Opera today announced the launch of a brand new privacy-focused app, called Opera VPN, which allows users to block ads and even change their virtual location to circumvent restricted internet access (via TechCrunch)

In addition to these features, Opera VPN will stop ad-tracking software from gaining information about your internet habits that create personalized advertisements within browsers like Safari and Chrome.

“Every day, millions of people, from students to working people, find that social-media sites like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook are blocked when they surf on their campus or workplace Wi-Fi. The same goes for video-streaming sites,” Chris Houston, President of Surfeasy, Opera’s VPN division, said in an announcement released this morning. “With the new Opera VPN app, we help people to break down the barriers of the web and enjoy the internet like it should be,” he added.

Opera introduced a similar virtual private network feature into its OS X-based web browser in April, following its acquisition of VPN app company SurfEasy last year. Thanks to a VPN's ability to shield a user's true IP address, Opera's acquisition has let the company introduce new security-focused updates into its internet browser desktop and mobile apps.

At launch, users will be able to choose from five virtual locations, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Singapore and The Netherlands. The app will also be available in English, Arabic, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Those interested can download Opera VPN from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Opera Avatar
107 months ago
Ehm.

We collect data to:

* Improve, debug, and maintain Opera products and services
* Study and personalize user experiences
* Fulfill legal requirements
* Conduct business analysis and research, and marketing campaigns
* Ensure better security and fraud protection

We may share your data:

* To government bodies and law enforcement agencies to comply with the law, for example in judicial proceedings, by court order or other legal process
* To third parties (including professional advisors) to enforce or defend our legal rights, including our terms and conditions
* To a third-party purchaser or seller (including professional advisors) in connection with a corporate event such as a merger, business acquisition or insolvency situation
* As described elsewhere in this statement

What data we collect?
The information we collect may include: personal data, for example your name, email, IP-address, location; and non-personal technical data, for example who manufactured your device, your screen's resolution, your mobile operator's region and code. A complete list of the data we collect and purpose of collection may vary between our products and services. You can find detailed descriptions in the product/service-related sections below.
Hi Remoteworks:

I am not sure where these terms are conditions are coming from but they are not from Opera VPN's T&C.
Anonymized data means that data collected is not linked to any user’s identity or personally identifiable information.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KALLT Avatar
107 months ago
Who is going to pay for all of that? Connecting with a VPN, means that you are routing your traffic through another computer. There is massive potential for collecting data. Opera is also not a non-profit organisation, but a company, a company who is also doing business in online advertising.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thunderhawks Avatar
107 months ago
Awesome. Finally something useful.
As long as it goes through servers who keep records it is not.

PIA Private Internet Access has worldwide servers where you can be in many countries and regions, but they erase your real IP regularly and do not keep any records.
If OPERA keeps records for bug fixing or any reason that is not okay.

PIA functions well and allows to avoid Geotagging, i.e. you can see content that is only available in a specific country.

On a side note, I always wonder why content owners make a big deal about watching something that is for instance part of a webpage, FREE for local watchers, but blocked for foreigners. I know it's all about legal usage rights, but if I can't watch it , I shrug my shoulders, but I wouldn't pay for it anyway.

Life goes on.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macintologist Avatar
107 months ago
Whoever has taken over at Opera, whatever new MBAs they have running it, they have done some terrific business analysis and this is a fantastic way for them to reinvent themselves. By making VPNs mainstream, they have a huge growth opportunity. Way to go Opera!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frankbillson Avatar
107 months ago
Is anyone know any other VPN which provides free vpn service and never keep logs because I read information about opera that its free version keep logs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ardchoille50 Avatar
107 months ago
Yay! One easy, convenient place for Opera and the FBI to monitor our traffic! :rolleyes:
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...