The i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative Issues Statement on Takedown of VPN Services Aimed at Criminals

Summary:

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide Internet users with important privacy and security protections against cybercrime. In light of a recent takedown of three VPN services aimed at criminals, the i2Coalition and its VPN Trust Initiative stand united with authorities against cybercrime and those who seek to use legitimate technologies and services for malicious ends. The members of the VTI, which include the world’s leading VPN providers, work diligently everyday to deter criminal activity. Any technology can be misused, and the overwhelming majority of VPN usage is for legal and legitimate purposes, and millions of consumers and businesses rely on VPNs for essential online protection. 

Full Statement:

The U.S. Justice Department and Europol announced yesterday a joint takedown of the infrastructure associated with three VPN services used by, designed for, and marketed to criminals. The services were linked with the domains insorg.org, safe-inet.com, and safe-inet.net. This reflects long-running law enforcement efforts to dismantle so-called “bulletproof” elements of Internet infrastructure used by criminals, such as the joint operation against the Avalanche network.

As a global organization that supports and represents the companies that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet, the Internet Infrastructure Coalition (“i2Coalition”) follows such developments closely. This includes members of the i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative (“VTI”), which comprises over a dozen of the world’s leading consumer VPN services, with a focus on improving digital safety for consumers. 

The i2Coalition’s members include not only VPN providers, but also leading web hosting companies, cloud providers and data centers. We develop industry best practices with the common goals of promoting safety and privacy in the Internet community. The i2Coalition and VTI have long stood against criminal misuse and abuse of Internet infrastructure and bad-actor companies and providers that advertise their services for such use.

VPNs provide Internet users with important privacy and security protections, including against the types of cybercrime cracked down upon by law enforcement in this and similar operations. While any technology can be misused, the overwhelming majority of VPN usage is for legal and legitimate purposes, and millions of consumers and businesses rely on VPNs for essential online protection. 

The i2Coalition and VTI will continue to work with member companies on promoting good-faith efforts to deter criminal activity. The VTI’s common principles further underline that VPNs should not claim to provide users with complete anonymity. We aim to protect consumers from bad actors in the industry, including those who position their identity protection as “bulletproof”, and promote strong consumer-protection practices among our members. Together, we stand united against cybercrime and those who seek to use legitimate technologies and services for malicious ends.

Learn more about the VTI: https://i2coalition.com/vpn-trust-initiative/

Learn more about the i2Coalition and its members: www.i2coalition.com

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About i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative

i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) is an industry-led consortium that promotes consumer safety and privacy online by increasing understanding of VPNs and strengthening business practices in an industry that already protects millions of Internet users. The VTI leverages first-hand knowledge to advocate, create, vet, and validate guidelines that strengthen trust and transparency and mitigate risk for users.

About the i2Coalition

The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (“i2Coalition”) ensures that those who build the infrastructure of the Internet have a voice in public policy. We are a leading voice for web hosting companies, data centers, domain registrars and registries, cloud infrastructure providers, managed services providers, and related tech. We protect innovation and the continued growth of the Internet’s infrastructure which is essential to the global economy. Our coalition launched at a significant time in our industry’s history. The genesis of the organization began in 2011 when many of the i2Coalition founding and charter members joined forces during the successful effort to prevent SOPA and PIPA from becoming United States law. After mobilizing to ensure the Internet’s free flow of information and commerce, we realized the on-going need for an industry voice, founding formally in 2012.