Opera browser unveils free, unlimited VPN service
VPNs, or virtual private networks, are a must to keep you safer online. Over the past few years over a dozen apps and services have sprung up to make using a VPN simpler, but many people still refuse to bother with the extra step. For those people, Opera has created a browser with the VPN built right into it.
The system is a free, no-log, easy-to-use VPN service that is available directly in the Opera desktop browser. The app released 20 September 2016, and the company stated that with this launch, Opera is the first major browser to release a built-in VPN service.
- “If people knew how the internet truly works, I believe they all would use a VPN,” says Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Opera browser for computers
- “By making our browser VPN free and easy to use, we hope to make it an essential tool, just as the lock and key is to your house”
Once enabled, Opera’s VPN creates a secure connection to one of Opera’s five server locations around the world.
Why do you need a VPN?
The VPN lets people choose where to appear on the internet, giving their online privacy and security a boost while making content easier to access. People can also let the Opera browser intelligently select the optimal server location based on factors such as network speed, latency, location and server capacity.
Not only does the VPN help keep your personal information and IP address masked, there are a few bonuses that many people like to use a VPN for. The first, and most popular reason to use a VPN, is accessing video content that is not offered in your area.
So Canadians or Australians, that use a VPN, could connect to an American server and go to Netflix and find all of our wonderful content waiting for them. Of course many companies try their hardest to prevent you from doing this, so it’s usually a game of cat and mouse between VPN servers and content providers.
You can find the official download for the Opera Desktop browser here.