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Opera Adds Free and Unlimited VPN Service To Its Android Browser (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

Opera has added a free VPN service to its Android browser. The Norwegian browser maker, which went public last year, also addressed concerns about potential hidden costs of using its free VPN offering. From a report: As users become more cautious about their privacy, many have explored using VPN services. According to a GlobalWebIndex estimate, more than 650 million people worldwide use such tools to mask their identity online and fend off web trackers. Opera has long recognized this need; in 2016, it launched Opera VPN, a standalone VPN app for iOS and Android. A few months later, it baked that feature into its desktop browser. Last year, however, the company discontinued Opera VPN. Now, Opera is integrating the VPN service into its Android browser. Opera 51 for Android enables users to establish a private connection between their mobile device and a remote VPN server using 256-bit encryption. Users can pick a server of their choice from a range of locations. Unlike several other VPN apps, Opera's offering does not require an account to use the service.

75 comments

  1. Bandwidth? by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If many people use Opera VPN, the browsers speed will be a problem (unless they have many many servers, which is doubtful for a free VPN).

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    1. Re:Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      If many people use Opera VPN, the browsers speed will be a problem (unless they have many many servers, which is doubtful for a free VPN).

      The VPN is very slow for me.

    2. Re:Bandwidth? by jma05 · · Score: 1

      They don't. So it should be fine :-).

      Opera's VPN in the Desktop browser works fine for occasional use, especially since I don't even have images turned on.

    3. Re:Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Soviet Opera, you ARE server!

    4. Re:Bandwidth? by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      That's because you're using Comcast.

    5. Re:Bandwidth? by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Informative

      The VPN is ad free, the browser isn't. I was happy with Opera Mobile for a while, until an upgrade put a "News" Screen that I couldn't disable.
      This "News" Screen was populated with click-bait articles, which I would expect are full of Ad's that I am willing to bet Opera got some cut on the action.
      I am actually surprised that Opera is still in the business. From its early days of being a fast and light browser which may had gained some traction if it were free to most users, and later versions which were Ad Supported, filled up a lot of your screen, imagine on a 640x480 screen having 1/4 of the screen filled with ads.

       

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    6. Re:Bandwidth? by moronoxyd · · Score: 1

      The VPN is ad free, the browser isn't. I was happy with Opera Mobile for a while, until an upgrade put a "News" Screen that I couldn't disable.

      Well, I've been using Opera Mobile forever, and I had no problem deactivating the "Nesw" screen.

      The only thing that bugs me a little is that with every other update of the app they add one or more sponsored links to the speed dial. But removing them doesn't take long.

    7. Re:Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't know about the mobile version, but in the desktop version you can turn off "Receive Promoted Speed Dials and Bookmarks", in the Settings->Browser->Start Page section. You can also turn off the News display from showing on the start page.

    8. Re:Bandwidth? by Cognitive+Dissident · · Score: 1

      Since Opera was once I good browser I had installed it on a device I own. It seemed OK for a while, but then I got flooded with tourism ads for China. The "notices" would respawn as quickly as I could delete them. Uninstall was the only remedy. Now I will not have anything to do with Opera in any OS.

    9. Re: Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Multiple red flags in that post - troll

    10. Re:Bandwidth? by locopuyo · · Score: 1

      You can disable that. The only thing you can't disable is the extra sites being added tobyour speed dial every few months. Although you can remove them.

      --
      The Official Site of 1337 Pwnage
  2. Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Who trust in russian/chinese software?

    1. Re:Still chinese by hermank · · Score: 2

      Is Opera a company controlled Chinese government? If Yes, Thanks, I don't think I need that.

    2. Re:Still chinese by timerider · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure that
      1. there is only one chinese government
      2. it is not controlled by a company

    3. Re:Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Maybe, but Opera is owned by a Chines company. That means any vpn service they provide is untrustable.
      https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/18/opera-browser-sold-to-a-chinese-consortium-for-600-million/

    4. Re:Still chinese by lrichardson · · Score: 2

      What? You mean like how Qihoo 360's 'Secure Browser' turned out to have a backdoor built in? Or that a couple of reports indicate false flag operations using email accounts and passwords through Opera ... *only* ... (since the acquisition) have been used by hackers? Or that Google, Mozilla, etc no longer accept certificates from StartCom, which was also acquired (indirectly) by Qihoo?

    5. Re: Still chinese by aliquis · · Score: 2

      Same for the US and EU so you have no point.

    6. Re:Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And we single them out, why exactly?

    7. Re: Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is the perfect for my Huawei fone

    8. Re: Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't trust 'in' anonymous posters on websites

    9. Re:Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, just like the backdoors in Cisco networking equipment, HP storage equipment, Juniper networking equipment, Allie Telesis equipment, AMX audio visual equipment, etc.. etc.. etc.
      And just like browsers removing Symantec certs, or Staat der Nederlanden (State of the Netherlands) Certificate Authority (CA), or DigiNotar,

    10. Re: Still chinese by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am pretty sure the US government is not going to arrest me, even if they are spying on me. Same for most EU governments.

