Explained: ExpressVPN removes its servers from India, what happens to users now?

New Delhi: ExpressVPN, a popular VPN service provider, has announced that it would cease operations in India as a result of the new VPN service provider standards. After the Centre announced that it would need all VPN providers to record users' real identities, IP addresses assigned to them, usage patterns, and other identifying data, the firm announced that it is deleting all India-based servers. Notably, the central government's new VPN guidelines will take effect on June 27, 2022.

What is ExpressVPN?

ExpressVPN is well-known among Indian internet users for their Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. Kape Technologies, a United Kingdom-based advertising platform, owns ExpressVPN, which was founded 13 years ago in 2009. ExpressVPN bills itself as a privacy and security solution that encrypts online traffic and hides customers' IP addresses.

Peter Burchhardt and Dan Pomerantz, both Wharton School alumni, founded the company. After being acquired by Kape Technologies in 2021, ExpressVPN was added to the parent company's existing portfolio of VPN services and antivirus solutions, which included Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ZenMate; antivirus software provider Intego; and other cybersecurity technologies.

ExpressVPN includes programmes for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers, as well as other platforms. It also has a Smart DNS function called MediaStreamer that lets you add VPN capabilities to devices that don't have them, as well as a router software that lets you set up the VPN on your network.

Why is ExpressVPN shutting operations in India?

ExpressVPN said in a statement that it is shutting down all India-based VPN servers as a result of the central government's recent guidelines requiring VPN companies to keep customer data for at least five years. However, Indian customers would be able to connect to VPN servers that will give them Indian IP addresses and allow them to browse the internet as if they were in India, according to the business.

How will it affect users?

ExpressVPN's VPN servers will no longer be available as a result of the update to the Indian users. Users will still be able to connect to VPN servers that will provide them with Indian IP addresses and allow them to connect to the Internet as if they were in India, according to the company's blog post.

According to the company, the "virtual" India VPN servers will be physically situated outside of India, in Singapore and the United Kingdom.

"As for Internet users based in India, they can use ExpressVPN confident that their online traffic is not being logged or stored, and that it's not being monitored by their government," ExpressVPN added.

New VPN guidelines

In April of this year, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) announced a new directive requiring VPN companies to gather and keep customer data for up to five years. CERT-In claims that the ability to investigate possible cybercrime is the most important reason.

Customers' identities, ownership patterns, contact information, and the reason for which they are hiring these services must be registered, according to the recommendations, along with VPN providers' data centres, cloud service providers, and cryptocurrency exchanges.

The new restrictions will take effect from June 27 unless the compliance deadline is extended, according to the CERT-In.

Under CERT-in, organisations must disclose data breaches, fraudulent mobile apps, server infrastructure assaults, and even unauthorised access to a user's social media accounts, according to the guideline.