I'm Done with Mullvad
Revelations that Mullvad’s co-CEO is the primary financial backer of Sweden’s Örebro Party — a small populist group advocating strict immigration limits and “remigration” — are prompting some privacy-conscious users to cancel their VPN subscriptions. Commenters argue over whether supporting a party with hardline anti-immigration policies is compatible with Mullvad’s stated ideals of a “free and open society,” and more broadly whether consumers should factor company leaders’ personal politics into trust decisions about security products. Others contend the reaction is disproportionate, stressing Mullvad’s strong technical privacy track record and noting that immigration, crime, and surveillance policy are politically and culturally complex issues in Sweden.
Mullvad Boycott vs Continued Support
- Some users intend to leave Mullvad, arguing that paying for the service indirectly funds a party promoting ethnic-remigration and anti-immigration policies.
- Others think the reaction is excessive and exhausting, emphasizing Mullvad’s strong privacy track record and viewing the blogpost and backlash as an effort to “take Mullvad down.”
- A minority say the controversy makes them more likely to use Mullvad, partly as a contrarian response to what they see as “unpersoning” over politics.
Örebro Party: Populism, Ethnonationalism, or Just Anti-Immigration?
- Critics label the party ethnonationalist or “Nazi,” pointing to remigration policies and quotes about people “not being Swedish” even if born in Sweden.
- Defenders argue the platform focuses on crime, welfare dependency, and failed assimilation, not race per se, and stress that the contentious quote is about criminals and long‑term welfare recipients.
- Some call its program “populist” (everything good, against everything bad) with both left- and right-leaning planks.
- Extent of planned “mass surveillance” and how far remigration would go is disputed and partly unclear.
Privacy Mission vs CEO’s Political Donations
- One side argues that funding a party advocating large‑scale remigration contradicts Mullvad’s anti–mass-surveillance mission, since enforcing such policies would require surveillance and coercive state power.
- Others separate corporate mission (privacy, free internet) from a co-CEO’s personal stance on immigration, seeing no direct operational conflict.
Immigration, Crime, and Integration
- Several comments discuss broader European/Swedish trends: high immigration, crime concerns, integration failures, and voter drift to right‑wing populists.
- Some emphasize racism and “ethnic cleansing” rhetoric; others insist that being critical of high immigration or demanding assimilation is not inherently racist.
- There is concern about vague notions like “criminals” and “not naturally Swedish” enabling arbitrary or politically selective deportations.
Value and Friction of VPNs
- Some feel VPNs are less useful today due to bot/abuse detection: major platforms flag or limit VPN users.
- Others still rely on VPNs for torrenting, static-IP privacy, and archival seeding despite service friction.
HN Relevance and Community Drift
- A few question why a political blog about a VPN is on HN; others say it’s clearly relevant as a popular security product.
- Meta‑comments lament rising sympathy for anti‑immigration politics in tech communities and claim “true hackers” have left.
Other VPN Mentions
- IVPN is cited as a strong alternative if leaving Mullvad; AirVPN is mentioned but noted as not audited.
- Some wish more VPNs could be used as exit points for tools like Tailscale.