Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi

[Catweazle]

@Gort said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

@Stardust said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

I am confused, if you click on that new VPN button, will Proton VPN extension be installed without any confirmation? This is pretty bad imo

While I'm fine with the inclusion of this VPN, I do think it's wrong to have this install without any confirmation or warning by simply clicking the toolbar button. There could have been a confirmation dialogue on first start with the new feature or just a confirmation when clicking the button (preferably the first).

No, not on the first clic, it is only activated when you log in, not before.

[kovdraman]

It's not a partnership when only one side declares it. It's promo of third-party product just to find additional funds. There's no any info about Vivaldi on official Protons site recently.

[aplan]

Grabbing my head ‍️

They announced VPN in the browser with great aplomb. In fact, it turned out to be an ordinary extension, which could be installed before.

What is the essence of innovation? I was thinking that Vivaldi got some kind of exclusivity from ProtonVPN and there would be a special tariff plan. But no, the default is the standard limited tariff.

There is no reason to switch to Vivaldi, as such a VPN can be installed in any browser.

What are you counting on? Marketing PR? There you have been told for ages to implement cryptowallet and AI. That will more than overwhelm the existing PR. Do you realise that you are only disappointing your users with such an over-the-top VPN?

[Nekomajin]

I updated my PC yesterday but didn't update my laptop. Today I opened my laptop and found the Proton VPN extension auto-installed on Vivaldi 7.2. It had the default Proton icon, not the custom one made by Vivaldi.

WHAT THE HECK? Really? I guess the extension was synced between my computers, but REALLY? You will just install third-party stuff from now on in the background without askining for permisson?

Seriously, the roll-out of this feature was managed so bad.

[npro]

@aplan said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

it turned out to be an ordinary extension, which could be installed before.
There is no reason to switch to Vivaldi, as such a VPN can be installed in any browser.

I haven't tried it, does it accept the vivaldi account automatically or you still have to go through a sign-up process? Maybe that's the (minor) benefit of it to not need to do all the sign-up steps, which could be considered convenience for Vivaldi users.

[Pesala]

@Catweazle said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

No, not on the first clic, it is only activated when you log in, not before.

On first click, the extension is installed and enabled. You have to login to start using it, or go to the extensions page to disable it to avoid nags about being unable to connect to the VPN server.

[DoctorG]

@Nekomajin said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

I guess the extension was synced between my computers

Yes, if you hat enabled Sync for Extensions.

[Mchl]

Well that's just great. Started my day with automatically installing software that might get me fired. Acceptable use policy in many companies don't allow for use of VPNs and just having one installed can be treated as a violation. Vivaldi just shot itself in a foot with this one.

[Catweazle]

@Pesala, no nags, even if you open i you can delete it after this simply right clicking on the icon and delete it like any other extension.

[DoctorG]

@Mchl The extension does not activate VPN, if you do not click it and do not login to Proton.

Remove the vpn button in extension bar by context menu.
Remove the VPN extension in Extension manager (Ctrl+Shift+E).
And all is fine.

[Mchl]

@DoctorG Thank you. Good thing it's not baked into the browser itself, and can be uninstalled. Still made my Friday morning a bit too nervous for my liking

[Catweazle]

@DoctorG, for me yje only other device synced is my phone (no extension synced), there I use the Calyx VPN, in Vivaldi I have enough with the CyberGhost Proxy to skip country restrictions, for other things I prefer a Desktop VPN.

[newscpq]

@netscapenavigator: what are your worries about Proton and Vivaldi being subject to US laws and jurisdiction, exactly? What disappoints you and why?

I'm not being argumentative, I'm just trying to understand.

[barbudo2005]

1.- It should have been better explained that clicking on the VPN button installed the extension. YES.

2.- A window should have appeared saying if you want to install the extension. YES

3.- In that same window, a message should have appeared saying that the VPN button can be removed just like any other button with the context menu. YES.

But, it seems to me that all the hype that has been expressed in this thread is exaggerated.

After removing the button from the bar and uninstalling the extension, did anything serious happen? NO.

It also seems to me that there is not the slightest degree of leniency with the team, which they DO deserve.

[AlexTheGib]

Will this feature be available on Android?

[DoctorG]

@AlexTheGib No.
But i have no information about plans to add it.

[Sareth]

@groovehead: @groovehead said:

How do we remove this? I do not want any Proton products anywhere near my devices.

Edit: it does not appear as an extension, so cannot be removed in the normal extension way.

Why though? Proton are a great company!

[Nekomajin]

@barbudo2005
Do they advertise their product with privacy? Yes.
Do they install a third-party extension without user confirmation? Yes.
Do they actually violate privacy? I am 100% sure that they don't. I trust both Vivaldi and Proton. But it still looks bad. The hype is not exaggerated at all. There are certain basic principles regarding privacy and data protection. One of them is to always prompt the user if you want to install something. That's all.

[Gort]

@Catweazle said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

@Gort said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

@Stardust said in Privacy Without Compromise: Proton VPN is Now Built Into Vivaldi:

I am confused, if you click on that new VPN button, will Proton VPN extension be installed without any confirmation? This is pretty bad imo

While I'm fine with the inclusion of this VPN, I do think it's wrong to have this install without any confirmation or warning by simply clicking the toolbar button. There could have been a confirmation dialogue on first start with the new feature or just a confirmation when clicking the button (preferably the first).

No, not on the first clic, it is only activated when you log in, not before.

I just did a test with a brand new profile (renamed my current .config/vivaldi and .cache/vivaldi directories, so as to make it as if it's a fresh install), and the extension definitely installs when you click on the toolbar icon, not when logging in.

There was no extensions in the Extensions page when I first opened Vivaldi after creating a new profile, but the extension turned up on the Extensions page right after clicking on the button (says it's initialising, etc). I didn't log in with this new profile.

[16patsle]

@aplan A built-in VPN has been a fairly popular feature request for a while, despite the fact that you've long been able to install one yourself. I see this as a middle ground to please most people. I don't think Vivaldi wants to make a VPN, but some users want one included, and I do think some could end up choosing Vivaldi over a competitor because of this. Proton VPN presumably wants more users so it's a great business deal for them too. As for it just being an ordinary extension, there's been enough outcry over the VPN even now, with it being a separate non-preloaded extension. Some people really dislike the thought that there might be VPN code in their browser, and the extension is a decent solution to that, while also not being too much of a burden on Vivaldi or Proton VPN.