Edward Snowden Urging All to Avoid ExpressVPN After its CIO Named in UAE Surveillance Scandal.
Last week, Hackread.com reported on a billion-dollar deal in which ExpressVPN was bought off by Kape, an Israeli cyber security company raising privacy concerns among its users. Now, in a recent tweet, the former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has warned users to stop using ExpressVPN.
“If you’re an ExpressVPN customer, you shouldn’t be,” Snowden posted on Twitter.
This warning seems to be in reaction to the news that ExpressVPN’s CIP, Daniel Gericke, is one of the three ex-US intelligence operatives who admitted illegally helping the UAE government perform hacking on their targeted people.
If you're an ExpressVPN customer, you shouldn't be. https://t.co/l8us92W0BQ
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 16, 2021
About Project Raven
Court documents revealed that Gericke was part of the team that performed hacking and spying for the UAE.
According to the US Department of Justice, ExpressVPN’s CIO worked on the UAE government’s surveillance operation dubbed Project Raven to hack heads of state, American personalities, and activists.
https://twitter.com/Bing_Chris/status/1437883203231092738
ExpressVPN Didn’t Deny the Claim.
It is rather amusing that ExpressVPN, one of the world’s leading VPN services providers, hasn’t denied that claim that its CIO has been involved in Project Raven. The company released a statement explaining that the facts narrated in the report were before the company employed Daniel, and they have been aware of this since the start.
Also See: Stealth Falcon Spyware Used by UAE to Intimidate Dissidents, Journalists
“We’ve known the key facts relating to Daniel’s employment history since before we hired him, as he disclosed them proactively and transparently with us from the start. In fact, it was his history and expertise that made him an invaluable hire for our mission to protect users’ privacy and security,” ExpressVPN stated.
“To be completely clear, as much as we value Daniel’s expertise and how it has helped us to protect customers, we do not condone Project Raven,” the company added.
Although the company regarded Project Raven and surveillance in general as antithetical, it wants to retain Gericke as its employee since Daniel has 20 years long experience in the cybersecurity industry and has worked in the US military.
“He has consistently and continuously strengthened and reinforced the systems that allow us to deliver privacy and security to millions of people,” ExpressVPN explained.
For your information, Daniel Gericke was hired by ExpressVPN in 2019 and before his employment, Daniel ceased his contract with the UAE. Moreover, ExpressVPN states that the company has implemented several security measures to safeguard its users’ privacy.
“While we are confident that our commitment to this mission is unwavering, we understand that actions speak louder than words. To begin with, we’ll be increasing the cadence of our existing third-party audits to annually recertify our full compliance with our Privacy Policy, including our policy of not storing any activity or connection logs. This is just a first step, and we will continue to strive to earn your trust,” ExpressVPN blog post on the issue read.
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Cyberghost is also owned now by Kape. Seems like all these VPN are honeypots and just backdoor garbage. Any recommendations on a legit VPN that isnt based in a spy country or has spies working for them and making backdoors?
Cyberghost is also owned by Kape. It seems like most of these popular VPN services are owned by spy networks within nanny state.
Most of these seem like they are honeypots. Do you have any recommendations of any legit VPNs that arent located in 5 , 9, 14 eye spy countries?
Mullvad
That’s a Swedish company. And they are 14-e.
If you’re a treasonous exile in Communist Russia spouting advice about freedom, you shouldn’t be.
This incomprehensible American stupidity and corruption was again clearly demonstrated by the 2nd acquittal of tRump for inciting insurrection. But that’s OK, he’s either going to die in prison, or abscond to Russia where we have no extradition treaty. Perhaps he can bunk with Snowden (the president of the Freedom of the Press Foundation) in Russia, that has no freedom of the press or internet. The greatest irony of the century.
Yeah, just pay the jems to spy on you, no big deal. (crackhead moment)
I was wrong. Don’t worry, that’s just another brainwashed apologist for the military industrial complex national security state and their cronies, in an endless sea of zombies, just like at least in appearances all democrats and republicans have been since time immemorial. The oligarchs of all countries love this bullshit and the hoards of morons like the OP… They do it internally within all countries and external juxtaposed against all countries, meanwhile raping all countries from within. That is what that moron is too brainwashed to understand, that the rioters may be idiots but it is a symptom of a system collapsing under the weight of unfathomable corruption transnationally across the globe by state actors and corporations. Are ExpressVPN and all the other VPNs honeypots? The entire internet is a honeypot for the NSA and its massive undisclosed budget. So what does it matter anyway? What is there to fear from a VPN? Arab intelligence agencies? Laughable. Actual intelligence agencies? What a joke. What powerless feckless nimrods. These are the same morons that missed 9/11, then let multi trillion dollar pointless wars continue for two decades that killed way more basically teenager Americans (let’s not even count those civilians in those invaded countries) than had to jump to their deaths from burning skyscrapers on 9/11/01 and died on that day, have bankrupted the United States, and let China become the new rival hegemonic superpower of the 21st century, a country that makes Russia look positively “liberal”.. and much much else.. Just a whole bunch of clueless nerds and dumbass technocrats run by their corrupt oligarchs/plutocrats who have their head up their own ass, and will die alone in the universe just like everyone else. If ExpressVPN is an intelligence honeypot, then so are the rest, and as an ExpressVPN user, I could care less. They have the best software across all platforms they support, third party audits, thus far haven’t had any widespread leaks or colossal security mishaps, have tons of servers that are reliable and speedy.. If they are a honeypot and are trying to prevent a dirty nuke then all the more power to them, they will need it based on their past aforementioned track record. In the meantime they don’t seem to be leaking user data, and it is not apparent that they are mining user data even to target anyone, and it would be obvious very quickly if they were.. So, given all that, even if they are the CIA/NSA/satellite-corporate-intelligence-division, who cares, a vpn isn’t a large expense, and they are still much better then letting your isp mine your traffic. Let me die in prison? Another very humane and reasonable “liberal”, a perfect embodiment of national security police state and the tribalism and idiots it absolutely adores.
Thank you for this article.