Now Surfshark VPN quits India! Will not abide by new Indian Govt. law

Surfshark VPN leaves India too! After last week’s exit of ExpressVPN, Surfshark has also taken the same decision to close its Indian servers as a response to the government’s directive that makes it mandatory for VPN operators to keep user data and maintain logs for future use by the Indian government. Surfshark says that it operates Inder a no-log policy and that closes with the new law made the Indian government. Hence, it is shutting down its servers in the country but will continue to offer its services here.

“Surfshark proudly operates under a strict “no logs” policy, so such new requirements go against the core ethos of the company. A VPN is an online privacy tool, and Surfshark was founded to make it as easy to use for the common users as possible. The infrastructure that Surfshark runs on has been configured in a way that respects the privacy of our users and we will not compromise our values – or our technical base,’ says Surfshark in a press note.

ALSO READ: ExpressVPN REJECTS Indian Govt order, removes VPN servers from India

Surfshark VPN shuts servers in India

Prior to the new law coming into effect, Surfshark servers in India will be shutdown. The law is likely to come into effect from June 27, hence people will be able to access the servers until then. Post the shutdown, Surfshark will introduce virtual servers for India, just like ExpressVPN.

Hence, customers of Surfshark VPN will be able to access the services without any major change in the user experience. These servers will be located in Singapore and London, and users will be able to find them in the regular list of servers.

“Users in India who don’t use Indian servers will not notice any differences – they will still be able to connect to whichever server outside the country they please. Meanwhile, Surfshark will continue to closely monitor the government’s attempts to limit internet freedom and encourage discussions intended to persuade the government to hear the arguments of the tech industry,” says Surfshark in a post.

“The new laws require VPN providers to record and keep customers’ logs for 180 days as well as collect and keep excessive customer data for five years,” says Surfshark. VPN service by nature adhere to strict privacy norms for user data and this law is contradicting the point of these VPN services.

“Taking such radical action that highly impacts the privacy of millions of people living in India will most likely be counterproductive and strongly damage the sector’s growth in the country. Ultimately, collecting excessive amounts of data within Indian jurisdiction without robust protection mechanisms could lead to even more breaches nationwide,” adds the company.