Link: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/i-dont-like-that-he-made-this-donation-mullvad-ceo-reacts-to-co-founders-donation-to-controversial-swedish-populist-party

Worth noting if you are using their VPN services or Browser.

EDIT:
Apparently, labelling them as far-right isn't as clear-cut from an economic perspective, but they do hold many core identity politics that are common amongst far-right parties such as:

• Voiced support for the idea of large-scale remigration on multiple occasions, even for Swedish-born immigrants: "Sweden belongs to the Swedes"
• Supports Sweden leaving NATO
• In favor of Sweden leaving the European Union in a so-called "Swexit"
• Stated that Sweden should only support other countries on the condition that it benefits Sweden and that it has to be "Sweden first"

Daniel Berntsson, co-founder and co-owner of Mullvad VPN, has donated 5 million Swedish kronor (around $514,000) of his personal funds to the controversial populist Örebro Party.

First reported by local news outlet Flamman, the 2025 donation accounted for 72% of the party's total income last year.

He is the reason the party still exists

he's co-ceo and his co-founder has publically stated that he finds it unacceptable, but that "it's his money". don't really agree with that stance but point is this is still developing. they may let him go.

The only right move would be to remove him from the company entirely.

Ah, yes. Wanting less bureaucracy, free dental care and civil servant liability is such classic far-right policies.

In europe? Yea, sometimes.

I would say that wanting remigration and stuff is pretty right wing.

What will people do the day they realize fascists and their sympathizers are breathing the exact same air they themselves breath? Boycott breathing?

I'm getting tired being shown that kind of FUD shit posts about whatever some CEO has or has not done regarding their personal political views and preferences.

Sure, that's obviously a me issue (and, yeah, quite obviously too, I must be one of those assholes too), but since it seems rather difficult to filter out that kind of content from Lemmy/piefed without actually risking removing most other content at the same time, I will take that as a hint it maybe simpler to remove myself for around here.

I kinda get your point. But at the same time if you pay money for this VPN, a non-insignificant part of the money will go to this guy.

So if someone has a problem with the ideology, is it that weird that they choose not to do business with this provider?

Why do you care about my personal view on news articles? Oh, because it affects you. You know what also affects other? Right wing extremism. Because it kills people and I would like to know if my money gets used to kill people

I don't get why a person can donate that much to a political party. Should be illegal.

if you think that's bad you'll love the socdem party's lottery business, which is the main source of income for sweden's largest party and which they've managed to make illegal for any other party.

Fascists shouldn't breathe, that's a problem we must fix

According to Allard, they're a populist party based on nationalistic and marxist values. Doesn't quite fit the left-right scale I'd say. But I guess "far-right" generates more clicks and stirrs more emotion.

Edit: I've been played for a fool. Thanks for pointing out that Marxism is just a branch of socialism. Downvote away, I do not condone nazism and this comment was bad. Will leave untouched though, as erasing history is a bad idea.

and also the stripping of funds to public art, diversity initiatives, and welfare checks.

the man made up a type of guy to be mad at which just so happened to include queers, journalists and immigrants, and to win points with the old-guard stalinists we still have here he called them a "class" and decided to wage clasn war on them. it's right-wing populism draped in a red flag.

Given that he owns half of the company, that’s easier said than done

This isn't FUD tho. What head of the company is doing with the money he gets out of is relevant for customers. Especially since a good deal of trust is put into using a VPN, the company's character is kind of part of the package (and they will say so themselves in their marketing material).

Apparently the bulk of his income comes from other companies he co-owns that deal in investments, with him only taking a small amount of dividends from Mullvad profits.

So yes, if you buy a Mullvad subscription, there’s a nonzero probability that a small amount of that will go to a fascist sympathiser who may donate it to the local Nazis, much in the way that if you subscribe to a Substack, there’s a probability that some of your subscription will go into the pockets of Nazis whom the company promotes in the name of “free speech”.

Spending almost two full year wages on a chrome apple in an area with socioeconomic troubles is a questionable decision.

oh no, two whole salaries to put up an artwork the locals voted on? and how long did it take to de- oh it took two people a year? cool, cool.

They advertise all over Seattle transit, glad to know I shouldn't be doing business with them.

While I get your meaning that is one of the crappiest analogies I have ever seen. Why not make a decision to not support something your against. I really don't understand people not taking it into consideration.

I'm getting tired being shown that kind of FUD shit posts about whatever some CEO has or has not done regarding their personal political views and preferences.

