Norway-based technology company Opera Software has launched a free and unlimited virtual private network feature as part of its main desktop browser.
The feature is a direct result of Opera’s acquisition of VPN company SurfEasy last March and the two firms first integrated their respective technologies in September with version 32 of the Opera browser. However, users were prompted to install the SurfEasy extension. This represents the first of the major browsers to include a VPN as a standard feature.
One downside to the Opera VPN is that it has limited server locations, meaning you can only “pretend” to be in the US, Canada, Germany, Singapore and the Netherlands.
Opera does promise a 256-bit AES encrypted connection, however, and says neither Opera nor SurfEasy store any information about a user’s browsing history.
VPN usage in several locations around the world is often blocked in their respective territories, with authorities attempting to block access to certain sites.
Britain also stepped up efforts in recent months to ban the usage of several VPN providers as the country aims to crack down on piracy.
Iran also does not allow using VPN to get around the country’s online laws, but legal VPNs are sold to several IT companies in the country for their own internal usage.
