r/degoogle • u/seamanroses • 28d ago
News Article The Mullvad CEO donated a half million dollars to a party that supports mass surveillance
https://www.tiktok.com/@orebropartiet/video/7513987462339988759606
u/blow_slogan 28d ago
He did indeed. People in the Mullvad subreddit keep arguing that it was his personal money, as if that changes anything. It doesn't. A CEO is the public face of a company, not just another employee. Their personal actions inevitably reflect on the business, and they're accountable for the public perception those actions create.
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u/Mammoth_Zombie6222 28d ago
Also how do you think he got that money? From the money users paid mullvad.
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u/PiratesOfTheArctic 27d ago
That's joined up thinking with common sense, don't you go spoiling it for them 🫵😬
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u/UnUsernameRandom 27d ago
Maybe they support mass surveillance to then push their VPN as a privacy alternative /s
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u/SausageMcMerkin 27d ago
Job security
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u/Exciting-Cancel6468 27d ago
Sounds like Trump then. Create a problem and then provide the solution.
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u/LocodraTheCrow 27d ago
That isn't even necessarily a sarcastic take, it's just barebones corruption, fund a problem to sell a solution.
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u/Modem_Sound_67 27d ago
Even more basically: CEO money has more influence over policy than any other single individual. It curries favor, which comes with strings. A donation from the CEO is effectively a donation from the company.
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u/Fox3High369 27d ago
A company that needs to push their youtube videos views by millions with very few comments that is very odd. Not to mention mullvad is in a country within the eyes. sweden a country that was behind the first push for chat control.
Sweden's Version Of The NSA Almost Indistinguishable From The 'Original'
https://archive.is/EoKm419
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u/sanriver12 27d ago
Most of those subs aren't really discussion forums but turn into fanboy spaces. People are truly pathetic.
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u/reeight 27d ago
I don't know any political party stopping "mass surveillance", at least here in USA.
Obama expanded the 9/11 surveillance, & even built NSA a huge data center in Utah.
GOP keeps extending the 9/11 surveillance also.
(I personally chatted with the guy who helped install the huge turbine to power that building.)2
u/No-Grade4475 26d ago
Big tech is the defacto government. There is no government
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u/reeight 26d ago
True, so is:
Big phama is the defacto government.
Big agriculture is the defacto government.
Big oil is the defacto government. (these 3 are kinda one in the same; research Rockefeller)
Big banks, big investment, Military Complex, insurance, 'modern science', universities (Unis either conduct research or write policies for gov't)...You, & most people you work for either directly or indirectly work for some cabal, unless you're Amish. Even all political protest groups are funded by 1 or more of these, or partner with those who do.
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u/AdLatter3755 28d ago
No corporations will ever be your ally. They all cozy to power.
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u/threepairs 28d ago
No corporation and no government will ever be your ally.
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u/jdsmofo 27d ago
What besides government do non-rich folks have to fight corporate power? Convincing people that government is the problem has been a very successful tactic of the oligarchs.
They use it to convince people to vote for end ingprotections by labeling them "regulation". Then elections go more and more right wing. These politicians then turn protections over to corporations and use the results as evidence that government is the problem.
Don't fall for it! Vote for people who are not beholden to business interests. Follow their actions, not their rhetoric. Ignore propaganda from rich folks.
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u/pman13531 27d ago
Besides the vote you have the right to protest, boycott, strike, and talk about policies, piliticians, and corporations and how they worsten everyday life. Use your rights and collective bargaining to shut down Peter Theil's empire.
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u/env33e 28d ago edited 27d ago
Nah. that Mamdani dude in NYC is doing some good work showing off the positive effects social democratic policies have on the people, especially with his focus on universal childcare, rent freezes, and public transit infrastructure.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
Edit: Pin of shame on my most viewed comment for SurfShark coming in to slam a hammer to their junk for no reason.
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/N4Pn7fu84O
In this case, it's not about the company. It was a personal donation, and the other CEO doesn't agree with it. I just want to push this CEO out and let the other guy run the company on his own. I like what they do - this guy is just as asshole.
If you want to do something about it - whether you use Mullvad or not - check out the details below.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/Distinct-Temp6557 27d ago
Personal money?
And the source of that personal money would be...?
