One of the world's top VPN providers has boosted its offering in an effort to help its users bypass state and corporate censorship
ProtonVPN has added a new feature to its Android app called Smart Protocol Selection, which the company says will likely be required when a network administrator, either a nation state or a telecom, wants to restrict access to parts of the internet. This is often done to prevent users from accessing social media, news sites or other information sources.
In these situations, there have been document cases where state actors have also blocked transmission protocols to prevent their citizens from using VPNs to circumvent these restrictions. Thankfully though, ProtonVPN's Smart Protocol Selection can now help circumvent this kind of censorship.
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Smart Protocol Selection
Transmission protocols are the underlying rules that govern how data is sent and received via ports on a device. As most mobile VPNs use a protocol called IKEv2, network operators that want to prevent people from using a VPN will block this protocol.
ProtonVPN's Android app now has the ability to automatically detect if IKEv2 is being blocked and switch to the OpenVPN protocol. It can also automatically search for unblocked ports in order to increase the likelihood of successfully establishing a VPN connection.
The majority of other VPN only use one protocol and can easily be blocked by network operators. ProtonVPN however, supports multiple VPN protocols and a wide range of ports to enable more reliable service in the face of censorship.
Founder and CEO of ProtonVPN, Andy Yen explained why the company decided to introduce its new Smart Protocol Selection feature, saying:
“We believe the Internet should be uncensored. Open access to information is a bedrock of democratic society, and our mission is to create online tools that make digital freedom possible. Features like Smart Protocol Selection help our users get free access to the internet, even in the face of state or corporate censorship.”
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