In 2016, when we hired Cure53 to conduct a security audit of TunnelBear, we didn't know if we'd still be doing them 7 years later. We simply wanted to try something new by making transparency a core part of how VPN providers would be judged moving forward. 7 years of audits. 2 month's effort. 0 regrets. You all have shown us that you care about transparency, and we couldn't be happier to continue the annual trend of having TunnelBear audited in its entirety, so that we could share the results with you. With all of that said, let's dig into the results of 2023's audit! Conducting the audit Cur ..read more

It's been some time since our last Transparency Report in 2021. When we set-out with conducting our reports a few years back, we were aiming to give our users a look at the type of data requests we receive, while also reminding people how important it is to understand the privacy policies of the services you use. Well, we're back! The good news is that this year's transparency report will actually cover from 2021 up to 2023, giving you a full look at the government authority requests we've received over the past couple of years. Just as a reminder, our approach to transparency and minimizing ..read more

Over the past year, the Internet has been buzzing with news about machine learning and artificial intelligence; terms such as OpenAI, ChatGPT, deepfake, AI-generated art, and more have become popular topics and new additions to all of our vocabularies. Technology is changing and evolving over time. While there are certainly risks, there are also exciting opportunities to explore. A few months back, we decided that it was time for us to dig into how we could use AI to help support and benefit our users. How feasible was it for us to build our very own artificial Bear that could help troublesho ..read more

We're happy to announce that TunnelBear officially supports the WireGuard protocol for all of our apps! Okay... not entirely accurate. TunnelBear has actually supported WireGuard on both Windows and iOS since early 2022. However, as of our most recent macOS and Android updates, WireGuard is officially available for all platforms! This is pretty big news for our Bears, and we'd like to talk about why supporting WireGuard is so important. First, what exactly is a VPN protocol? A VPN protocol is a series of technical rules that govern how your device can securely reach the VPN servers, validate ..read more

Over six years ago, TunnelBear became the first ever consumer VPN to publish a third-party security audit to the public. At the time, we were hoping to influence the entire VPN industry by setting a new standard for transparency and open communication. This is something that we are happy to have seen become a new benchmark for which VPN providers worldwide are now measured against. That said, there is still lots of work remaining. We’re planning on introducing even more new features to the TunnelBear app, we have a much larger focus on supporting anti-censorship technologies than ever before ..read more

It’s been a while since the last update from the TunnelBear anti-censorship team! While there are a lot of exciting changes that we’re not quite ready to share just yet, one thing we are happy to announce is that TunnelBear officially supports Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) for our Android app. ECH is an important technology to support, and we wanted to take the time to share this accomplishment and discuss the challenges and impact of helping users maintain access to a more open and secure internet. First, it's important to understand what exactly ECH is. What is ECH? Encrypted Client Hello (E ..read more

A lot has changed since our last Year in Review post, back in 2020. We’ve experienced life through a global pandemic, we’ve made it through lockdowns which kept us away from our favourite coffee shops and restaurants, we made the transition to working remotely, and so much more. Finally, in 2022 we saw a glimpse of what our new normal could look like. We’ve been able to venture out of our homes (and caves), embrace friends and family, and feel slightly less self-conscious when sneezing in public. Changes around the Bear Cave Here at TunnelBear, 2022 was a big a year. Our team grew, adding 16 ..read more

It's been well over 5 years since we conducted our first independent security audit for TunnelBear, back in 2016. The world has experienced a lot of hardship over these last few years: internet shutdowns, infringements on fundamental rights, unprovoked acts of war, a global pandemic, and so much more. But there has been lots of good in the world too: Pet adoption from shelters has increased by over 200% globally, worker's rights and reform is on the rise, and folks from around the world have joined together in support of BLM. Even in the wake of these unprecedented times, there are still many ..read more

TunnelBear allows users to browse the internet safely without fear of network restrictions or surveillance. We’re exploring what the often abstract concept of censorship looks and feels like for those on the ground experiencing it. Digital Society Africa is an organization focused on strengthening communities with digital security training and capacity building. They spoke to us about how they prepared for the Zambia election, and how they dealt with the social media blockages that followed. TunnelBear: Tell us about how Digital Society Africa works to strengthen the resilience of activists ..read more

TunnelBear joins companies and rights organizations to call on governments and the private sector to do the bear minimum by working to promote and deploy strong encryption that protects us all. Statement originally published on GlobalEncryptionDay. Strong encryption is a critical technology that helps keep people, their information, and communications private and secure. It underpins online trust, protects members of vulnerable communities, and safeguards the data of governments, businesses, and everyday citizens from criminals and hostile governments. However, some governments and organizati ..read more