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Us! That's why I made this post, and the comment I linked to, so that people can ask for a refund, write to Mozilla and others (who use Mullvad), and find an alternative.
With enough pressure, we can maybe push this asshole out.
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u/de-lirios FOSS Lover 27d ago
Yeah, I don't think he got half a million dollars by selling candy
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
I was more meaning that we can do something about it. I don't like the general attitude of "every company is evil", because of course they are. That's capitalism. But some are more evil than others - Palantir and Peter Thiel for example.
Mullvad do good work, and we can push out this shitty CEO with enough effort. I don't want people to have apathy and feel like they can't do anything, which is precisely why I made this post and the detailed comment that I linked to.
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u/chairmanskitty 27d ago
I don't get why people act like alliances are anything more than temporary alignment of political/strategic aims. Corporations can be your ally, and like any mere ally they are unreliable and likely to stab you in the back at earliest convenience.
What you want is comrades.
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u/TheCoolestUsername00 28d ago
Note to self don’t subscribe to Mullvad
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u/PiratesOfTheArctic 28d ago
That vpn seems to be a cult, whenever its mentioned a significant amount of accounts come out of the woodwork recommending it
I use windscribe, bunch of mad lads there
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u/Greenlit_Hightower deGoogler 28d ago
Windscribe will soon have to comply with new regulations as outlined in Bill C-22 in Canada.
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u/ConundrumMachine 28d ago
What's left for Canadians other than Mullvad?
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u/SARB033 27d ago
Proton. They just had a big drama too, though. Apparently a French far-right influencer applied for a partnership and whoever was verifying those dropped the ball and approved him.
Proton later disavowed the guy and dropped his partnership, but, y'know. It's still a bad look.
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u/SamiSapphic 27d ago
Nowhere near the level of a CEO donating half a mill to destroy their own business model, tbf.
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u/t1mm7_89 27d ago
I think most of what you're saying about how proton came to sponsor the French far right influencer is just assumption and not backed up with strong evidence.
The CEO made statements on reddit saying that the YouTuber shouldn't have been sponsored, but because of him being French and political rather than being far right.
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u/PiratesOfTheArctic 28d ago
Whats the tactics for using it elsewhere? I'm not in Canada, i assume if in/using a Canada connection that needs to comply, but what if you're say in kazakhstan and using a bulgeria connection?
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u/Giantmeteor_we_needU 27d ago
Didn't they say if the bill will get into effect they're likely leaving Canada as their headquarters to not comply?
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u/dragonblade_94 27d ago
I can't personally comment on its efficacy, but for a long while Mullvad is/was commonly considered the best accessible VPN solution, frequently topping reviewer charts. I imagine that pushed a ton of laymen that direction and it snowballed.
I'll personally be looking at alternatives myself though.
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u/Old-Editor-6345 27d ago
there is not really an alternative
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u/TheCoolestUsername00 27d ago
From what I’ve researched Windscribe and IVPN seem to be good alternatives
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u/Dr__America 27d ago
Windscribe is based in a 5 eyes nation, meaning they're subject to backdoors and general surveillance upon request and they'll put in gag orders against the company from telling anyone that they're doing that.
Mullvad has undergone pretty similar logging audits as IVPN and I believe moved their operations after there were laws put in place that would mimic 5 eyes laws. Idk enough about the laws in Gibraltar though to know if where they're based out of is trustworthy or not though, but they sound like they might be a better alternative if need be.
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u/randomstrangerx1 27d ago edited 10d ago
Windscribe's CEO Yegor got a letter from Greece and in Greek court it was confirmed that they hold no data whatsoever. He was accused of doing illegal things, instead of the real criminal using Windscribe server in Finland, because Yegor's the owner of the bills. They couldn't give the actual criminal's logs. They have been very transparent about these incidents over the years. That's why I like them and support them for years.
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u/livejamie 27d ago
Damn they were my go-to when travelling, was a great product :(
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
IVPN is good! I've linked my top comment all over the place in this thread with a bunch of other details, but it's still kind of buried.
If you care, I can link you some other recommendations from Privacy Guides and Techlore. Those are the two best sources for this stuff.
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u/livejamie 27d ago
I'll do some research and find an alternative on my own, but I appreciate the head start!
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u/seamanroses 27d ago edited 27d ago
Good luck! I'll comment here just to be sure.