      I have less faith in the Chinese government.

    11. Re: Still chinese by aliquis · · Score: 1

      As I live in Sweden I find it highly unlikely as is that the Chinese government would arrest me.

      I guess if I acted in a very poor manner maybe the US could.

      But much more likely is of course that the government of this state would do so.

  3. Doesnâ(TM)t need an account... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Because the VPN scrapes more than enough data to know who you are (*).

    * No I donâ(TM)t have any proof of this but if your not paying for a service, you are the product.

    1. Re:Doesnâ(TM)t need an account... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how else does a freeware browser that's now 'made in china' make money?

    2. Re:Doesnâ(TM)t need an account... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bitcoin mining?

    3. Re: Doesnâ(TM)t need an account... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Emperor Xi likes to watch...

  4. Nice try.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... I know Opera is owned by a Chinese company and this is just some scheme to redirect traffic to packet sniffers.

  5. unlimited *proxy* service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    afair this is proxy service, not vpn

  6. More like a proxy then VPN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As I understand it, Opera is claiming this is a VPN but in my research the VPN a handful of servers scattered throughout the world, they are not completely encrypted and those servers collect your history. Which is accessible through a court order. I guess its better then nothing but what'd you expect for free? Also pretty sure Opera parent company is owned by a Chinese company.

  7. Their VPN used to be subject to strong Norwegian p by UpnAtom · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Not sure if that's still the case.

    There's also the question: who do you trust more: your ISP and Govt, or Opera?

    I use the VPN to get around region lock and to visit sites my Govt might hold against me in future. Obviously, I use TOR for real security.

  8. Doesn't do shit. by GrandCow · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you want to stay anonymous, "use a VPN" is only good advice if the VPN doesn't keep logs of which IP accesses which sites.

    That's like saying "have a condom handy when you're having sex." It doesn't do any fucking good if you just look at it while you're raw-dogging the woman.

    A VPN that keeps logs is just making your internet slower because you're bottlenecking through it. If you are worried that someone is going to trace you, they can do so with the same legal paperwork and subpoena's that they can use to trace all the rest of your IP traffic. The one Opera is offering is worthless, unless all you care about is watching Netflix shows from a different country.

    --
    "Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
    1. Re:Doesn't do shit. by xonen · · Score: 2

      This is totally true. However, sometimes it's better than nothing. It will stop certain websites from gathering 'personal' info.And iIt might stop certain private parties from collecting your data, for example when sharing linux distro torrents.

      Norway is a European country. However, it is not part of the EU (European Union). Hence you'd have to investigate the Norwegian law to determinate what they are required to log by law and under what conditions this data can be requested by (foreign) law enforcement authorities.

      If it was a EU based company it certainly would raise some red flags. As EU demands both 'privacy' and extensive logging at the same time from it's companies. Being Norwegian it certainly would put up an extra threshold at least for us EU citizens.

      Personally, I might use such service as it's convenient and better than nothing. But i'd also recommend anyone to have one- or more- payed VPN subscriptions with contractual guarantees if you're about to do something that's possibly not 100% legal in your or the hosts' area of the world, or is perfectly legal but in case you'd still like to protect your privacy. Obviously, i use my VPN only for legal purposes.

      --
      A glitch a day keeps the bugs away.
    2. Re:Doesn't do shit. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Opera's VPN isn't worthless.

      If you are worried that someone is going to trace you, they can do so with the same legal paperwork and subpoena's that they can use to trace all the rest of your IP traffic.

      Random people can get a subpoena on a Chinese/European company as easy as that, can they?

      The primary use for Opera's VPN will be unsecured wifi. You get off the plane, you don't have a local SIM, and the airport has free wifi. The hotel has free wifi. McDonalds has free wifi. And none of it is encrypted.

      Using Opera's VPN effectively hides your IP address from most of the sites you visit too. They are not going to go out and get a subpoena just so they can geolocate your real IP address, even if it was legally possible to do so. It will also nicely bypass your ISP's blocks, in case you want to access SciHub or The Pirate Bay or whatever.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re: Doesn't do shit. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Random people can get a subpoena on a Chinese/European company as easy as that, can they?"

      Not random people. Agents of repressive authoritarian regimes. Yes, they can easily get a badlawful order to snoop anyone anytime for any or no reason. Europe is not exactly a bastion of freedom these days.

    4. Re: Doesn't do shit. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still better than merkin land

    5. Re:Doesn't do shit. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      If you want to stay anonymous

      From whom? Trust is not an all or nothing question. Now your advice is generally good, but for the most part people aren't trying to remain anonymous from their VPN provider and legitimate legal requests for their logs.

