Best PracticesPress Release: i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) Unveils the VTI Principles
Principles Offer Virtual Private Network (VPN) Providers Comprehensive, Neutral Guidelines for Delivering Services in Alignment with Expert-Informed Industry Best Practices
WASHINGTON D.C., September 29, 2020 – The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (“i2Coalition”), the leading voice for web hosting companies, data centers, domain registrars and registries, cloud infrastructure providers, managed services providers and other foundational Internet technologies, announces that its VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) has released the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) Principles.
The VTI Principles offer a comprehensive set of best practices for VPN (Virtual Private Network) providers that bolster consumer confidence and provider accountability and ultimately increase VPN adoption and access to the technology’s benefits.
The VTI Principles support VPN awareness, adoption and access. They have been informed by input from civil society and other outside experts to protect the privacy and security of VPN users, offer practical policy guidelines for VPN providers and ensure policymakers, regulators and the wider market have access to criteria for evaluating these technologies. The principles focus on five key areas: security, privacy, advertising practices, disclosure and transparency and social responsibility.
The VTI formally launched in December 2019. As an industry-led and member-driven consortium of VPN business leaders focused on building understanding, strengthening trust and mitigating risk for VPN users and providers, the VTI remains dedicated to creating and releasing resources to serve as a singular voice that provides appropriate and accurate industry-led stewardship.
“Releasing the VTI Principles is an inaugural step in what is an ongoing process of aligning industry voices to advocate, create, vet and validate industry policies and guidelines, and we’re excited to see the benefits for the market grow through their adoption,” comments Christian Dawson, Co-Founder of the i2Coalition. “By creating and distributing resources such as the VTI Principles to the market, we’re helping to establish a beneficial and self-regulated accountability model that not only ensures trust and security, it helps the reputation and use of these important VPN technologies to thrive, driving greater adoption.”
“These principles, leveraging insight from industry leaders themselves as well as outside experts, create much-needed alignment that will develop greater confidence in VPN services and the entities that support and provide them,” states Nick Nelson, Board Member of the VPN Trust Initiative and General Manager of Consumer Privacy and Protection for NetProtect. “VTI members are united by a commitment to collective privacy and security through robust, clear VPN protocols and awareness about VPN benefits. In turn, this will help accomplish a greater goal of shaping how legislators and regulatory bodies treat VPNs, so that these technologies can continue to offer important benefits to users, such as protecting digital privacy and avoiding censorship.”
The VTI has a core dedication to educating consumers on the privacy and security benefits of VPNs and establishing standard practices for providers that foster greater trust throughout the market. The founding five VTI members include the following companies: ExpressVPN; NordVPN; VyprVPN; Surfshark; and NetProtect (whose VPN brands include encrypt.me, WLVPN, SugarSync, IPVanish, StrongVPN, OverPlay, and SaferVPN). Companies that have since joined the VTI include Ivacy VPN, Cloudflare, Mysterium Network, GoldenFrog, Hide.me and WeVPN.
The VTI aims to reach consumers, legislators and technologists, promoting appropriate industry-led stewardship, providing accurate information to policymakers, informing the greater technology sphere and collaboratively establishing solutions to pressing VPN challenges.
To learn more about the VTI, please click here.
To learn more about the i2Coalition and explore membership, please visit www.i2coalition.com.
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About i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative
i2Coalition’s VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) is an industry-led consortium that promotes consumer safety and privacy online by increasing understanding of VPNs and strengthening business practices in an industry that already protects millions of Internet users. The VTI leverages first-hand knowledge to advocate, create, vet, and validate guidelines that strengthen trust and transparency and mitigate risk for users.
About the i2Coalition
The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (“i2Coalition”) ensures that those who build the infrastructure of the Internet have a voice in public policy. We are a leading voice for web hosting companies, data centers, domain registrars and registries, cloud infrastructure providers, managed services providers, and related tech. We protect innovation and the continued growth of the Internet’s infrastructure which is essential to the global economy. Our coalition launched at a significant time in our industry’s history. The genesis of the organization began in 2011 when many of the i2Coalition founding and charter members joined forces during the successful effort to prevent SOPA and PIPA from becoming United States law. After mobilizing to ensure the Internet’s free flow of information and commerce, we realized the on-going need for an industry voice, founding formally in 2012.
Media Contact:
iMiller Public Relations for i2Coalition
Tel: +1-866-307-2510