Proton VPN launches updates to protect free speech
Governments in many countries are imposing internet shutdowns at alarming rates, reaching new milestones each year with 283 shutdowns documented in 39 countries in 2023. Often these are triggered by public protests, active conflict, elections or political instability in order to keep people in the dark.
Proton VPN is announcing three major updates designed to fight censorship and protect free speech around the world.
The company will provide new servers in the 12 countries at the bottom of the Freedom House Index and the Democracy Index. It's also bringing its anti-censorship protocol, Stealth, to Windows and launching Discreet Icons on Android helping users in authoritarian countries to hide their Proton VPN app on their phone.
David Peterson, general manager of Proton VPN, says, "It has become increasingly common for authoritarian governments to go beyond purely online technical measures to discourage or block VPN use. Certain countries have even begun demanding citizens hand over their smartphones for physical inspection. Protecting free speech and fighting censorship is a core part of our mission and we're committed to doing what we can to help users around the world. With today's announcements, we hope to give people the tools they need to bypass censorship and access a free and fair internet, wherever they are."
The Stealth protocol is designed to bypass sophisticated government censorship systems using an 'obfuscation' technique to disguise VPN traffic, making it look like regular internet traffic. Previously made available on iOS, Android and MacOS, Stealth has already helped millions of people around the world. Starting today it's also available to users on Windows.
Discreet Icons is a new feature that helps Android users hide the Proton VPN app on their phones. Reports of police in authoritarian countries confiscating or inspecting citizen's smartphones are growing and for many having a VPN or secure communications app on their phone can be considered incriminating. Discreet Icons helps users change the usual Proton VPN logo with generic app icons (weather, note-taking, to-do list etc),giving them some protection in the event of a random search.
You can find out more on the Proton VPN site.
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