Few people make politics, but most of them have a rough idea of it: CDU, SPD, BRD – of course. It’s the other way around with the Internet. Almost everyone uses the network, hardly anyone is familiar with it: VPN, SSL, HTTPS? You may have heard of it but never really understood it. This text, too, cannot do without abbreviations and technical explanations. But those who hold out to the end not only learn something – they also learn how to surf more safely and privately.
There are two current occasions for this. On the one hand, Mozilla is bringing its VPN service to Germany. On the other hand, the Freiburg-based company Gardion tries to protect people online from surveillance. The large corporation and the small start-up rely on the same technology. Both set up what is known as a virtual private network, which redirects all data that flows back and forth between your own laptop or smartphone, the router and the Internet provider.
Those who travel without a VPN reveal a lot about themselves: At home, Telekom, Vodafone or 1 & 1 see every website that you visit. In a public wifi, a lot of information ends up with the operator of the hotspot. Most websites now use the HTTPS protocol and encrypt the connection using SSL or TLS certificates. This protects passwords and other sensitive data from criminals and secret services. You still reveal which pages you open when and where.
Many free VPNs spy on users
This is where the VPN comes into play, which serves as a digital protective shield. From the outside, only the location and IP address of the VPN server are visible. That can help protect privacy – or it can result in complete disaster. After all, you get naked in front of the VPN provider. A lot of dubious companies take advantage of this. Many free VPNs are only supposedly free: You don’t pay in euros, but with your data.
“It’s hard to find out on the Internet who you can believe,” says Dave Camp, who as Mozilla’s product manager is responsible for the new VPN. There are hundreds of providers, and new ones are constantly being added. Mozilla, on the other hand, stands for reliability. “We have been campaigning for an open, secure and private network for 20 years,” says Camp. “If I choose a VPN, I have to trust the operator 100 percent. I think we have earned this trust.”
In fact, the data should be in good hands with Mozilla. The VPN is based on the technology of the established company Mullvad from Sweden. The service does not save any logs, i.e. it does not record which pages are accessed. In addition, they rely on simplicity, says Camp. “The technology in the background is complex, but the interface is so simple that anyone can use the VPN.” Mozilla also wants to become financially more independent with the service. Google pays hundreds of millions of dollars every year to keep it the default search engine in Mozilla’s Firefox browser. The VPN should become an additional source of income. A month costs ten euros, the annual subscription halves the price.
Gardion submits to German law
For ten euros per month or 100 euros per year, you could also subscribe to the Gardion VPN, which, like Mozilla, works with the lean and fast Wireguard software. “The technology is similar, but our concept is completely different,” says founder Thomas Schlenkhoff. “We’re small and new to the market, so we have yet to earn the trust.” That is why Gardion is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is a member of the Baden-Württemberg Cyber Defense and works with the GLS Bank – in the hope that the good reputation of these established institutions will rub off.
“Above all, we submit to strict German law,” says Schlenkhoff. “Other providers operate in the Seychelles, we deliberately stay in Germany and hope that this creates trust.” In contrast to Mozilla, Gardion saves part of the surfing history. If security authorities inquire, Schlenkhoff would have to provide this information. “So if you want to do something illegal, you’d better look elsewhere.”
Gardion is not a pure VPN, but also filters trackers that users follow on many websites and apps. However, the Gardion product is not as simple as the Mozilla VPN. “We aim at customers who are more susceptible to suffering,” says Schlenkhoff. “The grandparents might be overwhelmed with the facility. But it’s not too complicated, as the experiences from our beta test show.”
Although Mozilla and Gardion are targeting the same market, Schlenkhoff wishes success to the much larger competitor. “I grind my teeth a bit, but actually I keep my fingers crossed for them. We need Mozilla and Firefox, Google and the Chrome browser are already dominant enough.”