The creator of Proton VPN has introduced new features aimed at combating censorship and protecting freedom of expression around the world.
As Proton VPN CEO David Peterson said in the release: “It’s increasingly common for authoritarian governments to go beyond purely online technical measures to discourage or block VPN use. Some countries have even begun requiring citizens to hand over their smartphones for physical inspection.”
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“Protecting free expression and fighting censorship is a core part of our mission, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help users around the world,” Peterson continued. “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.”
Updates include:
- New servers in 12 countries, some of which are at the bottom of the Freedom House Index and Democracy index
- A discreet icon for Android users to customize the Proton VPN app icon and name to disguise it
- StealthThe company’s anti-censorship protocol that disguises VPN traffic as regular Internet traffic now runs on Windows, making it nearly impossible to detect when someone is using a VPN.
The announcement notes that Proton VPN subscriptions saw a 4,000% increase during Venezuela’s controversial presidential election. Similarly, the company saw a 3,500% increase in subscriptions in Bangladesh amid anti-government protests.
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Due to this notable increase, Proton decided to launch servers in 12 new countries, making Proton one of the newest VPN networks on the market. Those new countries are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Yemen.
As for the Stealth protocol, it was designed to bypass sophisticated government censorship by using an obfuscation technique to make VPN traffic look like normal traffic. This protocol was already available for Android, iOS, and MacOS. Thanks to this update, the Stealth protocol is now available for Windows users.
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The stealth icon feature makes it easy for Android users to hide the fact that Proton VPN is installed on their devices.
For more information on Proton, be sure to visit the site Official website.