5 ms·

I’ve been using and still using Mullvad but also getting worried. I live in nyc and in the last few months I’ve seen a _lot_ of ads from them. Huge billboards i

I’ve been using and still using Mullvad but also getting worried. I live in nyc and in the last few months I’ve seen a _lot_ of ads from them. Huge billboards in high-traffic areas. Full-sized ads on a side of a bus. A whole subway car just with mullvad ads. Some of the ads also felt deceptive making it seem like it will prevent all your online tracking, even though we know that’s not the case.

fernandotakai 2y ago
they do advertise, but they try to keep traditional (instead of influencers) https://mullvad.net/en/help/policy-reviews-advertising-and-affiliates https://mullvad.net/en/help/policy-reviews-advertising-and-a...
kfreds 2y ago
> Some of the ads also felt deceptive making it seem like it will prevent all your online tracking, even though we know that’s not the case. I'm sorry to hear that. For what it's worth our marketing colleagues make a big effort to minimize the risk of such interpretations. Sometimes a really snappy string of words can be interpreted multiple ways. There's also only so many words we can put on an ad before it gets messy. We do try hard to make the nuances clear on our website, which ultimately is where any new users will have to go in order to buy the service.
- woodruffw 2y ago
  I’m a big fan of your service, but I agree with GP. I rode the subway yesterday and saw a Mullvad ad that strongly implied that a VPN is adequate protection against data brokers and data collection on websites. It certainly wasn’t the most egregious VPN ad I’ve ever seen, but it was disappointing to see Mullvad imply privacy properties for VPNs knowing that ordinary people don’t understand cookies, sessions, fingerprinting, or JavaScript.
  - kfreds 2y ago
    Did the ad in fact talk about the VPN by itself, or in conjunction with the Mullvad Browser? In any case we make the most important nuances clear on our landing page, and in other places on our website.
    - woodruffw 2y ago
      I believe it just said Mullvad, which I interpreted to be the VPN. It was on the NYC subway.
- wepple 2y ago
  Sorry, not buying it. To claim that you stop online ad networks is a downright falsehood and you know it. That copy should’ve never made it past basic checks for legitimacy. Or alternatively: feel free to describe to HN how Mulvad protects users against ad networks.
  - nickburns 2y ago
    To claim that you stop online ad networks is a downright falsehood and you know it. can you link to these remarks? i can't see kfreds making any reference to ad networks anywhere.
    - wepple 2y ago
      I’m going to make sure to photograph the NYC subway ads next time I see them
      - nickburns 2y ago
        ah, now i understand. your earlier comment very much read like you were accusing kfreds personally of making such a statement about ad networks. but you meant to say one (or more) of the ads you've seen yourself appears to makes such a claim. thanks for clarifying.
        wepple 2y ago
        Follow up: I just took this photo: https://ibb.co/v3rdHcm https://ibb.co/v3rdHcm
  - kfreds 2y ago
    > feel free to describe to HN how Mulvad protects users against ad networks. A VPN is not enough for privacy. But in combination with a privacy-focused browser, you make sure to block third-party cookies and other tracking technologies used by the data collectors. That's why we partnered with the Tor Project to develop Mullvad Browser – a browser designed to minimize tracking and fingerprints. Please also note that this information is clearly displayed on our landing page. We don't want people using our service for things it's not designed for.
trelane 2y ago
There are settings to help with that, though. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/aiding-to-break-habits-gambling-and-adult-content-dns-blocking https://mullvad.net/en/blog/aiding-to-break-habits-gambling-... https://mullvad.net/en/blog/how-were-knocking-down-ads-and-tracking https://mullvad.net/en/blog/how-were-knocking-down-ads-and-t... It's not going to prevent everything, but it'll definitely help.

fernandotakai 2y ago

they do advertise, but they try to keep traditional (instead of influencers) https://mullvad.net/en/help/policy-reviews-advertising-and-affiliates https://mullvad.net/en/help/policy-reviews-advertising-and-a...

kfreds 2y ago

> Some of the ads also felt deceptive making it seem like it will prevent all your online tracking, even though we know that’s not the case. I'm sorry to hear that. For what it's worth our marketing colleagues make a big effort to minimize the risk of such interpretations. Sometimes a really snappy string of words can be interpreted multiple ways. There's also only so many words we can put on an ad before it gets messy. We do try hard to make the nuances clear on our website, which ultimately is where any new users will have to go in order to buy the service.

woodruffw 2y ago
I’m a big fan of your service, but I agree with GP. I rode the subway yesterday and saw a Mullvad ad that strongly implied that a VPN is adequate protection against data brokers and data collection on websites. It certainly wasn’t the most egregious VPN ad I’ve ever seen, but it was disappointing to see Mullvad imply privacy properties for VPNs knowing that ordinary people don’t understand cookies, sessions, fingerprinting, or JavaScript.
- kfreds 2y ago
  Did the ad in fact talk about the VPN by itself, or in conjunction with the Mullvad Browser? In any case we make the most important nuances clear on our landing page, and in other places on our website.
  - woodruffw 2y ago
    I believe it just said Mullvad, which I interpreted to be the VPN. It was on the NYC subway.
wepple 2y ago
Sorry, not buying it. To claim that you stop online ad networks is a downright falsehood and you know it. That copy should’ve never made it past basic checks for legitimacy. Or alternatively: feel free to describe to HN how Mulvad protects users against ad networks.
- nickburns 2y ago
  To claim that you stop online ad networks is a downright falsehood and you know it. can you link to these remarks? i can't see kfreds making any reference to ad networks anywhere.
  - wepple 2y ago
    I’m going to make sure to photograph the NYC subway ads next time I see them
    - nickburns 2y ago
      ah, now i understand. your earlier comment very much read like you were accusing kfreds personally of making such a statement about ad networks. but you meant to say one (or more) of the ads you've seen yourself appears to makes such a claim. thanks for clarifying.
      - wepple 2y ago
        Follow up: I just took this photo: https://ibb.co/v3rdHcm https://ibb.co/v3rdHcm
- kfreds 2y ago
  > feel free to describe to HN how Mulvad protects users against ad networks. A VPN is not enough for privacy. But in combination with a privacy-focused browser, you make sure to block third-party cookies and other tracking technologies used by the data collectors. That's why we partnered with the Tor Project to develop Mullvad Browser – a browser designed to minimize tracking and fingerprints. Please also note that this information is clearly displayed on our landing page. We don't want people using our service for things it's not designed for.

trelane 2y ago

There are settings to help with that, though. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/aiding-to-break-habits-gambling-and-adult-content-dns-blocking https://mullvad.net/en/blog/aiding-to-break-habits-gambling-... https://mullvad.net/en/blog/how-were-knocking-down-ads-and-tracking https://mullvad.net/en/blog/how-were-knocking-down-ads-and-t... It's not going to prevent everything, but it'll definitely help.