ExpressVPN Removes Servers From India As It ‘Rejects’ New VPN Rules: What It Means

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posted on 2 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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ExpressVPN will remove servers in India but users will still be able to connect to VPN servers that will give them Indian IP addresses and allow them to access the internet as if they were located in India.

ExpressVPN has become one of the first major VPN service providers to react to India’s new rules for VPN. ExpressVPN has announced that it will be removing its India-based servers. The company said in an official blog post, “ExpressVPN refuses to participate in the Indian government’s attempts to limit internet freedom. As a company focused on protecting privacy and freedom of expression online, we will continue to fight to keep users connected to the open and free internet with privacy and security, no matter where they are located.”

Now, the next big question is what happens to existing ExpressVPN users in India? Well, it seems like there would be minimal problems for users in India as of now.

“Users will still be able to connect to VPN servers that will give them Indian IP addresses and allow them to access the internet as if they were located in India. These “virtual” India servers will instead be physically located in Singapore and the UK,” it explained.

“In terms of the user experience, there is minimal difference. For anyone wanting to connect to an Indian server, simply select the VPN server location “India (via Singapore)” or “India (via UK),” it added.

The biggest challenge for VPN service providers with the new rule in India as that there will be virtually no privacy left for users and when the new rules come into action, having a VPN or not having one will hardly make any difference.

“Under India’s new VPN rule, which is set to come into effect on June 27, 2022, companies will be required to store users’ real names, IP addresses assigned to them, usage patterns, and other identifying data. The new data law initiated by India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), intended to help fight cybercrime, is incompatible with the purpose of VPNs, which are designed to keep users’ online activity private,” it said.

As a warning to internet users in India, it said, “The law is also overreaching and so broad as to open up the window for potential abuse. We believe the damage done by potential misuse of this kind of law far outweighs any benefit that lawmakers claim would come from it.”

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