A decade of Mullvad - another to come
Wow, what a year it’s been! The one that closed out our first decade and began a new one. Here’s what we remember most fondly from 2019:
Our privacy ninjas - that’s you!
In previous end-of-year reflections, we’ve always saved the best for last by thanking our customers at the end, but this year we want to tell your right from the get-go. Whether you’ve been with us for a whole decade or just recently found us, we are grateful for your feedback, your support, and your shared value in privacy!
Numbers are for lovers
- WireGuard servers tripled in number, from 49 to 150.
- OpenVPN servers grew from 281 to 337.
- We introduced Bridge mode in the app, and we now have a total of 24 bridge servers.
- We added four new languages to our website Arabic, Danish, Farsi, and Finnish making a total of 17.
- While the Mullvad app started out only in English, it’s now available in 16 languages.
- Team Mullvad grew by three talented individuals (and right now we are looking for a third line support!)
Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Remember “WireGuard is the future” from two years ago? Well now we’ve really established a tradition of looking into our crystal ball.
In June, we published “System Transparency is the future”, and in August followed “Open-source firmware is the future.”
The naked VPN
Calm down, we’ve kept our clothes on. But that doesn’t stop us from trying to remain as transparent as we possibly can about why we do what we do (ahem, for the universal right to privacy) and how our business is built to support that.
- We bared all in our (very short) 821 words long terms of service.
- We updated our server list to show exactly which servers we own vs. rent and who our providers are.
- We explained how we disclose security incidents.
- We published a list of Swedish laws that are relevant to our VPN service.
- And we fully explained our transparent pricing model.
Our website is jam-packed with information just waiting for you to discover, so we improved the searchability of our Help section.
Bring on the features
Last year we celebrated the launch of our new app, but we didn’t stop there! We’ve steadily been adding back features from the old one (remember that sight for sore eyes?) and improving along the way.
- We added a “Bridge mode” feature, helpful if you’re trying to circumvent censorship or just want to multihop.
- We released our first beta version for Android! (iOS, we hope to include you in next year’s celebrations!)
- All of our desktop platforms finally offer full in-app support for WireGuard!
Spreading the WireGuard cheer
Speaking of WireGuard, we’re thrilled to see the support for WireGuard continue to grow. To help continue its development, we provided a third annual donation to the project.
If you’re still wondering what the big deal is, read our aptly titled article “Why WireGuard?”
M is for…
Mullvad, of course! But also Malwarebytes and Mozilla, two noteworthy Ms that we added to our list of partnerships and resellers.
The ninja diaries
We obviously see the need for VPN Services, but we want you to understand why you would use one, how your privacy is jeopardized online, and what to think about when choosing a VPN service.
We rolled out a number of articles to help you become a better privacy ninja:
- WiFi networks and how to protect yourself from eavesdropping
- Facebook’s privacy-invasive technique and how to block it
- Cookies and how to prevent the tracking ones
- Big data and how to say ‘no’
- The “14 Eyes” spy network and how to know if your VPN is actually safe.
Support for the community
Lastly, we couldn’t do what we do without other people and organizations innovating in the fields that we rely on. That’s why we sponsored Security Fest, RustFest, and OWASP Gothenburg (in case you missed it, Steve Gibson’s talk is available).
Even privacy ninjas need a break, so we hope you can enjoy some peace and privacy! during these last few days of 2019.
For the universal right,
Team Mullvad