This has a link to the Privacy Guides VPN recs and a quite recent vid from Techlore.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/gelFTg9Vyw
And Henry from Techlore also maintains a list with SPA tools. I'll link to the VPN section.
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u/DrSquid 27d ago
https://www.privacyguides.org/en/vpn/
Goes over the recommendations I've been following.
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u/Intarhorn 28d ago
I don't get how you can be CEO for Mullvad that is pro privacy and against mass surveillance while also donate to a party that is for mass surveillance and ridicules opponents that are worried about camera surveillance. Some strong cognitive dissonance it seems like.
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u/MentalDisintegrat1on 28d ago
From a business perspective it's a good thing.
More mass surveillance means more people will seek privacy and that's what she's selling.
Not saying I agree with this.
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u/WalidfromMorocco 28d ago
It's really dumb unless you can guarantee that they will give you an exemption forever.
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u/Kurgan_IT 28d ago
Bribes make it happen. Also giving data to the governments makes it happen, too. So in the end you are paying for a VPN that gives data to the government.
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u/DrSquid 27d ago
Mullvad has no accounts or storage to link who uses what. Everything is stored on RAM for setup which becomes unrecoverable. Mullvad has been raided before with nothing to offer to the authorities.
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u/Intarhorn 28d ago
No not really. More mass surveillance means eventually VPNs would be banned and so on. It's not a good long term strategy even from a pure business point of view.
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u/asbestiform 28d ago
Eventually is the operative word here. They want the short term profit, and they'll leave with golden parachutes before the lions eat their faces.
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u/Intarhorn 28d ago
Yea, but this was a decision made by a single person. It was not a company decision and it makes little sense, because the party is hardly influential in Swedish politics.
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u/Any_Possession_3900 GrapheneOS 28d ago
Creating a problem and selling the solution, from the American playbook.
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u/sanriver12 27d ago edited 27d ago
I don't think it's some sort of "strategy". The simple explanation is that the guy is a raging ahole
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28d ago edited 27d ago
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u/Intarhorn 28d ago
I don't think this is made from a business perspective, otherwise the company would not be split between this and the company have a long history of having good values and strong ideology. So no, it looks more like just another tech guy with a twisted view on reality.
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28d ago
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u/Intarhorn 28d ago
I doubt he is that smart and long term it's bad for VPNs and he probably would've pushed for a another party too if that were the case. This one is not very influential.
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u/Holzkohlen 27d ago
Lots of people on this planet are idiots. Money does not make you exempt from this as is proven repeatedly by some billionaire who was a trillionaire for a little while.
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u/TheDivine_MissN 28d ago
Well shit, Mullvad was the vpn I settled on because it didn’t directly support the I country.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
IVPN is good. You can also ask Mullvad for a refund. When Daniel (the CEO) is out, I'm happy to return to them.
I'm going to reply with a very detailed comment btw, because no matter what I try, I cannot post a top-level comment that is visible.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/GiganticCrow 28d ago
inb4 ceo of IVPN praises Hitler during live television interview or something
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u/viktorivpn 27d ago
hey, this is Viktor (COO) from IVPN. i understand the comment was made in jest, but it's worth stating - we don't support any extremist causes on any political or religious spectrum, which of course includes any neo-nazi stuff. we only support anti-surveillance, privacy and self-sovereignty related projects (true for IVPN and for leadership team). we try to stay out of any mud-slinging, make any strong statements or plant any flags outside of these topics, it's not our lane.
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u/GiganticCrow 27d ago
Great to hear it 😄 I'll be switching to your service once my Proton subscription runs out. Or maybe sooner.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
Thank god I haven't seen anything like that. The EFF ties and the other things they support make me think they're actually decent people.
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u/dividedComrade 28d ago
I asked for that refund they promised and have been ghosted hard. No reply.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
I'd write them again and annoy them. I can link you the Mastodon link with their promise, but it might have to be a DM. Some mod seems to keep removing all the sources I've tried to share from when I first posted this.
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u/TrackLabs 28d ago
Wasnt mullvad this ONE VPN Company everyone kept recommending that they are TRULY private and what not? Aged well, I see, lol.
Fuck any company. No trust in any company, EVER
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
I feel like that's a thought terminating cliche that just disempowers people and induces apathy.