    6. Re:Doesn't do shit. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just know that Slashdot prevents posting through Opera's VPN. Why they block Opera's VPN and not anyone else's is puzzling. They're bigots against Norwegians/Chinese I guess.

    7. Re:Doesn't do shit. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to stay anonymous, "use a VPN" is only good advice if the VPN doesn't keep logs of which IP accesses which sites.

      That's like saying "have a condom handy when you're having sex." It doesn't do any fucking good if you just look at it while you're raw-dogging the woman.

      We really appreciate your attempt to explain this, but could you perhaps use a car analogy instead or something else more relatable to this crowd?

      captcha: fondle

  9. This is why you dumb kids ruin it for the adults by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL you really believe just because you pay for a service, you aren't the product? HAHAHAHA

  10. Free lunch? by Camarillo+Brillo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ain't no such thang. There are no altruistic software companies. You won't pay for this "VPN", but it will cost you something, like privacy. And yes, all Chinese companies are controlled by the Red State, similar to the way the US government is controlled by mega corporations. Screw China, Free Tibet!

    1. Re:Free lunch? by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      The "Red State" is just another mega corporation, with Wall Street investments like everybody else. China is not "communist", it is merely a highly restricted market domestically. Not so much what you can buy, but what you can sell.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  11. Chinese owned Norwegian browser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > The Norwegian browser maker
    But Chinese owned

  12. But they didn't discontinue it? by shanen · · Score: 1

    Now I'm confused? I use Opera every week or two for a website that will not work in my region with Firefox or Chrome or Safari, but Opera is still working? The article says that Opera removed the VPN last year?

    --
    Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
    1. Re:But they didn't discontinue it? by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Multiple Opera features can get around region locks and what-have-you. The VPN is just the most direct of them. Turbo can also work in many cases.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    2. Re:But they didn't discontinue it? by shanen · · Score: 1

      Thanks for reminding me about the time I was using fake headers for the same purpose... That was with a plugin for Firefox, but I should research the Opera situation to see if I can understand what is going on. These days I mostly just want things to work without a lot of tweaking. (And if I'm actually seriously concerned about privacy, there's always Tor. Probably layers and levels of secrecy and anonymity beyond that, too.)

      --
      Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
  13. Chinese, not Norwegian... by PhotoGuy · · Score: 5, Informative

    > The Norwegian browser maker,

    Really? That seems a bit, errr, disingenuous. Maybe even misleading.

    https://www.engadget.com/2016/...

    After a $1.2 billion deal fell through, Opera has sold most of itself to a Chinese consortium for $600 million. The buyers, led by search and security firm Qihoo 360, are purchasing Opera's browser business, its privacy and performance apps, its tech licensing and, most importantly, its name. The Norwegian company will keep its consumer division, including Opera Apps & Games and Opera TV.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    Opera Ltd. is publicly listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange [8], with majority ownership and control belonging to Chinese Businessman Yahui Zhou, creator of Beijing Kunlun Tech[9] which specialises in mobile games and cybersecurity specialist Qihoo 360.

    If you want to send all your traffic through a Chinese VPN, go ahead, but at least be aware who ultimately controls Opera. The fact it's explicitly pitched as "Norwegian" seems suspicious. Could be a trap. :)

    --
    Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
    1. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you want to send all your traffic through a Chinese VPN, go ahead, but at least be aware who ultimately controls Opera. The fact it's explicitly pitched as "Norwegian" seems suspicious. Could be a trap. :)

      I don't see it as so very different. We are already sending all our traffic through a Google VPN today. (With a large value of Google that includes Facebook, Amazon, Cloudflare, et. al.)

    2. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      most of the vpn providers out there are also run by chinese businesses or government fronts.

    3. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same company that owns Grindr, right?

    4. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by DogDude · · Score: 1

      We are already sending all our traffic through a Google VPN today.

      Whoever "we" is, that seems like a very bad idea.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    5. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Someone needs to do a Tiananmen Square test on the Chinese VPN...

    6. Re:Chinese, not Norwegian... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The company is owned by the Chinese, but its HQ is still located in Norway. The VPN servers are located in Norway. Besides what's so damn trustworthy about American companies and the US government?

      Fun fact: the Chinses CEO of the company that owns Opera also is the CEO of the Chinese company that has a majority stake in Grindr. So all you gay Slashdotters using Grindr should know that the Chinese government is keeping track of your hookups!

  14. When something is free, you are the product. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The questions are, what are they selling and who are they selling it to?

    1. Re:When something is free, you are the product. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or maybe they're just looking to increase their market share by offering a free service that their competitors don't. And if that works, they may roll-out an upgrade to the service that provides more features (faster speeds, more servers to connect to, etc.) that their users may want to pay for. It's a pretty standard business strategy.