…he posted in the comments of an article on /purchasewithpurpose.

Hmmn, internet meme thing is working weird when the proponent basically describes the subject as "nazi" as if that's better than "far-right", within 2 comments.

Strange fucking world.

Yes, given your statement, I was going to suggest you should at least block this community.
This is pretty much exactly what I'd expect people to post here.

Thanks, damn this is quite a good VPN.
Any other decent options in the similar price range?

I also wish to know about any alternatives.

People have been throwing around this “Personal funds” thing in all the reporting on this story. Trying to distance the company from the asshole.

Where exactly did Daniel’s “Personal funds” come from? Surely not the popular VPN that he is the co-owner of.

IVPN is my understanding. They supposedly provide support to the EFF

Yeah, I bet nobody remembers that one party that had nationalistic and socialist (for party members, anyway) values. I wish I could remember where they were on the left-right spectrum....

Jesus. I did not spend a single second seeing that connection before you typed it out for me. All my downvotes are justified!

Far-right, according to almost everyone except their leader. Geeze. I should've seen what the hell I wrote. Thanks for connecting the dots for me.

Jesus fucking Christ! I can’t use anything anymore. I think it’s time for me to take a few steps back from tech.

It happens, good on you for recognizing it! And good on you for owning up to it too, that's not something we see often

I'm a fan of Private Internet Access. Not currently aware of reasons not to use it.

I already have proton drive which comes with proton vpn. So I started using that. EU-based VPN and so far it's been noticeably faster than mullvad with fewer captchas too. So I can't complain.

Hilarious how you include "leaving NATO" on the list of "far right ideals".

I mean the party is a bigoted joke of white supremacists, but Western countries leaving NATO is a progressive notion favored by leftists. The opposite of reactionary shit.

Nazis nor party members had socialist values.

Marxism is not a branch of socialism. I appreciate you taking a second to edit your post, but I encourage you to dig a bit deeper as to what these terms mean.

And mullvad is on social media defending him. Quit mullvad. F*k fascism.

I'm summarising the points raised about why they are being reported as far-right.

The NATO and "Sweden First" points aren't that big of a deal, but collectively they touch on all the same talking points of far-right parties, which is why they are being labelled as such.

Most of these political parties are being financed by countries like Russia, which want to break up these alliances and promote isolationist/nationalist ideologies.

Please tell me more, sounds like something that could only happen in Finland.

Sorry but I used them back in 2010 and if they're still USA based you have to worry about 5/9/14 eyes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement#14_Eyes%3Fwprov=sfla1

Is there any good verification of there no logs policy? If so it might still be the best option, Im using proton free rn after the news dropped.

Ill check them out!

Debatable. While I will agree they are not Marxist socialists, I can't agree that none of them held any socialist values. There are a lot of views that conflict with socialism, but also ones that overlapped. The problem is, the parts that overlap with socialism were only applicable to citizens, and you could only be a citizen if you're white.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Nazis were good in the slightest, but there is some nuance here. Like, look at the 7 points I pulled from their 25 point plan, there are socialist values mixed in, they're just buried and massively outweighed by literally everything else.

1. Abolition of unearned (work and labour) incomes. Breaking of rent-slavery.

1. In consideration of the monstrous sacrifice in property and blood that each war demands of the people personal enrichment through a war must be designated as a crime against the people. Therefore we demand the total confiscation of all war profits.

1. We demand the nationalization of all (previous) associated industries (trusts).
   We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.

1. We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare.

1. We demand the creation of a healthy middle class and its conservation, immediate communalization of the great warehouses and their being leased at low cost to small firms, the utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.

1. We demand a land reform suitable to our needs, provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility, abolition of taxes on land and prevention of all speculation in land.

1. The State is to care for the elevating national health by protecting the mother and child, by outlawing child-labor, by the encouragement of physical fitness, by means of the legal establishment of a gymnastic and sport obligation, by the utmost support of all organizations concerned with the physical instruction of the young.

hur bra är din svenska?

Proton's CEO has thrown his support behind Trump, so it's not a safe haven either.

It sounds like when the UK wanted Brexit. Most leftists support that, but for entirely different reasons of not wanting to be part of the empire.

That is a bit of an exaggeration.

Both can be correct. Far-right influencers around the world are funded by Russia. Russia wants NATO disbanded. So you see hucksters online saying we should leave NATO. As well as far-right assets like Trump.