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Interview with Andy Yen, CEO of Proton VPN

Outmaneuvering internet firewalls isn't easy, but Proton VPN is waging a digital war for an open internet.

The country had already severely cracked down on independent media, banning references to the war in Ukraine in favor of euphemisms such as “special operation.” Soon after, Russians turned in droves to VPNs like Proton to obtain free access to information. The pair are understandably cautious about giving away too many intricate details of the countermeasures that they’ve developed to stay ahead of Roskomnadzor, but they include automating the switching between IPs that they would previously have had to do manually, making it harder for the censor to squash open lines as they become available. “The only way to block the VPNs was to shut off the internet.” For weeks at a time, Iranian mobile internet providers turned off their networks between 4pm and 10pm, to try to prevent people from arranging protests after work hours.

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