Privacy Guard: Your Privacy Matters – Vivaldi Browser snapshot 3319.12

[TbGbe]

@Ruarí 1st

[Pathduck]

Oh wow Privacy Guard spotted in the wild!

we may offer this in our stable release as a premium feature at some point in the future

Hm, what does this mean exactly? I'm happy to pay for useful features if it helps Vivaldi, but not sure how many would be willing to pay for a "quasi" VPN that won't allow you to choose your location... just sayin'

[Kocho]

Wow, a noon snapshot

[TbGbe]

@Ruarí

Simply turn it on using the toggle button on the tool bar right next to the address bar. You need a Vivaldi.net account in order to use Privacy guard.

I has to reset the address bar to default to see the button.
When clicked it says I need a "sync" account - not just a Vivaldi.net account.

[derDay]

[Feeds] Map Github and Reddit URLs to known feed URLs (enhanced auto-discovery) (VB-105357)

cool

[New][Relay Proxy] Enable Privacy Guard privacy-proxy service experiment

not so interesting for me

[Gif2D]

@Kocho Early Friday Snapshot…

[Ruarí]

@TbGbe said in Privacy Guard: Your Privacy Matters – Vivaldi Browser snapshot 3319.12:

When clicked it says I need a "sync" account - not just a Vivaldi.net account.

Sync is the way we currently have to login within the browser

[AAAi]

"we may offer this in our stable release as a premium feature at some point in the future"
No thank you

"You need a Vivaldi.net account in order to use Privacy guard."
So i have to provide more information to get more privacy ?

"Who operates the MPR and who is Invisv?
.....
Invisv is founded and run by two network security experts, Paul Schmitt at University of Hawaii and Barath Raghavan at University of Southern California. "
Trusting my privacy to a US company, 'nuf said

[mib2berlin]

@AAAi
Hrm, you need a vivaldi.net account to post here, this is they same as a sync account, if you use it or not.
To post here you give up privacy but not to get more privacy?

[DoctorG]

@AAAi You are using a Vivaldi account at forum and other Vivaldi community places.
If you are concerned about privacy, do not login to Vivaldi account and read only in forum.

---

But i understand that you do not want to tunnel your data thru a US company "VPN" proxy.

[iAN CooG]

If one questions even if Vivaldi is trustworthy, he better go back under his rock and don't connect to internet at all.

[DoctorG]

@iAN-CooG No, i think user is concerned about US proxy and worst US privacy laws.

[mossman]

I'm not really one of those who believes using a "VPN" proxy system is the panacea they think it is, but I'll give this a go to help Vivaldi get feedback. If it convinces some of the tinfoil hat brigade that Vivaldi is worth it then why not?

[DoctorG]

@mossman I guess it is because MoziFoxi has such "VPN", too.

[AAAi]

@mib2berlin: It may be the same account, but it works different.
I can login onto the forum without having vivaldi/browser sync connected (with all that is entails)

I would not be able to use the privacy guard without having to vivaldi/browser sync connected

[luetage]

@Pathduck See the blog post by Invisv ☛ https://invisv.com/articles/vivaldi-privacy-guard.html
The current feature is a free trial period of one month, then they obviously need to request payment from their users. I assume Vivaldi will get a share of it, which is a great addition to the current system of bookmark‐ and search engine partnerships.

[AltCode]

@Pathduck said in Privacy Guard: Your Privacy Matters – Vivaldi Browser snapshot 3319.12:

... but not sure how many would be willing to pay for a "quasi" VPN that won't allow you to choose your location...

I don't know, I think there could be plenty of people that'd be interested in this. Just look at Apple's iCloud Private Relay; per Invisv's article, it too is a MPR service, and that's gotten its fair share of usage (for anyone that is on iOS/macOS, has an iCloud+ subscription, and also uses Safari at least).

The main takeaway from this, and Vivaldi should be crystal clear about this if they do continue offering this, is that its main purpose is not for masking your location to another specific location. It is instead for masking your IP (which incidentally also happens to mask your location).

[mossman]

@AltCode said in Privacy Guard: Your Privacy Matters – Vivaldi Browser snapshot 3319.12:

The main takeaway from this, and Vivaldi should be crystal clear about this if they do continue offering this, is that its main purpose is not for masking your location to another specific location. It is instead for masking your IP (which incidentally also happens to mask your location).

To be honest, the whole "VPN is to hide your location" thing is a bit weird - that's a possible side-effect(*) rather than the actual purpose.

(*) Edit: a side-effect which can be exploited, of course, but a side-effect nonetheless.

[mib2berlin]

@AAAi
You are correct, you have to login to the Vivaldi sync server.
I have tested this, I sync "Nothing" to the Vivaldi servers and can use the Privacy Guard/VPN.

I guess the Vivaldi team will offer a login to the Privacy Guard without using the sync servers.
You have to trust a company to use there software anyway, all Windows user have to trust Microsoft.
I use Linux and I trust the Vivaldi team, some of them are in the browser business for 30 Years, me too.

Cheers, mib

[DoctorG]

For users and their trust in companies it could be better if VPN relay would be on Vivaldi servers at Island.
But that is a matter of cost (ok, i think users are willing to pay) and as users are from different countries a server over the world are needed as routing all to Island is not applicable.

Oh, look Ma! They do datatransfer to other countries. NOPE!
https://invisv.com/privacy#:~:text=Jurisdiction and CROSS-BORDER TRANSFER

GRMMPFFF!

If you are located in the EU/EEA and you have concerns regarding the processing of your Personal Information, you may also lodge a complaint with an EU/EEA supervisory authority.

Look Ma! They joke on us!
https://invisv.com/privacy#:~:text=on the Services.-,CONTACTING US,-INVISV%2C INC.%2C located

No Ma!, i do not join this strange club of VPNners.