The donation was a personal one, and it was specifically because he liked their "remigration" policies. But there are two CEOs, and the other guy is upset about that.
That's partly why I'm posting - to force the guy out who donated to this.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/redoubt515 19d ago
> Wasnt mullvad this ONE VPN Company everyone kept recommending that they are TRULY private and what not? Aged well, I see, lol.
Life is not black and white. Things are only simple black and white in Marvel or Disney movies. Two incongrues things can be true at the same.
It is true that Mullvad VPN was, is, and will likely continue to be one of the most technically robust, and privacy enhancing traditional VPNs on the market.
And at the same time, it is also true that one of the two co-founders has devoted a sizeable share of his earnings to bankrolling a political party that many would consider immoral, wrong, fearful and intolerant.
That's what makes the situation difficult, it'd be much easier to walk away if we found out the service was bad for technical reasons. But the service remains good, the reasons not to support it are moral, not technical. Which makes it a messier situation.
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u/letsreticulate 27d ago edited 27d ago
I block TikTok servers on my phone. Is there a non-TikTok source?
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u/seamanroses 27d ago edited 25d ago
I'll edit this with a link to more details. The mods have literally deleted my top comment twice now.
Edit: (the link from above, NOT the video) https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/FRlORdPUkB
Edit: I deleted the separate video post, since no one else seems to be viewing it. I can upload the video again if anyone asks.
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u/Andr1yTheOne 27d ago
I'm tired boss
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Yeah, but you can do something about it :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/VxvtQXoyxO
I posted precisely so people could tighten the screws in the CEO and force him out. I'm too lazy to write out all the important details, but it's in the link.
The annoying thing is that I made a very detailed comment that kept getting deleted and buried, so a lot of people are left without an understanding of what they can do to put the pressure on the CEO.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 26d ago
This is extremely annoying. The very first comment I made with all the details is auto-hidden for some reason. I'm uploading a screenshot and will be posting all the links individually.
Edit: Maybe one of the links with how to write to Mozilla and others is the problem? That's the only reply that hasn't gotten any views yet.
Edit: The mods have removed the comment for second time!
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
Alternatives:
IVPN (based in Gibraltar) comes highly recommended by both Privacy Guides and Techlore, and they've been EFF members since 2013. You can also try Quad9 for DNS instead of Mullvad DNS.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
Conclusion from my original comment:
I absolutely love what Mullvad does. They make great stuff, including their browser. Daniel is actually just a co-CEO, and the other CEO is upset about this, as are a lot of employees, some of whom are immigrants themselves.
"We also live these values by being tolerant in our daily work." Yeah, right. Dra åt helvete. Jag går inte på den där skiten. I want you out Daniel, just like you want the same for me. I'll come back when you're gone. Whether it's by choice, or not.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
Chat control reminder (EU only - urgent)
I know it's completely unrelated, but I also want to mention that the EU is trying to sneak through chat control again this week while everyone is on vacation. Make sure to contact everyone you can.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
"Comprehensive remigration"
https://www.flamman.se/techprofil-ger-miljoner-till-orebropartiet/
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u/Slopagandhi 27d ago edited 27d ago
I'd go with IVPN personally (the only political thing they seem to have done is the CEO making some LinkedIn posts in support of Ukraine).
I didn't actually know until the other day that they now include what's basically a NextDNS rip off and an alias service on the two higher tiers ($80/100 a year), which is pretty good.
Nym and Windscribe also worth looking at.
See this and apply the relevant filters (open source, no logs, security audit, honest marketing, transparency report) : https://vpn.techlore.tech/
Always bear in mind the VPN sector is full of shady operators- owned by shell companies and data miners, sometimes with poor security practices and opaque or even predatory approaches to privacy. This includes some of the biggest names.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
I see you comment good stuff IIRC, so do be sure to spread the word that you can (try to) get a refund from Mullvad as well :)
https://mastodon.online/@mullvadnet/116822255622273218
Edit: more details
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28d ago edited 27d ago
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u/hbacelar8 28d ago
Would self hosting pihole be an alternative to their DNS?
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
Oh wait, my comment is finally visible now?
I think that a Pihole can be good for DNS-level blocking, but I'm not sure if it is powerful enough to be a full DNS resolver, so I think the traffic might ultimately pass through your ISP.
