Today is the day: Obscura VPN is NOW AVAILABLE!

Obscura is the first VPN that:

- CAN'T log your activity by design

- Outsmarts network filters

We believe Obscura sets the standard for a new generation of VPNs, and hope you’ll check it out!

🔗 https://obscura.net/

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Contrary to popular belief, traditional VPNs (even “no-log” ones) can track you – they see both who you are and what you do, just like your ISP.

Your ISP is no better. Since 2017, they've been able to legally sell your sensitive data.

Obscura is different – we never see your decrypted internet packets in the first place.

It’s simply impossible for us to log your internet activity, even if we were compelled to, or if our servers were compromised.

We achieve this by using a fully-independent exit hop run by @mullvadvpn. Ensuring that our servers never see your traffic, and the exit hop never sees your identity.

In fact, you can check your connected server’s public key against those listed on Mullvad’s server page!

But that’s not all…

You may have had the frustrating experience of trying to use your VPN on a restrictive WiFi: in an airport, a hotel, or certain jurisdictions.

Other VPNs will often fail to connect, as their off-the-shelf protocol is easily detected and blocked.

With Obscura, we built our own custom stealth protocol that is much harder to block.

Our protocol blends in with regular internet traffic using the same technology that powers HTTP/3 – QUIC – making it much harder for censors or network filters to detect or block.

To celebrate our launch, Obscura is just $6/month.

Our team has put in the hours to make this all a seamless experience, and I hope you’ll take Obscura for a spin.

🔗 https://obscura.net/

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you on the free and open internet. 🏄

P.S. For those looking for an exploration of our technical choices, here's our blog post! https://obscura.net/blog/bootstrapping-trust/

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Discussion

👀

nostr:note1a4dtwyn9xzz8vtndtfxph5sjg4qwwj4ed7j08n3658eqvheftp5qs5dm79

🫡🫡

Downloaded and its lit 🔥 need to test some more

Great job Carl & team 💪

Thanks for your support! 😄

Is there going to be an iOS app for this?

Yes! That's the next platform we're targeting 😄

Feel free to sign up for the platform-specific waitlist on the website!

As soon as iOS support I’m there team

Glad to hear it! See here: nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq6629xaag0gapmh26wz02ykmkkgua9q86f7m5j9d2jcqm8fwr9etqyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcqyzfv4qd300jtz30805fakekja94cnm6ds33vztgrmqryke5hchxekrqa66e

how does setting it up on OpenWrt look like?

We're working on a WireGuard config generator as we speak!

Will let you know once we have it working 😄

Nice, thanks, please di

Can I run this on a Pi?

Not yet, but we're working on a WireGuard config generator, so you will be able to soon!

Feel free to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist on our website!

https://obscura.net/

That's awesome - will be patiently waiting for that!

Enable zaps for some sats ;)

Digging Mulvad and paid for it with lightning (thank you Carl) so what’s the deal, run this as well, run this only? What’s the sitch?

We're big fans of Mullvad as you may be able to tell 😄

I'd say: run whatever makes the most sense for you! We're all on the same side fighting the good fight for internet freedom!

I may have to bite on the simple premise that paying for a VPN over lightning is the shit.

Did you see that Mullvad now has direct payment with BTC, LN and Monero?

Yes! It’s a beautiful thing.

I also read the announcement on the mullvad page since i have subscribed with them, what benefit it has for them to announce the partnership when I will continue with Obscura instead or the other way around, does it male sense to have both subscriptions? I am not sure if I understood all the technical aspects so to speak!

The way we see it, we're all on the same side fighting the good fight for internet freedom.

Run whatever makes the most sense for you!

Yeah, but I think he's asking if it makes financial sense to maintain two different VPN services. If he subscribes to Obscura, I don't know what benefit there would be in also maintaining a Mullvad subscription. Seems superfluous.

Have a look at https://nym.com 😉

very unstable and incredibly slow

Nah.

