Free VPN in the browser: Vivaldi and Proton cooperate
The Norwegian browser developer Vivaldi Technologies has teamed up with the Swiss VPN supplier Proton. Their goal: more privacy protection without much effort.
VPN services anonymise your surfing behaviour on the internet and make geo-blocked content accessible. They can be used to circumvent authoritarian regimes or avoid ad tracking. The integration of Proton VPN into Vivaldi should make the service even easier to use.
Free VPN with few functions
In the blog post announcing the partnership, Vivaldi emphasises that the VPN service is now available in the browser without additional downloads or software. The companies also emphasise their European origins. This is why they are "outside the sphere of influence of Silicon Valley or Chinese state supervision".
To use the VPN service in your browser, you need a Vivaldi or Proton user account. The free version of Proton VPN offers you a "medium VPN speed". You can also connect via servers in five random countries. For a higher speed, free server and therefore country selection, you need the paid plan from Proton, which regularly costs 10 euros/francs per month. This allows you to use the service on up to ten devices and stream series and films. Proton also blocks adverts, trackers and malware
According to Vivaldi, both companies want to "work for people and not for investors". Their goal is to "keep the internet open, secure and democratic."
Vivaldi is the result of a spin-off from the Opera browser. The proprietary browser is largely based on the Chromium open source package and has a few customisations. It is financed by the integration of search engines and bookmarks from companies. Proton was founded by scientists at CERN and started out as a mail service. Other services such as the VPN were gradually added. Proton AG is majority-owned by a foundation and is financed through its fee-based services.
Header image: Vivaldi
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As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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