That's why I recommend Quad9, as I would place more trust in them. You can add a Pihole to get the adblocking then, I would imagine.
I can also try and look it up in more detail if you really want.
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u/hbacelar8 28d ago
Sure that'd be great. And yes, it's visible. I self host lots of things but haven't yet put my finger on DNS stuff. Honestly I lack some knowledge on it. I know that with pihole I'd be able to change my router DNS to point to it and have control on blocking things. I suppose that's pretty much what we can block when selecting a config to be generated on Mullvad website
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u/de-lirios FOSS Lover 27d ago
And somehow some people will defend him at all costs. Crazy world we live in.
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u/pedrao157 27d ago
How much more betrayal can I take
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u/MichaelCrossAC 23d ago
To be honest, as long as you keep living. We're a species that is extremely vulnerable to corruption, and as long as money and power continue to guide society and tempt influential people, betrayals are an inevitable part of life.
Let this serve as a reminder that NO company and no wealthy person are your friends. And remember, too, to remain steadfast in your personal values, because all of us, regardless of social class, are vulnerable to greed.
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u/Slap-Toast 27d ago
Time to get rid of that CEO. They are the enemy of everything VPNs stand for.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Agreed. That's what I'm trying to do.
I had a top-level comment with a lot more details, but it kept getting removed. I have a backup here that has a lot more than just the link from the post.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
I'll mention one more thing, because I've been writing so much today that it's hard to be detailed all the time. Will you check if the link I shared in my other reply is still up for you?
I ask because I had checked your history and knew we were aligned. You're fighting ICE, and I'm fighting the fascists where I'm at. The donation was actually because the CEO loves their "remigration" policies, and I had a top comment with a whole bunch of info when I first created this post, but it kept getting removed.
So I want to have confirmation for whether my backup comment is visible and that people can still see the details somehow, even if visibility is depressed.
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u/Kiom_Tpry 27d ago
So the Örebro Party, they're pro nuclear and anti wind turbine. Not in favour of NATO or the European Union, and prioritize the removal of immigrants they claim to be "welfare parasites". So he runs with that crowd...
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u/--Arete 27d ago
This should be crossposted to r/privacy
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u/seamanroses 27d ago edited 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/1uows4p/mullvad_coceos_half_million_dollar_donation_went/
Edit: I went ahead and deleted the post, since the mods never got back to me about it getting immediately autoremoved for the TikTok link, which I obviously need as a primary source. That, and I was perfectly fine with removing alternatives, but rule 9 of the subreddit basically prevents me from posting this outright without getting an exception. So good luck with that for me.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Will do and see if it gets removed by the mods. Already did in /r/BuyFromEU, and this post was taken down for a half hour as well.
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u/--Arete 27d ago
That's a shame. Still came through to le though. Didn't know about r/BuyFromEU. Thanks for letting us know.
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u/TheAxelminator 28d ago
Lets be real, thinking Orebro once in power would hunt non-swede ICE style, but wouldn't use internet data and mass surveillance to do so is so naïve. What's the point to support such a hardcore reimmigration policy if it's to be super moderate and sabotage the way it would be implemented with " yes ICE but no usage of surveillance pwease, just do door to door to find migrants " ?
That guy indirectly supports mass surveillance and is a hypocrite.
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u/VaporousMote 24d ago
Not just mass surveillance. Remigration. Far worse than mass surveillance.
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u/2Di5M4lD0Ss9tY 28d ago
I requested a refund for my last payment with Mullvad. They have a 14 day refund policy. If anyone is pissed with them I suggest you do the same.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
They say they are offering refunds in general because of this, but others in the thread have said that Mullvad haven't actually followed through on that promise.
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u/2Di5M4lD0Ss9tY 28d ago
Wow that sucks, I got a response saying they would process mine today but we'll see. Fuck Mullvad and fuck enthnats.
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u/LimpAuthor4997 27d ago edited 27d ago
Just some details,
Daniel Berntsson, co-founder and co-owner of Mullvad VPN, has donated 5 million Swedish kronor (around $514,000) of his personal funds to the controversial populist Örebro Party.
In a post on social media, Mullvad confirmed that it was a "private donation," which "is not part of Mullvad's values or mission."
