I just saw very similar allegations against ProtonVPN in a thread on /r/privacy: https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/8y0hee/proton_has_been_using_the_office_space_ceo_and/ The waters are...
The waters are being quite muddied right now, but I strongly encourage a very analytical eye when reading any of this. The people behind ProtonVPN are saying this very well could be a smear campaign by the people behind PIA VPN. It just seems odd that another PIA competitor got accused of nearly the same thing, just a month after ProtonVPN. I can't say for sure, but I spent a good amount of time reading through various threads and doing my own research when this all came up with ProtonVPN. The conclusion I personally came to was that PIA is currently running smear campaigns against competitors. Through the use of throwaway accounts on Reddit and by plastering the same (mis)information across multiple forums.
The VPN business is a competitive one. Hundreds of companies offering near identical services with little variation between each other on the surface. There ARE differences between VPNs such as...
The VPN business is a competitive one. Hundreds of companies offering near identical services with little variation between each other on the surface. There ARE differences between VPNs such as number and location of servers, P2P policies, available throughput, average latency, etc. I'm just speculating and have no inside knowledge of this specific situation, but perhaps PIA is feeling the heat? NordVPN has been on quite a PR campaign themselves as of late using online and televised advertising (which I don't really agree with the message they send with their ads, but I digress.).
They are advertising their VPN service, it's how they are doing it. They are using a common method in sales by invoking fear in the desired customer. My issue more has to do with their TV...
They are advertising their VPN service, it's how they are doing it. They are using a common method in sales by invoking fear in the desired customer. My issue more has to do with their TV commercials than anything. For example, see this commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY83y49nA9o (note: I didn't title that upload, just found it coincidentally haha.) While not screaming at the top of their lungs, they are being alarmist in their advertising. I guess it should be expected as VPNs become more common and mainstream for private use, but their playing on fear rubs me the wrong way. Personally, I find it hard to trust a company that uses fear to gain customers.
I don't think PIA would do this, they do quite a lot of donations to save certain FOSS projects so they have quite a lot of good PR at the moment. There's no reason for them to risk getting caught...
I don't think PIA would do this, they do quite a lot of donations to save certain FOSS projects so they have quite a lot of good PR at the moment. There's no reason for them to risk getting caught astroturfing at this point.
Throwing some money around at FOSS projects is nice, but it doesn't nullify the mounting evidence that they seem to conducting these types of activities. Perhaps their reasoning to astroturf right...
Throwing some money around at FOSS projects is nice, but it doesn't nullify the mounting evidence that they seem to conducting these types of activities. Perhaps their reasoning to astroturf right now is because they feel they have good PR on their side. It would make sense that they may expect their supporters and proponents to come to their aid such as you just did. I'm not saying that's the case, but a possibility of their reasoning.
Hmm, if you follow that train of thought, isn't it a good idea to astroturf in any situation? IMO astroturfing makes sense if your reputation is in tatters already, and you need to build it up. In...
Perhaps their reasoning to astroturf right now is because they feel they have good PR on their side.
Hmm, if you follow that train of thought, isn't it a good idea to astroturf in any situation? IMO astroturfing makes sense if your reputation is in tatters already, and you need to build it up. In PIA's case, it makes much more sense to increase funding for their existing PR programs.
You make a good point, but PIA still has good motivation. The VPN business is cutthroat and knocking their competitors down a peg or two would definitely be directly beneficial to them. You're...
You make a good point, but PIA still has good motivation. The VPN business is cutthroat and knocking their competitors down a peg or two would definitely be directly beneficial to them. You're right that funding their PR programs more makes sense, but since when is common sense really that common?
Remember that old, horrible quote? "If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear." Or, maybe, I just like a little privacy and don't want throttled torrents. And don't want my ISP to...
Remember that old, horrible quote?
"If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear."
Or, maybe, I just like a little privacy and don't want throttled torrents. And don't want my ISP to see "what is 7 + 3", because, to be blunt, it's kinda embarrasing.
I'm not trying to make any statement about the accusations here, but can you really hire a company to audit your practice and call the verdict independent? E: Missed a letter.
I'm not trying to make any statement about the accusations here, but can you really hire a company to audit your practice and call the verdict independent?
E: Missed a letter.
I just saw very similar allegations against ProtonVPN in a thread on /r/privacy: https://old.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/8y0hee/proton_has_been_using_the_office_space_ceo_and/
The waters are being quite muddied right now, but I strongly encourage a very analytical eye when reading any of this. The people behind ProtonVPN are saying this very well could be a smear campaign by the people behind PIA VPN. It just seems odd that another PIA competitor got accused of nearly the same thing, just a month after ProtonVPN. I can't say for sure, but I spent a good amount of time reading through various threads and doing my own research when this all came up with ProtonVPN. The conclusion I personally came to was that PIA is currently running smear campaigns against competitors. Through the use of throwaway accounts on Reddit and by plastering the same (mis)information across multiple forums.
What the fuck is wrong with them? If indeed PIA is to blame.
The VPN business is a competitive one. Hundreds of companies offering near identical services with little variation between each other on the surface. There ARE differences between VPNs such as number and location of servers, P2P policies, available throughput, average latency, etc. I'm just speculating and have no inside knowledge of this specific situation, but perhaps PIA is feeling the heat? NordVPN has been on quite a PR campaign themselves as of late using online and televised advertising (which I don't really agree with the message they send with their ads, but I digress.).
They are advertising their VPN service, it's how they are doing it. They are using a common method in sales by invoking fear in the desired customer. My issue more has to do with their TV commercials than anything. For example, see this commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY83y49nA9o (note: I didn't title that upload, just found it coincidentally haha.) While not screaming at the top of their lungs, they are being alarmist in their advertising. I guess it should be expected as VPNs become more common and mainstream for private use, but their playing on fear rubs me the wrong way. Personally, I find it hard to trust a company that uses fear to gain customers.
I don't think PIA would do this, they do quite a lot of donations to save certain FOSS projects so they have quite a lot of good PR at the moment. There's no reason for them to risk getting caught astroturfing at this point.
Throwing some money around at FOSS projects is nice, but it doesn't nullify the mounting evidence that they seem to conducting these types of activities. Perhaps their reasoning to astroturf right now is because they feel they have good PR on their side. It would make sense that they may expect their supporters and proponents to come to their aid such as you just did. I'm not saying that's the case, but a possibility of their reasoning.
Hmm, if you follow that train of thought, isn't it a good idea to astroturf in any situation? IMO astroturfing makes sense if your reputation is in tatters already, and you need to build it up. In PIA's case, it makes much more sense to increase funding for their existing PR programs.
You make a good point, but PIA still has good motivation. The VPN business is cutthroat and knocking their competitors down a peg or two would definitely be directly beneficial to them. You're right that funding their PR programs more makes sense, but since when is common sense really that common?
Incoming "if you use a VPN you are obviously hiding something, so we are going to go after you"
Remember that old, horrible quote?
"If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear."
Or, maybe, I just like a little privacy and don't want throttled torrents. And don't want my ISP to see "what is 7 + 3", because, to be blunt, it's kinda embarrasing.
I'm not trying to make any statement about the accusations here, but can you really hire a company to audit your practice and call the verdict independent?
E: Missed a letter.