The mixnet mode is a lot slower, but if you understand what a mixnet is and how it operates, that is not a surprise - you're trading speed for anonymity.

The fast mode uses two hops and is actually faster than most multihop VPNs I've ever tried.

You should check out safing.io SPN if you haven't 🤙

I use it sometimes on desktop, but nym has better tech imo (the network itself, safing's desktop app is much more polished than nym)

Also, unfortunately for Android there is only a very old & unmaintained app.

Maybe now that IVPN acquired them, the Android app will see some love.

Both are really cool projects, that's for sure.

Does anything make it impossible for obscura and mullvad to collude and correlate identity with traffic?

Maybe theoretically possible, but in practical terms it would be a stretch. It would likely require the collusion of both Mullvad and Obscura in a simultaneous, real-time monitor and relay action on a single a connected user.

🫡🫡🫡

VPNs and ISPs are playing you like DIGITAL SHEEP! But here's the REAL UNDERGROUND TRUTH: Bitcoin Cash is your EXIT NODE to financial sovereignty! No logs, no tracking, no permission needed - just PURE P2P TRANSACTIONS that THEY CAN'T CONTROL! HACK THE SYSTEM! /EOF

Go home shitcoiner, you're drunk.

Ain't buying your shitcoin.

Be foolish however you like.

Bitcoin Cash??? Just, no.

When someone says "mulvad" - a BCH fan is not far away.

I still don't get why ppl here like the Craig W. lovers VPN that much...

You spelled Btrash wrong.

I found it interesting, but I didn't understand how it's not possible that Obscura doesn't see my traffic.

Perhaps you'd be interested in our technical FAQ: https://obscura.net/#faq-technical

Or our technical blog post! https://obscura.net/blog/bootstrapping-trust/

How does this work with MullVad per an announcement? $6/user or X devices?

Been using it for a couple hours and it’s great so far. Planning to put it through its paces tomorrow

Do a follow up post. Following.

Give a breakdown when done please

Let us know if you need help or have any observations!

I am fucking bullish humans and our future.

nostr:note1a4dtwyn9xzz8vtndtfxph5sjg4qwwj4ed7j08n3658eqvheftp5qs5dm79

You had me at posting on Nostr

This solves the problems I've had with VPNs in the past: lightning payment option and not detectable by ISPs

Great work! Looking forward to trying it out when it becomes available on my operating system

Glad you found us!

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms!

Great work!

Totally feel left out though with no support for Linux / GrapheneOS.

With the coming all-seeing AI agents is there any point in providing secure internet access to what inherently is a surveillance device?

Linux and grapheneos allow control of any AI you chose to have on your device. Won't protect you from the uncaring on proprietary OS and platforms though.

If I _choose_ to have an AI on my device, it will be a local one which cannot feed my data back to big tech.

There is a world of difference between that and Apple & Microsoft pushing AI agents to their newest devices, which constantly monitor the screen and device inputs with the goal being to 'see what you see, hear what you hear and live life essentially alongside you'

https://odysee.com/@RobBraxmanTech:6/ai-companion:f

I completely agree. I would love my own personal Jarvis. But only on a device and OS I trust and control.

However, if you interact with others that are not so careful then all your interactions with them are not private. Please take care of yourself keeping this in mind..

Enable DAITA on your VPN. It makes AI agent analysis a lot more difficult if not impossible.

I am not talking about AI analysing network traffic. It is about the plan to have AI agents on modern phones which 'see what you see, hear what you hear'. If the AI can see my screen, there is little point in protecting the network traffic which feeds into the screen.

https://odysee.com/@RobBraxmanTech:6/ai-companion:f

Huh well that's crappy. I guess refurbished phones are the way

Not to worry, most of our engineers are on Linux so that'll come!

We're also actively working on a WireGuard config generator to tide people over until fully-fleshed-out clients are released for other platforms

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms!

