In early January 2025, India’s government escalated its war on digital privacy by ordering Apple and Google to remove several Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps from their app stores. This move reflects India’s increasingly authoritarian stance on digital privacy and raises serious concerns for millions of users who rely on these services to protect their online privacy.
This action is part of a broader regulatory push that began in 2022, signaling a potential shift in how digital privacy is handled not just in India, but globally.
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Background: The 2022 Data Retention Mandate
In April 2022, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued a controversial directive mandating data retention by VPN providers, cloud service providers, and data centers operating within the country. The directive required these services to collect and retain personal data, including names, IP addresses, email addresses, and transaction histories, for a minimum of five years. This data would be available to authorities upon request.
The Indian government justified these data retention requirements as essential for improving cybersecurity and combating cybercrime. However, this law undermines the right to privacy, violates international data protection norms, and creates significant surveillance risks. Mandatory data retention establishes a massive database of personal information, which can easily be misused by government agencies or stolen by cybercriminals.
VPN providers responded by withdrawing their servers from India to avoid complying with these data retention mandates. Major providers like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark removed their servers from India, allowing users to continue their services through virtual servers based outside the country. This ensured that user privacy was protected, albeit with some compromises in terms of connection speed.
The Response from VPN Providers: Withdrawing from India
While the Indian government claims that these measures are necessary for national security, VPN providers assert that such laws compromise user privacy and make it more difficult for individuals to protect their data. In response to the 2022 mandate, several leading VPN companies decided to completely withdraw their servers from India, opting instead to use virtual servers based outside the country to provide services to Indian users. This move preserves user privacy and anonymity by avoiding compliance with India’s data retention laws.
ExpressVPN, for instance, removed all its Indian servers in 2022 to avoid complying with the stringent data retention rules. Similarly, NordVPN and Surfshark also chose to operate via virtual private networks that bypassed physical servers in India. As a result, these VPN companies were able to continue offering their services to users in India while ensuring that their data remained unaffected by the data retention laws.
The Latest Development: Indian App Store Ban
In January 2025, the Indian government took a further step by pressuring Apple and Google to remove VPN apps from their app stores in India. This includes some of the most popular VPN apps, including PrivadoVPN. This marks the first major enforcement of India’s 2022 data retention laws and signals that India is tightening its control over internet usage. The government’s actions highlight its increasing efforts to prevent the use of VPNs, which many users rely on to bypass censorship and protect their online privacy.
The removal of VPN apps from the app stores is not only a restriction on access to these services, but it could also set a chilling precedent for the VPN industry. As more VPN companies withdraw from India, users may be forced to seek alternative methods to protect their privacy and maintain unrestricted access to the internet.
The Big Picture: Why Does This Matter for Digital Privacy?
India’s actions against VPNs represent more than just a national regulatory issue. They signal a broader global trend in regulating digital privacy. Here’s why this crackdown matters:
1. A Global Privacy Crisis
VPNs have become essential tools for protecting privacy online, avoiding government surveillance, and accessing content restricted in certain regions. By banning VPNs or enforcing strict data retention laws, India is sending a message to the world that digital privacy may not be a universal right.
This action will likely influence other countries with similar authoritarian tendencies, encouraging them to impose their own restrictions on VPNs. If other countries follow India’s lead, the global availability of VPN services could significantly diminish, which would make it harder for individuals to protect their privacy.
2. The Growing Threat of Government Surveillance
India’s increasing restrictions on VPNs highlight the growing threat of state surveillance in the digital space. Governments have always had the ability to monitor digital activity, but laws like the data retention mandate make it easier for authorities to track individuals’ online behaviors. VPNs, which were once seen as a safeguard for user privacy, now risk being turned into tools of surveillance under these laws.
As governments increasingly target VPN services, users will have fewer options to secure their online activities. Additionally, surveillance technologies continue to advance, allowing governments to track individuals more efficiently and without sufficient oversight.
3. Challenges for Businesses Operating in India
Businesses, especially multinational companies, face new challenges as the regulatory environment in India becomes more hostile toward privacy. Many businesses rely on VPNs to protect their internal communications and customer data. These companies may need to seek alternative solutions to ensure their data remains secure and that they comply with international data protection regulations.
