VPNs are becoming increasingly popular due to data privacy concerns, but a new report found that some aren't effective.

How to create respectful and profitable data privacy policy Watch Now

Increased concerns over data privacy have led to more companies investing in VPNs in recent years. Unfortunately, some of these networks fail to actually protect corporate data from outside sources, according to a new report from The Best VPN.

Of the 74 VPNs analyzed in the report, 16 were leaking data. DNS leaks, WebRTC and IP leaks, and Chrome extension leaks were the most common, the report found.

"VPNs leak for a variety of reasons," the report stated. "DNS server issues and WebRTC API conflicts can cause your true location to shine through. The problem is that these often strike when you least expect it."

Each VPN reviewed in the report went through an extensive leak-detection process, The Best VPN noted, in which the company established a connection with their servers and used six different third-party tools to reveal the IP address.

SEE: Comparison chart: VPN service providers (Tech Pro Research)

Here are the 16 VPNs that were found to leak data, according to the report:

Hoxx VPN (free & paid version) Hola (free version) VPN.ht (paid version) SecureVPN (paid version) DotVPN (free version) Speedify (free version) Betternet (free version) Ivacy (free version) Touch VPN (paid version) Zenmate (free version) Ace VPN (paid version) AzireVPN (paid version) BTGuard (paid version) Ra4w VPN (paid version) VPN Gate (free version)

Looking to switch your VPN? The report also named the top five leak-free VPNs to better protect your privacy:

ExpressVPN NordVPN Perfect Privacy CyberGhost Trust.Zone

For more information on popular VPN services, check out this guide from our sister site CNET.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

According to a report from The Best VPN, 16 common VPNs are leaking your data.

Businesses can turn to ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Perfect Privacy, CyberGhost, or Trust.Zone for the most reliable VPNs, according to The Best VPN report.

Tech News You Can Use Newsletter We deliver the top business tech news stories about the companies, the people, and the products revolutionizing the planet. Delivered Daily Sign up today

Also see