ProtonVPN is 100% owned by the company behind ProtonMail, which in turn is funded by the European Union, so this has been verified by the European Commission. Details here: https://bit.ly/35RDKzB
[0] https://restoreprivacy.com/lawsuit-names-nordvpn-tesonet/
There is also an abundance of public record which demonstrates this is false. The bad faith of those spreading this information is also apparent from the hundreds of fake Twitter accounts used to spread the rumors.
If you are acting in good faith, then we ask that you also take a moment to verify your facts and discover the truth, much of which can be found here: https://protonvpn.com/blog/is-protonvpn-trustworthy/
There's a historical, almost accidental connection dating back to the infamous November 2015 DDoS against Proton, but zero connection today, and certainly not in the way it has been portrayed by people seeking to attack Proton.
Regardless of that, there is so much mud being slung I recommend anyone to just search for 'protonvpn nordvpn tesonet', read a few articles on the topic and form your own opinion. Like I said, you can decide if you want to err on the side of caution or if it's a risk you're willing to take.
In case anyone wants VPN recommendations, I have good experiences with TorGuard and Private Internet Access and can also recommend Mullvad. Other people (that I trust) say iVPN and Tunnelbear are also solid.
[1] https://vpnscam.com/nordvpn-protonvpn-proton-mail-owned-by-t...
On one hand, there's anonymous websites, competing VPN companies, and hundreds of Twitter bots pushing a story that is demonstratively false (just check public records).
Then, on the other hand, you have Mozilla and the EU (which has access to all European corporate records) vouching for Proton, which also operates in a highly transparent way, examples here: https://protonvpn.com/blog/is-protonvpn-trustworthy/
Proton definitely has an office and subsidiary in Vilnius, it's not a secret because it's on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxMz62oHb6K/ The office is inside a 30 storey building, so it is not surprising the address is shared with quite a few other companies. And that doesn't mean Proton on a whole is based in Vilnius.
I agree, the VPN industry is rife with shady business practices. But the story being pushed isn't 'demonstratively false'.
* TesoNet offers data mining services
* You did contract TesoNet employees
* Due to an error and unyielding policies by Google TesoNet holds your Android app signing keys in name
* There is a lot of intermingling between TesoNet and NordVPN and to a lesser extent TesoNet and ProtonVPN.
Like I already stated, it's very unlikely you are compromised. But unlike, say, a billing company that handles my energy or water provider (where I care much less if they have tenuous links to data mining) my standard is extremely high for a VPN. Internet traffic is supremely personal and for me to trust a company handling that there cannot even be the slightest sheen of misconduct.
For me to trust you you would have to completely cut out your Lithuanian subsidiary and any employees, board members, etc. that were or are related to TesoNet, as well as any reliance on their infrastructure. Obviously businesses don't operate with such 'scorched earth' policies and I don't expect you to gut your company based on a HN comment, but it is what it would take for me and many other privacy-conscious individuals to regain our trust.
Proton does not today, and has never, used contracted (outsourced) employees. As is common with startups, in the past we did not always do all our HR in house (it's all in house today), but employees were always working on Proton and for Proton.
There are no board members, directors, shareholders, or employees, related to Tesonet beyond the fact that a couple employees might have been employed there previously. This in itself is not strange, we also have some employees who previously worked at Google, the ultimate data mining company, but clearly decided they preferred to work for the other side. People can and do change jobs.
Proton has also always run our own infrastructure, and for ProtonVPN, this is publicly verifiable.
So, we don't have to "gut our company" to remove any "intermingling" because there was little to none to begin with, and certainly nothing today.
Indeed trust is super important, but it seems odd to trust anonymous internet accusers or those with a clearly vested interest in harming Proton, as opposed to reputable third parties like the EU or Mozilla who don't have a vested interest here and are independent.
Proton is still to this day, the only VPN company that has an address clearly published on our website, where you can show up, and find company management and board members, and that means something.
I realized another way that would work for you guys (but is out of your hands) is fighting a court case about this. You'd be legally compelled to tell the truth and very screwed if you deny but then it comes out there is logging or mining going on. It's not ironclad but it is how most VPNs end up being considered 'solid'.
First, were we to lie in our privacy policy, we would be subject to GDPR fines of up to 20 million Euros, since we have both European customers, and a presence in the EU.
Second, there has already been a court case. We were ordered by a Swiss court to hand over logs, and we stated truthfully (under penalty of perjury) that we did not have the logs requested. This case was previously disclosed here: https://protonvpn.com/blog/transparency-report/
I'm not terribly well-versed in the international (or Swiss) legal system but are portions of that request public record, or would it be possible to put portions of it online, verbatim?
It would really strengthen the case to your customers because whilst claiming you had a request when you didn't isn't illegal, falsifying court documents definitely is.
Trust serious organizations such as Mozilla and the EFF.
Mozilla trusts ProtonVPN enough to officially partner with them. That means a lot more than some random anonymous reviews.
Wait... that doesn’t sound ideal either.