IVPN on Nostr / is on Nostr

IVPN is a sovereign, bootstrapped VPN service in operation since 2009. BTC + LN accepted via BTCPay. resist online surveillance.

Last Notes

2024-10-24 14:55:44

Cash payments for a digital service sounds insane to some when I mention it in person.
It's an operational hassle for the provider, but should be normalized, adopted and preferred by customers of privacy services.
#normalizecash (yes, this is the first - probably the last - hashtag we ever used on socials)
https://image.nostr.build/337a3844471225a20f7391365e8fd9782143a5d559214fe01edec6a17e443643.png
#nevent1q…3f2u

2024-10-24 14:48:23

Why you shouldn't pay with credit card or PayPal for a VPN service
Payment methods that support anonymity can help keep your service account (e.g., your randomly generated IVPN Account ID) separate from your personal information tied to CC/Paypal. When paying with cash, Lightning, or XMR a trustworthy VPN provider only sees your IP address, with no ability to link it to revealing payment details. If the provider has no identifying data, they can't misuse it, leak it or share it with third parties.
Paying with a credit card or PayPal exposes personally identifiable information to the service provider. Further, the payment gateway and each participants in the payment processing chain can learn you are using that specific provider. In the event of a leak, official request, or compromise, your use of the VPN service could be tied to you personally, and in the worst case your activities could be directly correlated to you as well.
The above also highlights why you should use providers that don't require an email or other personal information to sign up and accept anonymity-friendly payment methods without an third-party.
Should all of this matter to you?
As we often remark, it all comes down to your personal threat model. What information you want to protect? Who are the adversaries?
If you occasionally use a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer and you trust your provider, the risks are minimal. If you are concerned about potential compromise, or you might be at threat if your personal information is correlated to your activities, it's better to minimize the amount of information you (are required to) share.

2024-10-07 15:28:46

Let's assume we have some product ideas for IVPN customers to test, invite-only.
We start a chat community to get feedback and offer a place to discuss our service, privacy etc.
Which platform would you prefer?
- Needs to support multiple channels
- Ideally self-hosted
- Discord and Telegram are no-go due to privacy policies
Options:
- Matrix
- IRC
- Nostr based solution which we have not heard about
- Something else

2024-10-07 08:54:19

Create and find opportunities that don't require these platforms. Build for people who explicitly reject the corporate surveillance status quo. They exist and they are not going to take it anymore. We can confirm - we talk to them every day. Opt out.
#nevent1q…vwz8

2024-10-04 13:50:56

@npub1ye5…knpr we've been testing a lot of different desktop nostr clients in the past two weeks and nostrudel is top of the crop - fully featured yet clean UX + very reliable. thanks!

2024-10-01 14:51:44

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Thanks. That's the next goal. Going through our BTCPay instance directly would be a straightforward (preferred) option but for now we'll compartmentalize from service payments. Will make it easier to account for incoming sats which we can then donate.

2024-10-01 14:36:53

Working on a www redirect issue that prevents proper validation of NIP-05 and lnurlp information fetched from ivpn.net. Zaps are now accepted via Alby but we're aiming for ivpn@ivpn.net lightning address as a desired outcome.

2024-09-30 20:14:10

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adding it to the list - will work on it

2024-09-30 19:56:48

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Thanks will look into it

2024-09-30 16:07:12

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https://www.ivpn.net/.well-known/nostr.json
should be accessible, if not we'll look into it

2024-09-30 15:04:37

We are evaluating running a Nostr relay on IVPN infra (compartmentalized).
It would make sense as relay preference appear to be a function of sufficient trust and privacy guarantees.
The risks are not clear yet, ie. how it would affect our company threat model and established/stess-tested legal guardrails.
Any suggestions for deep-dive documentation on running a relay?

2024-09-30 14:54:58

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drop us a message if the issue persists

2024-09-27 15:43:33

We have removed 1Hosts Xtra as an individual block list option from AntiTracker as it is not actively maintained.
If you were using 1Hosts Xtra, please review other available list options in AntiTracker and select one that suits your needs.
https://www.ivpn.net/knowledgebase/general/antitracker-plus-lists-explained/

2024-09-24 13:36:12

New IVPN PoP locations added:
- Boston, US (us-ma1)
- Dublin, Ireland (ie1)
- Zagreb, Croatia (hr1)
These servers bring us to presence in 40 countries and 56 locations.
https://ivpn.net/status/

2024-09-19 15:27:58

IVPN for Desktop v3.14.17 is now available through our website and via in-app updates. Mirroring our recent iOS update, your account ID is now hidden by default in the app. Download: https://www.ivpn.net/en/apps/
Change log: https://github.com/ivpn/desktop-app/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md

2024-09-17 15:51:50

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Are there any (working, reliable) decentralized GitHub alternatives out there?

2024-09-17 15:50:21

IVPN for iOS v2.12.4 featuring several improvements and fixes is now available through the App Store. For improved privacy in public settings, your account ID is now hidden by default in the app.
Changelog: https://github.com/ivpn/ios-app/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md

2024-09-17 15:32:48

IVPN is now on Nostr.
Following a conversation at Baltic Honeybadger with @npub18am…p424 regarding the pros and cons of 'company operated accounts on Nostr' + hearing talks on the future of free speech online, we are convinced that this is the right place (or rather, protocol) to be for us.
We've maintained a reserved, low-key presence on other social channels for many years. We as a team and as individuals prefer not to shout louder in a cacophony. While some companies thrive on oversharing for engagement and treating social communities as marketing funnels, such tactics don't align with our straightforward, no-bullshit approach.
For Nostr we are trying something different, without any compromise on these values. Expect more posts with direct opinions, in-depth analysis, privacy/VPN consultation and anything else that contributes to the community.
To anyone we've met at Bitcoin and other conferences over the years - hello! Nice to see you here. We are ready to continue the hundreds of conversations we had around trust, transparency, sovereignty, open-source ideals, LN merchant adoption, circular economy for Bitcoin and new radical ideas.
Reach out in public or private if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions. Let's do this!