A new report uncovers the troubling ties between top VPN services like ExpressVPN and the Israeli security state, raising alarms about how much control Israel’s Unit 8200 has over your online privacy.
  • CO5MO ✨@midwest.social
    85·
    2 months ago

    TLDR/

    Kape Technologies is a major player in the online privacy world, one of the three giants that collectively control the market. It owns many of the world’s top VPNs, including ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, Intego Antivirus, and a host of tech websites that promote its products.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
      52·
      2 months ago

      Needs a longer quote:

      Kape Technologies is a major player in the online privacy world, one of the three giants that collectively control the market. It owns many of the world’s top VPNs, including ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, Intego Antivirus, and a host of tech websites that promote its products. Kape brands can be seen sponsoring a wide array of public figures, such as Tucker Carlson, Angry Video Game Nerd, Drew Gooden, Lex Fridman, Cody Ko, Uncle Roger, and Ben Shapiro.

      So they’re basically evil.

      “We are living in an era of tyranny,” Shapiro says in one video endorsing the company, adding:

      And far-right shills are mindlessly promoting them.

      Evil with a capital evil.

        • TriflingToad@lemmy.world
          5·
          2 months ago

          skimming the text I’m just like “yeah corporation, yeah yeah monopoly, yeah yeah angry video game nerd, yeah yeah WAIT WHAT”

              • LiveLM@lemmy.zipEnglish
                1·
                2 months ago

                I’ve learned this information a while ago and I’m still upset.
                Seems like every time I stop watching a YouTuber for a while, I come back later and whoops! turns out they did something awful! 🙄

              • Cataphract
                1·
                2 months ago

                oh phew, for a second I thought you were saying that about Gooden. I don’t watch him all the time but I’ve ran into some of his videos that I enjoyed. Don’t think I’ve ever ran into cody so thankfully that’s a bullet dodged.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
        3·
        2 months ago

        It seems like they have VPN services and they don’t really care who uses them. Business doing business things

    • Daze@sh.itjust.works
      13·
      2 months ago

      fffffuckkkk, I really liked cyberghost… it always felt very minimal and not in-your-face besides the occasional sale pop-up… time to drop it like it’s hot 😢

      What’s the closest safe alternative for my privacy?

  • EndOfLine@lemmy.worldEnglish
    67·
    2 months ago

    I left Private Internet Access (PIA) for Proton VPN after the Kape acquisition years ago. Still happy with my decision and I recommend Proton VPN to anybody in the market for personal VPN services.

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
      132·
      2 months ago

      “Infiltrated” seems like a clandestine action even though they just selected her to be on the board. It’s not like her having been on WEF council (“Chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Future of Internet Security”) was a secret to people who made her a board member since it’s very available info.

      Thanks to the way back machine we can see that they quietly erased Rosemary Leith’s bio of her affiliations with the WEF.

      Now why would they do that?

      I think especially right-wingers have made the WEF into some Jewish conspiracy theory and it has taken a life of its own so might just be bad PR. Tbh that seems like the simplest option. You don’t want to scare away the potential customers.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
    17·
    2 months ago

    Yeah, I used to use PIA right up to the buyout. Actually had them email me asking why, tried to make assurances that nothing would change, nope I don’t trust Kape. Still don’t.

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
      1·
      2 months ago

      I stuck with PIA, mostly since I had no issues (software, connection wise) and it was just very very cheap

  • MonkderVierte
    8·
    2 months ago

    Users of a vpn tunnel somehow always fail to think of the other end.

    • Anna
      3·
      2 months ago

      That’s why you should switch to Tor and I2P

      • Pherenike
        6·
        2 months ago

        He edited that book, didn’t write it, but okay, I like him too. His work on propaganda about Venezuela is fantastic.

        • davelAEnglish
          13·
          2 months ago

          He edited that book, didn’t write it

          It’s essentially a compilation of articles, and he wrote or co-wrote about half of them.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
        62·
        2 months ago

        This part did sound pretty concerning

        Further, they have frequently promoted conspiracy theories and misinformation regarding Covid-19, such as this A DARPA-FUNDED IMPLANTABLE BIOCHIP TO DETECT COVID-19 COULD HIT MARKETS BY 2021. The Covid vaccine does not alter DNA. They have also published conspiracy theories related to 9/11 and Chemtrails. Finally, they frequently rely on Russian government sources like RT News and Sputnik.

  • steventhedev@lemmy.world
    915·
    2 months ago

    Holy propaganda batman!

    The list of articles on that website is…extremely focused on one subject only.

    • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
      122·
      2 months ago

      I hope you hold that same energy for CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Associated Press, and Reuters.

    • delirious_owl@discuss.online
      22·
      2 months ago

      Israel is not “The Jews”. The biggest money coming into Israel is coming from Christians. And loads of Jews are anti-zionists