The removal of VPNs from app stores in India forces businesses operating there to adjust their cybersecurity strategies, which can be costly and time-consuming.
The Impact on Users and Alternatives
With the ban on VPN apps in India, users will need to explore alternative methods to protect their digital privacy. Many may attempt to use VPN services based in countries with more lenient privacy laws, but these solutions often come with drawbacks such as slower speeds and potential security risks. However, there are strategies users in India can consider to avoid VPN logs and maintain their privacy.
1. Use VPNs with No-Log Policies and Virtual Servers Outside India
Opt for VPN services that have a strict no-log policy. Services like Mullvad VPN, Proton VPN, and others have emphasized their commitment to privacy by removing physical servers from India and instead offering virtual servers. These servers are located outside India but still provide an Indian IP address, helping users maintain privacy as the data isn’t stored within Indian jurisdiction, where logging is mandatory.
2. Avoid VPNs with Physical Servers in India
VPN services with physical servers in India are required to comply with Indian data retention laws, which mandate the logging of user activity. To avoid this, users should choose VPNs that do not have servers in India. Many leading VPN providers have either pulled their servers from the country or never had them there, instead relying on virtual server locations that sidestep these data retention requirements.
3. Use Open-Source VPNs or Configure Your Own VPN
For users with technical expertise, setting up an open-source VPN can provide a high level of privacy control. WireGuard is one such option that can be configured on a personal server, allowing users to control the logging policies (if any). However, this solution requires some technical knowledge and infrastructure investment, so it may not be suitable for everyone.
4. Utilize Browser-Based VPNs or Browser Extensions
Some VPN services offer browser extensions or web-based applications that might not log as much data as full VPN services. While these are generally less secure for all-around internet use since they only protect browser traffic, they can still offer privacy for browsing activities. It’s important to note that these solutions may not provide the same level of encryption or protection as a full VPN service.
5. Tor Network
While not a VPN, the Tor network provides anonymity by routing your internet traffic through multiple nodes. Tor doesn’t log user activity, but it can be slower than typical VPN services and isn’t suitable for all online activities due to its routing system. It’s an excellent option for browsing and accessing restricted sites but may not be ideal for streaming or high-bandwidth activities.
6. Obfuscation Tools
Some VPN services like Mullvad and Proton offer obfuscation features that disguise VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic. This can make it harder to detect or block VPN usage, particularly in countries like India that are taking action against VPNs. If the VPN service adheres to a no-log policy, these features could help bypass restrictions while maintaining privacy.
7. Stay Informed About VPN Provider Policies
It’s important to regularly check updates on VPN providers’ policies regarding data logging, especially in response to legislative changes. Users should choose providers who resist logging mandates and who are transparent about their privacy practices. Providers that undergo third-party audits or have a history of defending user privacy are ideal choices.
8. Consider Privacy-Focused Operating Systems or Tools
Using privacy-focused tools or operating systems, like Tails (which integrates Tor), can add another layer of anonymity. These tools are not specifically about avoiding VPN logs but are designed to enhance overall privacy. While Tails ensures that no trace of your activity is left on the computer, it is more about securing your general online presence than preventing VPN logs.
Conclusion: What’s Next?
India’s recent crackdown on VPN apps is a troubling development for digital privacy advocates, users, and the broader VPN industry. By removing VPN apps from app stores and enforcing data retention laws, India is establishing a model that prioritizes surveillance over privacy, threatening to undermine digital freedoms globally.
For businesses and individuals in India, this serves as a stark reminder of the growing importance of protecting privacy in an increasingly complex digital landscape. The situation in India is still evolving, and it will be crucial to monitor how other countries respond and whether efforts can be mobilized to protect privacy rights worldwide.
For users in India who want to continue securing their digital privacy, using VPNs outside the country or exploring other privacy tools may be the only viable options. As the global digital privacy landscape continues to shift, India’s actions could set a dangerous precedent for the future of online privacy.
Digital privacy is a critical issue in today’s connected world. As the pressure on VPN services continues to mount, it is more important than ever for individuals to remain vigilant in protecting their right to a secure and private internet.