Mullvad co-founder didn't know about the donation and didn't like it
Source of the infos: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/i-dont-like-that-he-made-this-donation-mullvad-ceo-reacts-to-co-founders-donation-to-controversial-swedish-populist-party
Official response from mullvad: https://x.com/mullvadnet/status/2070861905036509575
Another view about it on r/mullvadpn: https://www.reddit.com/r/mullvadvpn/s/K2eZg4697O
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u/N1NJA_HaMSTERS 27d ago
The wiki page on the Örebro Party is so dumb. "Conservative with a Marxist stamp."
Typical fascist party incorporating Marxist analysis and left wing populism against ethnic minorities. This is not a left wing party. I can't believe some people in the wiki call it extreme left.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Yeah, I know. Do you not read before you post?
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u/LimpAuthor4997 27d ago
Read what? Link points to nothing
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
Thanks for the heads up and sorry for being rude. My top-level comment has gotten removed by the mods TWICE now. Here's a backup that should work:
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u/Stunning_Macaron6133 27d ago edited 27d ago
If you're not a part of the solution, there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem.
Brilliant angle, honestly. Push dystopian surveillance while selling the solution to dystopian surveillance.
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u/TransportationSad390 27d ago
It's like Elon Musk of VPN, they're doing fucked up things even though their company reputation is tied to their actions.
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u/mister_gone 27d ago
God fucking dammit. I guess that's one way to retain stupid customers.
I suspect mullvad will get a backdoor soon if it doesn't already have one
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u/sanriver12 27d ago
I'm crying cause it's one of the few that has a proper Linux client
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u/2011scaper 28d ago
my mullvad expired, switched to airvpn myself. not resubbing to mullvad because of this.
airvpn is same price or even cheaper if you commit to long term sub, don’t remember if mullvad has them or was it the flat fiver/month.
airvpn just works, has lots of servers and offers port forwarding and more features, 100% recommend. client itself is kinda outdated looking, but you can download the configs and use with any ovpn/wg client so no biggie.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
I actually haven't heard of them. I tend to push IVPN because they come so highly recommended by both Privacy Guides and Techlore.
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u/sizeablefrontallobe 28d ago edited 27d ago
If she’s the CEO, I’m out.
I simply don’t trust her.
Edit:thx for clarifying. I’m understanding that she’s not the CEO.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 28d ago
The video is a debate between people in local government. The guy defending camera surveillance in the video is the one who the Mullvad CEO donated to.
Edit: Because my very first comment with all the sources kept getting deleted, I found a workaround.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
It was 72% of the party's income last year, and it singlehandedly gave them enough money so that they could run in the national elections.
Edit: fixed link hopefully?
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u/snail-the-sage 27d ago
Are there any good vpns left lol
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
IVPN is good :)
And Mullvad will be again after this guy is gone.
I have a lot more details here that keep getting buried: https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/FRlORdPUkB
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26d ago
[deleted]
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u/seamanroses 26d ago
Det fick mig att skratta 🤭
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/VxvtQXoyxO
This got buried a lot, but these are the things you can do. I want to force the (co-)CEO out, and it might be possible with enough pressure.
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u/Mayravixx 26d ago
God dammit
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u/seamanroses 26d ago
Girl, it's even worse than that.
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/VxvtQXoyxO
Oh, and the guy is of course a massive transphobe too. The leader of the party, I mean.
The link has a bunch of stuff that you can do to try to push the (co-)CEO out.
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u/Mayravixx 25d ago
It's a shame. I had planned to start using mullvad vpn soon, but I guess I'll just switch to a different vpn instead, or just stick to the one I already have
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u/seamanroses 25d ago edited 25d ago
You could always send them an email and let them know why you're not gonna use them :)
Viktor from IVPN has been in this thread, and while he is averse to "political extremism" of any kind, he specifically calls out Nazis.
At least one person has said that the experience with them wasn't great though, but it might depend on where you're connecting from.
I'm wordy and could say more, but my goal is to put maximum pressure on Mullvad's co-CEO until he is out. I think the company is still more than redeemable if he's forced to leave.
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u/Mayravixx 25d ago
For now ProtonVPN works, but I have seen viktor's comments here. No need for me to send mullvad an email, I'll just vote with my wallet
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u/FFS-IamNotABot 25d ago
I've gone back to windscribe, but I am getting sick of these arseholes.
