Discussion
I think it would be good to hear from @mullvadnet about this? 👀
> The IT company Mullvad’s founder Daniel Berntsson is behind a giant donation to the populist Örebro Party, which advocates “comprehensive re-immigration” from Sweden. “It’s sad that it’s needed,” he told Flamman.
https://www.flamman.se/techprofil-ger-miljoner-till-orebropartiet/
Edit: Well, Mullvad responded, and… it's not great: https://mstdn.social/@rysiek/116827473897620552
@rysiek @mullvadnet from reading the Swedish Wikipedia page on the party it sounds more left wing and Marxist.
@jacobgorm @mullvadnet based on information from my Swedish friends with local context, there had been a strong drift to the right – and the rhetoric of the party leader quoted in the linked article exemplifies that well I feel.
@rysiek @mullvadnet that’s really disappointing! I’ve been thinking of trying their VPN for a while but this rules that out. Also a good reminder that most American big tech also funds fascism and/or other abominations
@rysiek the @mullvadnet's team apparently has a ready to go, copy-paste response to this atrocity.
Mullvad is a political company fighting for free speech, free information and privacy, with two equal co-founders, co-owners and co-CEOs who fundamentally disagree on many issues. Daniel's donation to a political party is private and not part of Mullvad's mission. We protect the right to express and access views we disagree with. We welcome anyone sharing these core values, whatever their other opinions. We are happy to refund others who don't, where we can.
Thanks for the clarification. I just added a bunch of time to my account, but would like to cancel given this new information. Is there a process for asking for a refund? I don't see anything on the account management pages.
Maybe just email support@?
Support request sent! LMK if there's something else I should have done.
Wow, immediate response, refund initiated. Thanks.
@mullvadnet @rysiek political donations there are public record, so it is not private actually, and if you are a "political company" then your leadership's politics are in fact on the table for discussion, especially when they are in the form are large financial contributions made as a result of profiting from said business.
yall... yall are doing a really bad job of this.
Just so we're clear - your here defending the right of your boss to fund the rounding-up deportation of human beings based on ethnicity, and telling your customers who don't support this neo-nazi shyte to take their money and fack off.
@mullvadnet You are a commercial entity, selling VPN access. The money your company makes is being used by one of your CEOs to donate to a far-right political party. That's his freedom. It is also my freedom to call it out as unacceptable and to make sure your services are on my personal blocklist. Is all. @rysiek
@jwildeboer @mullvadnet @rysiek okok so is there a coop that makes its own vpn? Would it possible to start one, so that no ceo inevitably starts trying on brown shirts? Surely its doable, no ? Im a frontend, can contribute..ugh...the least meaningful part, i guess :p. On the other hand, maybe it is a tytanic task, if it requires not one but two ceos, inefficient and unstreamlined and optimisation-ready as it sounds. Makes me think of sparta; guess running a vpn service is like running a country
RE: https://defcon.social/@thedarktangent/116823843127887175
@Aethel @jwildeboer @rysiek Here's a thread why setting up a VPN and e-mail provider is hard:
@jwildeboer @mullvadnet @rysiek sigh
This is especially disappointing and frustrating given that the next “best” alternative to Mullvad also has similar issues. Andy Yen has been pretty vocal about supporting the far right despite what the company’s PR statements would suggest.
I’ve really come to the conclusion that it’s not really possible to make ethical decisions in a capitalist society no matter how hard you try - but I still do my best to vote with my money when I can.
@sudonem @jwildeboer @mullvadnet there is one more take-away from this for me: for-profit companies are not at all acceptable vehicles for any work that is supposed to be preserving and defending human rights.
That's not particularly novel, but this is a pretty good demonstration of why it is the case.
Mullvad. Stop. Look.
The co-owner is the primary financier of the party being funded. He is presumably getting his money from this operation. Mullvad is implicated by default.
And if we accept that mullvad is implicated, then mullvad cannot exist as a champion of free speech, because it is paying a salary that is playing a significant role in preventing free speech and freedom of movement. Your values have been compromised. If you, social media person, cannot fix this- then your best bet is to shut up.
