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

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.

Comments

Bandwidth?

[hcs_$reboot]

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).

Re:Doesn't do shit.

[AmiMoJo]

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.