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Outcry over ExpressVPN ownership: What the Israeli connection means for user privacy (www.middleeasteye.net)
submitted 2 weeks ago by geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
45 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Social media users are calling for the mass cancellation of ExpressVPN subscriptions after it was revealed that a cybersecurity firm with Israeli ties owns the popular privacy service.

In 2021, The Times of Israel reported that Kape Technologies, a British-Israeli digital security company, acquired ExpressVPN, one of the world’s largest virtual private network (VPN) providers, for nearly $1bn.

The calls for cancellation intensified after social media users began circulating information about Teddy Sagi, the Israeli billionaire and owner of Kape Technologies. Many shared that in 2023, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, Sagi donated $1m to transport soldiers during the Israeli war on Gaza.

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[-] otter@lemmy.ca 33 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Even ignoring any ownership issues, it's an awful service. If you look up "ExpressVPN cancel" you'll find lots of posts and comments from people complaining that they were charged again after cancelling, that the interface makes it difficult to cancel, that they needed to reach out to support multiple times, etc.

Instead:

  • Use a different VPN
  • Check if you actually need a VPN for your situation

I check this guide from time to time to see if anything has changed with the usual recommendations:

https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/

[-] icelimit@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know why people don't use crypto or one time cards for this kind of purchase. You pay for anonymity, you pay for it anonymously.

[-] LemmingOnTheEdge@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Crypto takes a lot of effort to trace, but it's not necessarily anonymous. https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/crypto/are-cryptocurrency-transactions-actually-anonymous/

[-] Babalugats@feddit.uk 27 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Have a look at who owns the other big names (this article doesn't include all VPNs under their umbrellas)

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/3-companies-control-many-big-name-vpns-what-you-need-to-know/

Search 'ziff Davis Israel'

Search 'Tesonet Israel'

https://vpnpro.com/blog/hidden-vpn-owners-unveiled-97-vpns-23-companies/

[-] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks a lot for these links mate!

[-] DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 weeks ago

Just use Mullvad.

[-] Suburbanl3g3nd@lemmings.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Does mullvad accept the use of gift cards?

[-] Ste41th@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 hours ago

Late reply, but Mullvad offer gift cards that you can buy and then use in your account

[-] Tenkard@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago

You can send them an envelope with the cash (seriously)

[-] Suburbanl3g3nd@lemmings.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I know that but if I just had a preloaded card that would accomplish the same but quicker. Too bad it doesn't seem to work

[-] humorlessrepost@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Proton accepts bitcoin and mailed envelopes of cash.

https://protonvpn.com/support/payment-options/

[-] DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

No, but you can pay with XMR.

[-] sidebro@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 weeks ago

I've never used it, and now I never will.

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Considering that Kape Technologies also owns PIA, this is not great news, consolidation of VPN companies isn't a good thing here and especially not with Kape. Heck I cancelled asap when PIA was bought because that company is shady AF.

[-] DexterRSX@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Did you get Mullvad?

[-] quick_snail@feddit.nl 10 points 2 weeks ago

There's a handful of great VPN proiders, and this isn't one of them. Just do like 10 minutes of research before you buy.

[-] sifar@lemmy.ml 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The thing is that 10 min search results in - trust all of them, trust none of them. A lot of folks also have affordability issues. So that makes this issue even more complex. When they turn a bit more "respected" forums they are told to "self host" or are given recommendations that they already knew of but couldn't afford. So the problem lives on. All this lead to shady and heavy marketing VPNs come to the front.

[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Wouldn't self hosting a VPN make you even more identifiable though? Now instead of an generic ISP IP address that changes every few months all your traffic is from a single static IP from a single cloud instance. Not to mention you're now trading your ISP seeing everything to your VPS provider seeing everything (and not just the internet traffic, everything in your server including the keys used for the VPN transport). And if at any point the packets exiting your VPS ends up back on your own ISP's network, they now know it's you who generated because no one else ever connects to that server. I feel like a public VPN service would have slightly more anonymity simply because you're not the only source of traffic.

[-] sifar@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

I would assume that they mean 'VPN not for anonymity' when they say that. I agree with you though.

[-] DexterRSX@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Mullvad is cheaper than all the other options by far.

[-] sifar@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

No, I am afraid it's not. Just because it has a clear one pricing doesn't make it cheaper. One barely buys a VPN for one or just seven months or so.

[-] otter@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

Just do like 10 minutes of research before you buy

The average person might not know what's reputable and what's not. A lot of the VPN review sites are also secretly run by the VPN companies, or get paid off by them. Someone might even mix up the bad PrivacyTools for the legitimate PrivacyGuides

[-] harmbugler@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

You're not kidding. While reading this post, I checked in on ThatOnePrivacyGuy's VPN table in Google sheets. At the bottom of the table, there's a link to ThatOnePrivacySite.xyz (the real site) but an ad popped up, as if it was the link you should click on, to ThatOnePrivacySite.net (a fake site). How are people told to 'just do 10 minutes of research' supposed to deal with things like aggressive dark patterns and soft linkjacking?

Edit: The fake linkjacked site recommends ExpressVPN as the top VPN. Haiyaaa.

[-] eldavi@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago

the problem w this is that google or chatgpt is going to point you to the most popular ones; which might include this vpn.

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 2 weeks ago

expressvpn was my first vpn and they've been great but i have switched to windscribe (for port forwarding) and mullvad now that i know a bit more about vpns

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Just fyi, mullvad no longer provides port forwarding.

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago

yeah mullvad is just a quick vpn for w/e, windscribe for port forwarding :)

[-] NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

What's the selling point of mullvad pls?

Brit here thinking I only needed a vpn to watch Eastenders for my week in Magaluf each year :)

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 weeks ago

for me i just like mullvad as a company;they're small, eu based, and have clear goals for internet freedom.

[-] NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk 3 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks, I'll give them a try

[-] PolarKraken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Disclaimer: Below is only parroting what I've heard elsewhere on Lemmy.

To add on, I believe they are one of very few that have been served legal demands to provide customer data and were unable to provide it. From what I understand that's basically the only evidence that can credibly validate claims of "we don't retain your data", which is pretty important.

[-] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

Not only that, you don't need to provide any identifying information to them during signup. You can even pay them by sending cash through the mail

[-] mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

not sure about price and speed, but their subscription model is designed such that you may not need to give away your info. E.g. pay with crypto and even cash in mail.

[-] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I expect this scenario to repeat several times in the coming months/years. Willing to bet the "clean" ones are all infected with mossad spyware as well. Using a VPN makes you a target rather than helping you stay anonymous nowadays.

[-] otter@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 weeks ago
[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago

I mean, if you're using Facebook as your VPN provider I don't know what to tell you.

[-] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 3 points 2 weeks ago

How about using an open source and audited one with a good track record? That would most certainly be better that letting your ISP see all your traffic

[-] DexterRSX@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

Mullvad.

[-] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 1 points 2 weeks ago

Mullvad is a great example. They also have created numerous anti censorship techniques and work with Obscura for even more privacy

[-] fort_burp@feddit.nl 5 points 2 weeks ago

This is like 2 posts up from this post on my feed:

Samsung Embeds Israeli Surveillance App on Phones Across MENA

[-] Philharmonic3@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Consider me entirely unsurprised. VPN companies do not protect your data, they simply use it for themselves

[-] DexterRSX@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

Unless you are Mullvad.

[-] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Obviously intelligence agencies are going to be all up in VPN's juicy businesses. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all actually run by them and below cost so that nobody who would do it for real and not sell them access could actually be profitable.

[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

it means its not trustworthy.

saved you a click.

this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2025
223 points (99.6% liked)

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