@mullvadnet And I mean what are the operating costs here? He’s one of two top guys, so when I pay $5 for mullvad, I’m giving like 5%? 10% 15%? 20%? 30%? to this ONE GUY
And that one guy seems to be spending most of that on funding a blatantly racist conservative party? He’s so dedicated to this that it’s even more blatant than usual that you’re just donating to the fascists when you pay for mullvad
@mullvadnet @rysiek money equals speech is an americanism you dont need to adopt. this isnt about an opinion, this is about an action, using funds gained from customers and supporters, specifically meant to oppress. pretending that opposition to that action is equivalent to being against free access to views is ridiculous
@mullvadnet @rysiek Ah, lovely. So being against funding fascist ideology that's repressing other people's rights to express themselves and making a *personal* choice about that is... being against freedom of expression? This is some twisted mindgame.
No, I'm against fascists, I'm pro right-to-express oneself. And yes, because of that I do think Mullvad shouldn't check their users political alignment, even if that means fascists get to use Mullvad too. But that's one thing. Funding fascists through my subscription? That's not what I have to agree with just because I'm for the freedom of expression.
Indeed, freedom of expression also means being able to cancel my subscription because of that. Pretending that this means I'm against freedom of expression is downright insulting.
@mullvadnet @rysiek Free-speech-is-bullshit-101: some opinions ends up with people drowning in the mediterranean sea, some others don't.
@mullvadnet @rysiek arthur foxache, so which eu-made vpn now, that wont send money to fascists next week? Jaysus this is tiring :/
@mullvadnet being nazi is fundamentally against free speech, you fools.
Leadership _leads_. His statements and use of funds, especially when acquired from ownership of a company, directly reflect the mission statement and intents of said company.
This is one of those “practice unquestionable ethics” moments leadership books talk about.
Leadership _leads_. His statements and use of funds, especially when acquired from ownership of a company, directly reflect the mission statement and intents of said company.
This is one of those “practice unquestionable ethics” moments leadership books talk about.
@mullvadnet @rysiek although your message sounds nice, the thing about it is, that giving money to Mullvad now means sponsoring a man who gives money to a hateful group of people spouting dangerous racist ideas.
That kind of behavior is not a matter of "the right to express and access views we disagree with." It is a matter of actively promoting hate, and you should take a stand against it, rather than pretend that it is just free speech without IRL concequences.
@JoachimSelliken does that mean that though? Has anyone actually checked the financial documents of Mullvad AB on whether the guy is actively receiving money out of the company? Or do we just assume that? @mullvadnet @rysiek
@nitrml if he wasn't receiving any money from the company, that would be a great thing for @mullvadnet to mention. They did not.
It's not on anyone else to show that the nazi supporting co-founder is divested.
@JoachimSelliken @mullvadnet @rysiek @davidgerard Dude, they know what they’re doing. There’s no value in patiently explaining the countercase to the guy who’s just been kicked out of the Nazi bar. They know the real world consequences and they’re supporting them.
@NewtonMark @mullvadnet @rysiek @davidgerard the point of interacting with the post and publically explaining, why it does not hold up, is to show anyone else reading it, that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.
@JoachimSelliken @mullvadnet @rysiek what VPN do I use now? I was just going to get Mullvad, are there any other recommendations?
@mullvadnet the old: "if you don't like it, leave" argument. I guess we know where you stand on this
cc: @rysiek
Oh come on... It seems yet another dickhead is ruining my day. Time to cancel a subscription.
@rysiek @mullvadnet et tu, brute?
Not them, too...
@jupiter @mullvadnet depending on what they say it need not be them per se. I am holding my judgement until there is a response.
@rysiek @mullvadnet It's not a good look though.
I know privacy is libertarian-adjacent and libertarians are tech- and fascism-adjacent (as ironic as this may seem), so... let's keep our ears perked.
@rysiek @mullvadnet I hope #securityfest will weigh their reply carefully when considering accepting their sponsorship for 2027...
How about
"It's sad that you're breathing?"
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@rysiek
You certainly do not welcome the views of people that want to ban VPN providers.
But you do welcome the supposedly unshared views of people who want to ban actual people? Like that wouldn't impact the freedom of expression of those same people?
Spoiler: Their opinions would be banned along with their bodies from your country. An action then supported by money that probably came out of your company.
@mullvadnet