Google's Disrupts IPIDEA 922 Proxy: Why & Safe Alternatives

On Jan 29, 2026, Google and its partners disrupted a massive, hidden network that was secretly turning millions of personal devices into tools for hackers. The target was IPIDEA, believed to be one of the world's largest residential proxy networks.

Unlike legitimate proxy or data collection services like Bright Data, Oxylabs, NetNut, Smartproxy, or MoMoProxy, which operate with transparency and user consent, IPIDEA's model was built on deception. It embedded hidden code into ordinary-looking apps and free VPNs. When users downloaded these, their phones and computers were silently enrolled into a global proxy network. Their home internet connections were then sold to others, often for malicious purposes.