It’s been a long wait, but Proton VPN’s anti-censorship Stealth protocol finally works on Windows. Proton VPN is also expanding its free service to 12 more countries and introducing an icon-customization feature for Android.

A VPN masks your web activity by routing your traffic through a remote, encrypted server. And while your ISP cannot decode VPN traffic, they can identify it with practically zero effort—if someone’s internet traffic is illegible, it’s because they’re using a VPN.

This isn’t a problem in the United States or other countries where VPNs are legal. That said, most authoritarian regimes enforce some form of internet censorship that can only be bypassed by a VPN. And while these regimes may not explicitly ban VPN usage, they often retaliate against citizens who try to circumvent censorship, particularly in times of political or social unrest.

The Stealth protocol, which was previously limited to Android, iOS, and macOS, is now available on Windows. Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol is designed to protect users who face internet censorship. It disguises VPN traffic as “normal” internet traffic, thereby preventing governments from identifying citizens who bypass censorship. This opens the door to more robust information-sharing and anti-authoritarian activity in countries that are under the thumb of internet censorship.

Disguising the Proton VPN app icon on an Android device.
Proton

Interestingly, the Proton VPN Android app can now be disguised as a weather, notes, or calculator app. This may help users stay discreet while using Proton VPN in public.

Proton VPN is also expanding its free service to 12 additional countries—Afghanistan, Bahrain, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Yemen. These countries, which already enforce some level of internet censorship, are likely to increase censorship efforts if regional tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.

Proton also notes that VPN signups have grown by 4,000% in Venezuela and 3,500% in Bangladesh. This is due to the former’s “deeply flawed” election and the latter’s violent response to student-led protests.

You can find a full list of supported countries at the Proton VPN website. For clarity’s sake, I should point out that all Proton VPN users can access the Stealth protocol, and Proton VPN’s free service is available in all countries, not just those under authoritarian rule. Also, Proton is expected to bring its VPN to Apple TV later this year.

Source: Proton