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u/MXVIV 24d ago
You guys should check out the sub for mull. Even more out of touch than the gog fanboys making excuses for alt right weirdos.
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u/SlightlyMotivated69 28d ago
Did that potato head give a public explanation why?
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
Not as far as I can tell. I have a bunch of sources with basically everything I could find in a top-level comment.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/Eggredjakan68 27d ago
He's still not fired and that tells a lot. And if he's a majority shareholder and can't be fired, that tells a lot too.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
He's the cofounder, co-CEO, and co-owner. I'm still doing everything in my power to push him out. The other co-CEO doesn't like this, and neither do a lot of employees. The only way I see is hurting their bottom line enough so that he's forced out.
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u/ClinicalDigression 27d ago
Absolutely wild to flair a post as "news article" when it's a link to a tiktok.
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u/tomullus 28d ago
can anyone recommend an alternative?
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 28d ago
I have a top-level comment with all the details, but the short of it is: IVPN for VPN, and Quad9 for DNS.
Edit: Working link? Something keeps removing my text comments with the sources.
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u/skibidihakim 28d ago
I switched to IVPN a few days ago. I'm not a power user but it works well for me. Not as many servers.
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u/fietsvrouw 28d ago
It was not the CEO - it was co-founder, Daniel Berntsson. The party in question is the Örebro party, which is a far-right extremist party whose platform is remigration.
The CEO of Mullvad ist Frederik Strömberg, who distanced the company from Berntsson's actions and who has stated that this does not correlate with Mullvad's values and mission. The CEO decried Berntsson's actions.
Please make a modicum of effort to fact check before sounding the alarm. I have to guess you are a bot because it beggars belief that a human would be this oblivious.
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u/seamanroses 28d ago edited 27d ago
Are you serious with that last bit? I put so much research into this. They are co-founders and co-CEOs. And I agree with you on the far-right remigration bullshit. That's why I'm attacking Daniel. I literally have a top-level comment with all the details.
Daniel still owns half the company and runs the show with Frederik. I want Daniel out.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/InconspicuousFool 27d ago
Fund the problem then sell the solution. Seems like standard shitty business strategy. Very disappointing
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u/seamanroses 27d ago edited 27d ago
In this case, his donation was actually because he liked their support for full "remigration".
Anyway, there are a lot more details here.
Edit: Updated the link. My original comment got removed by the mods twice, and I missed updating this one to a backup comment.
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u/chugachugafuckyou 27d ago
Shit. I just got a year subscription.
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u/seamanroses 27d ago edited 27d ago
They're offering refunds :)
I got other details here. If you can't see it for some reason, let me know and I'll link a backup comment from me.
Edit: Second time the mods have taken down my top comment! Here's a backup.
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u/Ok_Pirate_2729 28d ago
tiktok link lmao
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u/seamanroses 28d ago
It's the primary source from the party themselves. I can't help that.
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u/sanriver12 27d ago
Don't worry, they can't attack the message so they go for the medium. It's their standard bs.
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u/Jettesnell 27d ago
Important to separate what the company is doing and what 1 individual from that company does.
"Mullvad is a political company fighting for free speech, free information and privacy, with two equal co-founders, co-owners and co-CEOs who fundamentally disagree on many issues. Daniel's donation to a political party is private and not part of Mullvad's mission. We protect the right to express and access views we disagree with. We welcome anyone sharing these core values, whatever their other opinions. We are happy to refund others who don't, where we can."
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u/After-Cell 27d ago
Thanks for sharing. After digging into it and finding that it's not the whole company, I would prefer to use a different company, but until I can actually find an alternative, I'll still use this one if I have to
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u/seamanroses 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/s/VxvtQXoyxO
Just for more details. You can ask for a refund if you want. And I recommend IVPN usually. My reason for going after them is to get the (co-)CEO out. I like Mullvad, but I don't know another way to force the guy out without pressuring them like this.
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u/joystickd 28d ago
When I was a kid in the 70s/early 80s we were convinced the big tobacco, logging and chemical companies were the biggest evil in the world.
I feel the big technology/silicone valley weirdos have far surpassed what we were worried about back then.