ProtonVPN Passes 1 Million Users and Launches on iOS (venturebeat.com)

Encrypted email service provider ProtonMail has launched its standalone VPN app for iOS devices. From a report: The announcement comes more than a year after ProtonVPN launched globally for desktop users and 10 months after it landed on Android, so the iOS launch has been a long time coming. There is, of course, no shortage of VPN apps out there already, but ProtonMail has built a solid reputation in the encrypted communications realm since it was founded out of CERN in 2013. Following the launch of its privacy-focused email service nearly three years ago, the company subsequently added two-factor authentication (2FA), Tor support, an encrypted contacts manager, and of course a VPN service.

ProtonMail offers various pricing tiers for ProtonVPN, ranging from free to $24 per month. Those who choose not to pay can access three countries' servers, with access on one device, but will have slower speeds, while the top $24/month tier offers access on 10 devices with server access in all available countries. In related news, ProtonMail said that ProtonVPN now has 1 million users globally.

Comments

It was also reported

[Anonymous Coward]

It was also reported that the feds have easy access to their network, rendering the VPN effectively useless.

Re:It was also reported

[Bradmont]

Source?

Re: It was also reported

[Type44Q]

Source?

Logic. It's even reproducible... at least for some.

Re:It was also reported

[Sarten-X]

All "privacy-focused" VPNs are useless for normal folks.

Sure, they can all claim to have your privacy in mind, but there's no legal basis for that claim. They can't just refuse subpoenas or gag orders, and can't obstruct a lawful investigation. Any idiot with a server can set up a VPN provider and start selling access, and invent claims of resilience for marketing purposes. When they're facing a choice between a contempt-of-court charge or sacrificing a customer, suddenly that idea of being a bastion of anarchistic freedom doesn't look so appealing.

There are some very good reasons to have VPN technology. It's crucial for operating remotely-located network equipment or offices. For activists whose work puts them in danger from oppressive regimes, a trustworthy VPN can literally save lives. For a paranoid user who just thinks the Big Bad Gub'mint is going to persecute him for torrenting bootleg anime, a VPN is just a scam to extract money for no actual benefit.

Depends on who you are worried about

[SuperKendall]

It was also reported that the feds have easy access to their network, rendering the VPN effectively useless.

Not at all useless.

To me I don't care if my data on a VPN is easily accessed by various governments, because the hard truth is that it will be accessed by governments, one way or another.

Since that aspect is irrelevant, all I end up caring about is - how much can a VPN help with non-state actors accessing my network traffic?

To me it seems like ProtonVPN is a pretty good choice in that regard. My only misgiving is that the more populate a VPN is, the more desirable a target it is to break... but I feel like the (probable) quality of security that ProtonVPN offers outweighs that greater target profile.

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[supercell]

Wow, the blatant slashverisment here is pretty shocking. This is such an AD poorly disguised as a PR release its laughable.

What would be a great article is someone that follows the money flow from a website like VentureBeat that pay to print, to SlashDot that pays to post.

Super bad analogy

[SuperKendall]

I'm sorry, but what makes the private mercenary better than regular army?

I think you are possibly trying for some kind of analogy?

But honestly what you are saying makes no sense. In fact, I cannot figure out how to apply your statement to any aspect of what I said, in any way.

To simplify my original statement (which may help you), all your network traffic can and will be access by many governments no matter what you do. So base your choice of security around anything else but that criteria, since it is irrelevant.