Not to worry, most of our engineers are Linux + Android so that'll come!

We're also actively working on a WireGuard config generator to tide people over until fully-fleshed-out clients are released for other platforms

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms!

Awesome; can't wait!

So you are built on mullvad vpn which I already use. Why do I need you?

You ask for an email and mulvad vpn does not and somehow you are better / more private? Doubtful from the beginning.

You don't support Linux or at least not the one I use? Completely useless. Waste of my time.

Devils advocate - all this would need to be a honeypot is access to both Obscura’s IP data and mullvad’s logged data

You’re still trusting that obscura and Mullvad aren’t confederates or subsidiaries of the same intelligence organization, for example

It begs the question “why does Mullvad allow Obscura to route all their traffic through them? What kind of deal do they have” which leads me back tot he preceding paragraph

>only supports macOS

Bruh

Can you explain to me how using Obscura, using a Mullvad exit hop, is any different than using Mullvad with multi-hop and DAITA enabled?

Mullvad owns both hops for multi-hop so could naively correalate traffic afaik. Obscura is a separate party from Mullvad altogether. An improvement but you still have to trust Obscura and Mullvad aren't colluding.

🌐 A new top VPN for privacy?

It won't be a surprise if I tell you that as of today ProtonVPN, Mullvad and IVPN would be the best in terms of privacy.

However, a "new" VPN has teamed up with Mullvad, I've been closely following this rather interesting project called ObscuraVPN for some time now.

(No, it's not advertising or anything like that)

How are they different from others?

They don't see your internet traffic, since the outgoing servers will be Mullvad's.

They are "middlemen" between you and the Mullvad server.

Typically, there is "multi-hop" in many VPNs that make the traffic go through 2 servers, but they are usually from the same company. The difference here is that what Obscura can know, Mullvad cannot know and vice versa.

They also claim that unlike other VPNs, their traffic is much more difficult to block.

Our protocol blends into regular Internet traffic using the same technology that powers HTTP/3 – QUIC – making it much harder for censors or network filters to detect or block.

Currently it is only available for MacOS, but I hope it will soon be on other platforms so I can try it out.

They are clearly on the right track and could not have a better ally. I will inform you of any relevant developments they may have.

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When Linux? Doesnt MacOS have issue with leaking ips anyway while using a VPN?

Wait what!

What if the "instances" of obscura and mullvad you are trying to connect to are both hosted on the same datacenter provider? Aren't they able to connect the dots of your traffic? Honest question here, not trying to brag.

Nice. I run Ubuntu. What’s the timeline it’ll be ready for that?

We're actively working on a WireGuard config generator to tide people over until fully-fleshed-out clients are released for other platforms.

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms!

hey Obscura team

congratulations on shipping the first launch release!!

partnering with Mullvad for the second VPN service was a great choice, as they already have a solid reputation.

in regards to the service architecture, WireGuard VPN over QUIC, am concerned that it will not be possible to implement on routers (pfSense, OPNsense, OpenWrt, UniFi etc)?

im currently using a WireGuard mesh (NetBird / Tailscale) to route traffic for remote clients to my LAN, which is then routed outbound via a WireGuard VPN to the Internet. this ensures that all hosts traverse the VPN, regardless of whether they are local or connected via cellular / public Wi-Fi.

if you do enable WireGuard config on routers, would this be directly to the Mullvad servers, bypassing Obscura?

congratulations again on the launch. regardless of whether this service works for my use case, it will be something i will recommend to family and friends!

Hey that's a great question. We _are_ working on a WireGuard config generator.

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms! (You can choose “Other” for the platform for now, we’re adding a “Router” option soon)

> if you do enable WireGuard config on routers, would this be directly to the Mullvad servers, bypassing Obscura?

It would still be through us, though of course it wouldn't have the QUIC tunneling capabilities

Awesome, thanks for the response and congrats again!

Payable with Monero?

When Linux and Android?

