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We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

mullvad.net

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Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#211

Post by rafale »

banana_giraffe wrote: post #203
simias wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also like that they let you download the raw wireguard config files so that you can connect without having to use their client. You can just plop them onto your filesystem and use wg-quick to get going. Since I'm also a ProtonMail user and I considered switching to them for VPN as well but their python client doesn't seem to work correctly on my Arch Linux install and it doesn't give me anything useful to debug it…

Be aware, at least Nord clearly does something different with their client than with the OpenVPN files they provide ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21664692 ). When I dug into this, I found similar cases with other major VPN providers, but my notes are sufficiently out of date, they shouldn't be trusted anymore. Sometimes the differences are subtle, sometimes they're rather complex like this case. Personally,…

What cloud do you use? A lot of websites will flag any AWS or data center IP as a bot.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#212

Post by wasmitnetzen »

cmeacham98 wrote: post #26
TomGullen wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do they handle VAT via cash in an envelope? Do you need to provide a billing address?

Mullvad's advertised pricing already includes VAT is my understanding.

They still have to pay different VAT rates to the buyer's country, even if that is transparent to the customer.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#213

Post by dcow »

Yujf wrote: post #184
dcow wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree that centralized services are also bad for the internet, but that's not a rebuttal to my point (also, what is a VPN service if not a "centralized ISP with different egress options"). A VPN does not add a layer of privacy. That's a misunderstanding of the concept and unfortunately a popular one even among security folks and even more-so among security marketing folks. A VPN allows you to effectively c…

> So why not only allow payments in privacy perfect currency if they're so concerned about privacy? Because perfect is the enemy of good. Mulvad would lose customers and that is not good for Mulvad, nor for the customer.

Yet, here we are praising Mullvad for removing recurring subscriptions which will certainly mean they lose some predictable revenue and customers...

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#214

Post by sph »

tr1ll10nb1ll wrote: post #154

I tried Mulvad, I love their outlook on privacy. However, maybe this is just my experience but the speed I was getting with Mulvad was slow, for some reason. Much slower than my regular ~200 mbps connection. Had to switch back to Nord (would not recommend it, though) again.

I can max out my 330 Mb connection with them, and latency is pretty good. I'm in Europe and I use a couple different countries as exit.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#215

Post by dcow »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #198
dcow wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree that centralized services are also bad for the internet, but that's not a rebuttal to my point (also, what is a VPN service if not a "centralized ISP with different egress options"). A VPN does not add a layer of privacy. That's a misunderstanding of the concept and unfortunately a popular one even among security folks and even more-so among security marketing folks. A VPN allows you to effectively c…

I agree that it's but a single tool in a complex mesh of procedures to provide some privacy. But the reality is that it does work for a variety of usecases. Try to torrent in Germany (of all places) and you'll get blackmail letters from random lawyers. Do this with a VPN and no problem. For this scenario it's the tool for the job. If you're an insurgent trying to liberate Iran it's not. For general surfing privacy it…

Yeah I definitely see value, don't get me wrong. I think, slightly, that marketing privacy is the cheap shot at best and kinda irresponsibly inaccurate at worst because it glazes over so much of the actual problem. In other words, if I start using Mullvad today I don't incredibly become anonymous and private on the internet... there's a lot more work to do to achieve that posture. The way VPNs are touted though might lead you to believe they keep you safe and private.

Otherwise sounds like we mostly agree.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#217

Post by AtNightWeCode »

These services will likely not be around in 5 years if things continue as they do today. I work with clients who ban any ASN that hosts these kinds of services. Not sure what Mullvad can do to not become a new Tor or North Korea. At many companies they already are.

I am not for it. Just the way the lands lie right now.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#218

Post by sph »

rglover wrote: post #27

Wow. Hadn't heard of Mullvad before reading this, figured I'd give it a try. That is hands down the BEST onboarding experience for an app (let alone a VPN) I've had in I don't know how long. Took me maybe 2 minutes to go from no account to a working VPN connection. I love that everything is anonymous (down to the account credentials just being a randomly generated token).

Of all their features, I love that they have an Android TV app so I can watch F1TV on my couch. They're worth more than the 5 euros I give them per month.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#219

Post by gspr »

I love those guys. I really wanna start using them, but there's one missing feature for me: currently, I can mail them a few hundred euros, and get a number of years of service. That's great. But currently you only get one block of service. I'd very much like to be able to pause my credit.

Now, I totally understand that letting people pause with super fine temporal resolution would crush their business model. I'm not asking for that. But I would like to buy say 30 months of service, flick a switch draining say one month of my credit (and having the service for a month), then pausing again.

Re: We are removing the option to create new subscriptions

#220

Post by dcow »

s__s wrote: post #189
dcow wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree that centralized services are also bad for the internet, but that's not a rebuttal to my point (also, what is a VPN service if not a "centralized ISP with different egress options"). A VPN does not add a layer of privacy. That's a misunderstanding of the concept and unfortunately a popular one even among security folks and even more-so among security marketing folks. A VPN allows you to effectively c…

It’s pretty simple. A VPN adds a layer of privacy between you and the server you’re accessing. You go from user A with X home IP address originating from precise Y location, to user A with generic shared IP originating from a vague location likely nowhere near your real location. Beyond location, did you know there are services that can sometimes accurately provide a users place of work based on home IP? Their likely…

But traditional ISPs reuse IP addresses too. You rarely get a static IP from your ISP. Some even run carrier grade NAT and you're literally sharing an IP with your whole building or something. VPNs are not really different in any regard. They do obfuscate location, I'll give you that, and that's seems like the crux of the issue with traditional ISPs: they are small and distributed so people have created location maps. By using a big centralized service you can obfuscate your zip code. I'm all for people having that option, don't get me wrong. Personally I'd rather see us pass strong legislation that takes things a step further and prohibits zip-code based profiling if that's considered dangerous to society, or ya know solve the social problem and create diverse zip codes in the first place so you can't predict income based on it, rather than be fooled into thinking that we can solve this problem by giving everyone a VPN. It doesn't scale.
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