Proton VPN: 2025’s privacy milestones & the 2026 roadmap

2025 was a “watershed year” for digital privacy, according to Proton VPN's General Manager, David Peterson.

The global landscape has been defined by a surge in age verification laws and expanding digital surveillance – trends Peterson argues have revealed “alarming privacy erosions even in established democracies”.

So, what does this watershed mark for Proton – a company with a belief that a better world starts with privacy and digital freedom?

I spoke with Peterson to discuss how the company navigated the challenges of 2025 and what its shift toward a bespoke, in-house architecture means for users in the year ahead.

Free VPN advances

The VPN market is notorious for free apps that harvest user ...