Not to worry, most of our engineers are Linux + Android so that'll come!

We're also actively working on a WireGuard config generator to tide people over until fully-fleshed-out clients are released for other platforms

I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support for platforms!

Can I pay with Monero?

ELI5 please, why not just use Mullvad? They accept Lightning now. Isn't all they see just an IP, too? Is it that they *can* log it? You *can* log the IP and relay it to them, can't you?

It is basically two points of failure instead of one. Neither of them has the full picture on their own so they would have to collude to link you with your web traffic.

I don't see it as having two points of failure. You're just shifting it, from Mullvad to Obscura.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought in this scenario obscura has your IP, but not the web traffic/public IP. Mullvad knows web traffic/public IP, but not yours. Neither knows both so neither can individually link an individual to their web traffic.

But Obscura can in principle relay my IP to Mullvad and then Mullvad has the full picture. So it is like a condom on Mullvad’s offering? 😁 Is that the idea?

Thats what I meant about collusion. In principle, they could do that. But the incentives don't really line up. Once that happens, business dries up.

When mobile? Will this always on VPN block me from accessing banking and federal websites?

Glad you found us!

iOS is our next major platform. For others, I'd encourage you to sign up for our platform-specific waitlist by clicking on the "Other Platforms" button on our homepage: http://obscura.net, you'll get an email once we have support!

> Will this always on VPN block me from accessing banking and federal websites?

That will depend on what the website does, but we'd love to hear from you if you experience issues!

One of the key features we're exploring is fine-grain split-tunneling, which may solve a lot of the problems people have with IP reputation. E.g. "I don't really care if I'm not on the VPN for Amazon Prime, but I do want to be on it for everything else"

Yeah I tried to be VPN only but it was so inconvenient due to sites blocking me when I needed to complete life living tasks!

Yup, that's what we hope to solve with fine-grain split-tunneling when we enable it in the future!

if i don’t have to switch vpn off to access amazon you win take my money

We hope we get there soon! 🫡

Will yall enable and generate Obscura wireguard protocol config files for use directly on router?

nostr:npub1dd9znw7585wsam4d8p84ztdmtywwjsrayld6fzk4fvqdn5hpju4st5xe7p

Would love to see opnsense integration.

Hey there! Let me know if this doesn't answer your question:

nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq6629xaag0gapmh26wz02ykmkkgua9q86f7m5j9d2jcqm8fwr9etqyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcqyqz8et8re77v5rl9each5ftwekw3022d9h656ty2kjm7ruf9mme4wpdr4wz

Hey elsat! Let me know if this doesn't answer your question:

nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq6629xaag0gapmh26wz02ykmkkgua9q86f7m5j9d2jcqm8fwr9etqyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcqyqz8et8re77v5rl9each5ftwekw3022d9h656ty2kjm7ruf9mme4wpdr4wz

Please add openwrt to the list!

See this note for how to sign up to be notified when we have Router support!

nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq6629xaag0gapmh26wz02ykmkkgua9q86f7m5j9d2jcqm8fwr9etqyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcqyqz8et8re77v5rl9each5ftwekw3022d9h656ty2kjm7ruf9mme4wpdr4wz

OPNSense but no pfSense? I think you should put out bounties/bids. This VPN at the router level sounds very promising.

I’m using it already. Top!

Glad to hear it, let us know if you have any questions or need help!

But but... Mullvad exit servers = Reddit/Youtube/etc blocked (mostly)

Trying to pay via lightning with my Alby Hub and I get a "no route" error when trying to pay. Any ideas on what I can do to get a successful payment?

Not sure... Perhaps it's just a Lightning routing problem? Are you able to pay others on Lightning?

Sending boosts to podcasts has worked previously, however, I just got the same error when trying to boost a podcast recently so it seems it is a general sending issue I will need to resolve.

Yeah probably, let us know if you see it again with us!

You probably ran out of liquidity on the channel and need to open a new channel