Explanations for VPN trend peaks in Brazil:
1. Peak from 2020-03-15 to 2020-03-21: VPN searches in Brazil surged during the week of March 15 to March 21, 2020, likely due to the government's announcement regarding internet restrictions. On March 19, 2020, it was reported that President Jair Bolsonaro's administration sought to access geolocation data from mobile network providers to track COVID-19 spread. This raised privacy concerns among citizens, leading many to explore VPNs as a means to protect their online activity and maintain privacy during this period of increased government scrutiny.
2. Peak from 2020-03-22 to 2020-03-28: VPN searches in Brazil spiked from March 22 to March 28, 2020, due to the Brazilian government's decision to restrict access to certain social media platforms and apps amid the COVID-19 pandemic. People were looking for ways to bypass these restrictions and access content freely, leading to increased interest in VPNs, which can mask a user's location and allow them to access censored or restricted content. Additionally, with the rise in remote work, many individuals sought VPNs for secure internet connections.