  15. Know your enemy by Pyramid · · Score: 2

    If you don't trust or can't verify the practices of the VPN end-point provider, using their VPN is *WORSE* than not using it. You are funneling all your traffic to a convenient end point. People need to understand this.

    --
    ~Any apparent grammatical or typographic errors are caused by defects in your display device.
    1. Re:Know your enemy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what VPN provider have you verified?

  16. Re: No free and unlimited VPN in Federal prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now there's two of them.

  17. Trouble with the EU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder if the EU will fine them a billion euros for unfairly bundling a free VPN and a web browser, thus decimating the paid VPN industry.

    Oh - wait - Opera is a Norwegian company. They'll get a pass.

  18. The usual problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, if I use your software, then it's important that I not use your services. Or if I use your services, then I can't use your software. That's just common sense.

    (Same goes for hardware. Hardware, software and services must all be independent or else you're walking into a trap. And no person who ever walked into that trap didn't get fucked by it. It's one of the most infamously well-known mistakes that a computer user can make.)

  19. Other companies under Chinese ownership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Since the biggest objection to using Opera's VPN service seems due the company's ownership from a Chinese corporation, it might interest Slashdotters to know what companies here in the US are owned by the Chinese.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/11/10-iconic-american-companies-owned-by-chinese-investors.html

    1.Chicago Stock Exchange (the Chinese know your financial information)
    2. AMC Theater Chain (the Chinese know what movies you see)
    3. Smithfield Foods (the Chinese know what foods you eat)
    4. Legacy Entertainment Group (the Chinese control movies you watch)
    5. GE Appliances (the Chinese what appliances are in your kitchen)
    6. the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (the Chinese know who checked in with you)
    7. More hotels like Ritz-Carltons in Cali, Four Seasons in Wyoming, Fairmonts in Arizona
    8. Riot Games and stakes in Activison-Blizzard, Epic. (the Chinese know what vidya you play)
    9. Ingram Micro (the Chinese know what tech you're purchasing for your company)
    10. Motorola Mobility (the Chinese know what smartphone you have)

    These are just 10 out of the many more that the Chinese have investment stakes in. And that's just the Chinese. Other foreign companies have large or majority stakes in American companies also. Hell, the second largest shareholder of Twitter is a Saudi prince. Don't think that has any influence on Twitter operations? Right.

    Welcome to the global economy. Get over it.

    1. Re:Other companies under Chinese ownership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've never used any of those brands. In fact, I've never even heard of most of them until now.

      If using those brands can keep my personal data out of the hands of American companies and government, then I would gladly start doing so. Better Chinese organisations have that information since there is nothing they can do with it.

  20. Re:This is why you dumb kids ruin it for the adult by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The op did not say that. ~P implies Q does not mean P implies ~Q, and they didn't suggest otherwise.

    Nice strawman. Try harder.

  21. it isn't working, guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we went from a shitty title and condok reference; i was expecting a cellophane wrap reference, followed by a car analogy, but you somehow landed in a Norse and Chinese landscape or a dis-oriented Ornamental landscape as i call it. You failed to win an Internet. sorry but you failed it. f. a. i. l. Not Abort, Retry, or Ignore, but FAIL.

  22. Opera is a shadow of its former self by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4, Informative

    Opera was bought out by the Chinese. They no longer make their own browser; it's Chrome with a skin. Most of the old Opera staff moved on to Vivaldi. If you want the old Opera back, Vivaldi is the closest thing you'll get.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re:Opera is a shadow of its former self by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Vivaldi is based on Chrome also. Visually, there's hardly any difference between Opera's and Vivaldi's UI.

  23. Re:Bandwidth? GNAA GAY NIGGER FUCK FELCH CUM ASS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    u mean GAYPK

  24. I wish I was APK to host unlimited dicks for free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    APK is right
    I wish I was him so I could become a professional cum dumpster for truckers and host unlimited dicks for free.
    He can teach me how to write like a serial killer and how to buy derelict houses in the ghetto for a $1.
    I desperately need to know how to keep from being institutionalized while suffering from several different mental illnesses.

  25. Re: No free and unlimited VPN in Federal prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To be fair, it was only a matter of time. I'm not a fan of Trump, but I'm tired of this Trump traitors guy.

  26. Decent I guess by juandrex1987 · · Score: 1

    I mean it's cool and all that a free vpn exists out there, but if it's just for the browser then it's not that great, limited to just getting around blocked websites. And most people apparently already realize that no software is free these days so it's better to pay in cash for an already existing and reliable service which works on more devices than just your phone. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, TunnelBear - all great options and way more versatile. But hey, if the Opera VPN actually works against the great firewall of China then it has a place in it's domestic market at least.