ExpressVPN partners to support privacy for high-risk victims
We are excited to announce that consumer privacy and security company, ExpressVPN, has agreed to a partnership with us which will see victims of cybercrime, stalking, and abuse provided with free VPN licenses. This will ensure that high-risk users of our service will have a key tool to help them ensure a safe, secure and private online experience.
Since launch, over 500,000 individuals have accessed our support service, and our helpline has directly supported more than 30,000 victims. We help victims understand, contain, recover, and learn from cybercrime and online harm by linking them with cybersecurity technology and volunteer experts to provide relevant advice and guidance.
Through this new collaboration, we will offer free ExpressVPN accounts to vulnerable victims of cybercrimes such as cyberstalking and online abuse to help protect their digital privacy and security. This is essential for protecting vulnerable people from online abuse, as it conceals internet traffic, location, and online identity, making it much harder for third parties to monitor activity or steal data and personal information.
“The Cyber Helpline provides a crucial service for the thousands of victims of online crime daily. We are pleased to play even a small part in helping to keep their volunteers and the people they support safe and secure online.
Using a VPN has become common practice for those who value online privacy. But for digitally vulnerable people, using a VPN can have a much greater impact on their future security. As a result, VPNs have become a vital tool in the recovery and prevention of some cybercrime cases. For example, a VPN makes it harder for digital harassers to find physical location information for victims, it also can provide a critical secure line of communication to the outside world for those in abusive situations.”
ExpressVPN is also providing free licenses to employees and volunteers at The Cyber Helpline to equip them with privacy and security as they help victims overcome online crimes. This is a great benefit for our volunteers and also helps us keep our cyber security posture strong - as we look to keep service users and volunteers as safe as possible when they are online and access our services.
“Having online privacy and a secure way to communicate is critical for individuals who are being cyberstalked - or are in abusive situations and need to escape. This collaboration with ExpressVPN allows us to offer a secure VPN service that gives these individuals confidence in their privacy and provides real peace of mind.
“Unfortunately, instances of stalking and abusive situations where technology is used to monitor a victim or facilitate abuse are rapidly on the rise. Online criminals, abusers, and cyberstalkers can deploy a number of tactics to continue monitoring and tormenting their victims. For people dealing with and recovering from these situations, a VPN will encrypt that person’s online presence and help disguise their physical location. It also prevents anyone on the same Wi-Fi network as that person – at home or on a public WiFi Network – from accessing their information. This means victims and those recovering from crime can browse the internet safely in the comfort that they are not being tracked or monitored by anyone, not even their Internet Service Provider.”
This is a great collaboration and we expect it to have a real impact on making victims feel they have online security and privacy as they go about recovering from their issue. It is also great to see a high-profile organisation like ExpressVPN mobilise its expertise to support our mission.
About ExpressVPN
Since 2009, ExpressVPN has empowered millions of users to take control of their internet experience. The company's award-winning consumer VPN service is backed by its open-source VPN protocol Lightway, delivering user privacy in just a few clicks. ExpressVPN’s Keys password manager and Aircove router make digital privacy and security easy and accessible for all. ExpressVPN's products have been extensively vetted by third-party experts, including PwC, Cure53, KPMG and others. ExpressVPN has been part of Kape Technologies since 2021.