.