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Censorship is on the rise.
Our internet freedoms are under threat as governments exercise more control over our digital rights than ever.
We are more reliant on technology than ever, and targeting this infrastructure has devastating consequences for individuals.
Thebest VPNsare a crucial part of the fight against internet censorship, andProton VPNis leading the way.
The Switzerland-based provider is one of themost private VPNsout there and champions digital freedoms and privacy.
Its mission of building a better internet, where privacy is the default, includes a huge anti-censorship drive.
Proton VPN: championing online privacyProton VPN is one of the most private VPNs on the market.
It also boasts one of the best free VPNs, Proton VPN Free.
“It’s concerning, it’s exciting.
So let’s see if we manage to do it.”
Proton Mail was blocked by Russia in 2020 and this acted as a catalyst for the VPN team.
The team wanted to build something into the VPN to bypass censorship before that was blocked as well.
Feedback from those on the ground is vital for Proton VPN staying one step ahead of internet censorship.
Kaplun described Proton VPN’s “active community” that gives “direct feedback”.
They find ways to communicate and keep the team informed as to what works and what doesn’t.
Cesarano called predicting censorship a “geopolitical game.”
“Where we need to react quickly is in scaling.
He talked of “buffers” that help the VPN absorb spikes and ensure users aren’t impacted.
“Every solution goes together with the previous one.”
He said that because of this, not everything requires the same level of reaction.
Kaplun said the team “know that something is going to happen during those elections.”
Last year Proton VPN launched itsVPN Election Campaignto join theProton VPN Observatory.
Cesarano cited Venezuela as an example of the need to scale up.
Restrictions continued in January 2025 asVenezuela went on a VPN banning spreeandblocked Telegram.
Worrying numbers
Proton VPN recently released itsEnd of Year 2024 reporthighlighting its fight against censorship.
The report detailed some worrying numbers as 119 countries saw spikes in VPN signups.
Latin America saw the greatest number of signups, mainly being driven by developments in Venezuela and Brazil.
20 countries saw VPN signups of over 1,000% above the baseline.
Six countries saw signups of over 5,000% above the baseline.
Four counties saw signups of over 10,000% above the baseline.
Kaplun said the most important thing is to be able to “get online.”
But there is also a “minimum quality of service that you must have.”
He said it’s important to enable people to have video calls and have a reliable internet.
It needs to go beyond just being able to send a message.
ItsStealth protocolhas been engineered to effectively circumvent blocks.
Proton VPN has a huge fleet of servers over 11,000 is the latest figure including itsSecure Coreservers.
Thediscreet iconfeature protects users who have their phones searched by authorities.
Kaplun said the team had received feedback from the community that the feature was “really effective.”
A similar feature is Proton VPN’s free online window extension, available on Chrome and Firefox.
This is especially important in countries where the Proton VPN app is banned from app stores.
An individual can benefit from VPN protection without needing to install an app on their equipment.
Proton VPN’s Guest Mode takes this even further.
Users on Android can download the Proton VPN app and sign in without any credentials.
This means that the company won’t deviate from its mission to build a better internet for all.
“The more we progress, the more everything happens online,” Kaplun added.
“If you control online, you could control everything.”
“The problem is that you have what is socially acceptable in the Western world,” Cesarano said.
“Every time something happens, that bar goes a little bit down.
And then we start to normalize the fact your emails get scanned, that your data is monitored.”
“If someone has a different solution, in a different space, even better.
Then we can exchange technologies, we can learn from each other,” he continued.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses.
For example: 1.
Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services.
Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
