Mullvad Leta

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

What Leta Is and How It Works

  • Leta is described as a front end/proxy to Google and Brave Search APIs, not its own index.
  • It strips tracking elements from results, offers no ads, and lets users pick the backend engine.
  • Several commenters find it very fast, clean, and more relevant/less “crap” than direct Google, and are adopting it as their default search.
  • Others are confused: the landing page doesn’t clearly explain what it is, and some only understood via the thread.

Privacy Model, Trust, and Limitations

  • Core value: Google/Brave see only Mullvad’s servers, not end‑user IPs or browser fingerprints; Mullvad sees the search and the user.
  • Some argue this is “trust shifting,” not true privacy, and criticize the lack of end‑to‑end client encryption as “theater.”
  • Others respond that some party must see the plaintext query; the main improvement is who that is, and Mullvad’s track record and jurisdiction are seen by many as acceptable.
  • Confusion over an FAQ line saying Leta is “useless” if you already perfectly block tracking; commenters interpret this as “then you gain nothing more.”

Caching, Infrastructure, and Freshness

  • Leta caches search results for 30 days in an in‑memory Redis store on diskless, STBooted RAM‑only servers (same model as Mullvad’s VPN).
  • This pooling of identical queries reduces API cost and arguably improves privacy by mixing users.
  • Concerns:
    • Cached results may be stale; some users already see multi‑day‑old caches.
    • RAM‑only cache is lost on restarts; FAQ admits upgrades flush the cache.
    • Questions about whether caching is compatible with Google/Bing API terms.

Business Model, API Costs, and Sustainability

  • Multiple commenters doubt long‑term viability: Google/Brave APIs are said to be expensive and Leta has no visible revenue.
  • Hypotheses:
    • It’s a marketing/brand‑building cost center to drive VPN/browser subscriptions.
    • Prior versions were VPN‑subscriber‑only; opening it may be a growth play.
  • Some see it as a “publicity stunt” that might be shut down once costs or marketing priorities change; others note it has already been running ~2 years.

Advertising, Growth, and Brand Perception

  • Users report heavy Mullvad advertising (billboards, buses, subway) in London, SF, NYC, airports, etc.
  • Company comments say there’s no outside investment or “lottery win”; growth over years funds these campaigns, which are cheaper than people assume.
  • They prefer broad outdoor ads over tracking-heavy online ads or affiliates, to align with their privacy stance.
  • Reactions are mixed:
    • Some appreciate the consistency (non‑targeted ads for a privacy product).
    • Others feel mass‑market advertising for a “privacy” brand erodes perceived ideological purity and increases fear of state pressure as they grow.

Comparison to Other Search and Tools

  • Compared to Startpage/DDG: Leta is another Google proxy but not owned by an ad company; behavior is similar in concept.
  • Question about “How is this different from DDG !g?” → answer: !g just redirects to Google, Leta proxies and caches.
  • Some users plan to move from Startpage; others stick with DDG, Kagi, or LLMs.
  • Debate on “search vs LLMs”: a few say they rarely use search now; others find LLMs unreliable or hallucinatory and still rely heavily on search and Stack Overflow.

Mullvad VPN Reputation and Ecosystem

  • Mixed feedback on the VPN itself:
    • Long‑term users praise stability (especially WireGuard on mobile) and privacy ethos.
    • Others report worsening usability: CAPTCHAs everywhere, frequent disconnects, laggy DNS, blacklisting relative to smaller VPNs.
    • Some mitigations mentioned (e.g., disabling obfuscation/“quantum” tunnels).
  • Mullvad staff reiterate their mission is to fight both mass surveillance and censorship, with better censorship‑circumvention tooling “on the roadmap.”
  • Leta integrates into Mullvad Browser, framed as part of a broader privacy ecosystem.

Workplace Blocking and Practicalities

  • Many workplaces block mullvad.net as “VPN/proxy avoidance,” making Leta unusable at work, unlike DDG.
  • Discussion of coarse-grained corporate filters that block whole categories (VPN, adult themes, “AI”, some TLDs), which also hurts developers.

Naming and Positioning

  • Some think “Mullvad/Leta” branding is confusing or hard to remember in English‑speaking markets.
  • Others like the Swedish names (“mole” / “search”) and compare the strategy to IKEA’s non‑English naming, pushing back against Anglocentrism.