‘Our users deserve better’ – PrivadoVPN is willing to leave Switzerland for privacy reasons
- PrivadoVPN told Techradar that it is leaving Switzerland for privacy reasons
- The VPN provider is moving to Iceland
- Switzerland may soon expand surveillance obligations on VPNs
Strong data protection laws and historical political neutrality have helped Switzerland earn its reputation as a “privacy haven,” attracting developers of digital security tools, cloud hosting, and encryption software.
However, that status is now in jeopardy – a prospect that has prompted Privado VPN to move its headquarters out of the country, TechRadar can reveal.
The company told TechRadar that it is currently moving to Iceland, a country that offers exactly “what a privacy-focused VPN needs.” These include “clear legal limits on increased surveillance, stable privacy legislation, and a strong foundation for protecting communications privacy,” a company spokesperson told us.
This change began in March 2025, when the Swiss government proposed to amend its surveillance law. These changes will extend the obligations of monitoring and data collection – previously reserved for telephone companies and ISPs – to so-called “found service providers”, a category that includes messaging apps, social networks, and VPNs.
The proposal has met with stiff opposition from local politicians and tech companies including Proton, NymVPN, and Threema. While critics are pushing for a review, it appears the federal government is still intent on expanding its surveillance powers.
While Privado did not provide a specific timeline, it confirmed that the move will take place in phases to ensure a seamless transition in the coming months. It is not expected to affect the user experience of the application.
Why Iceland?
Iceland may not be the first name that comes to mind when it comes to privacy, but within the VPN industry, it is a well-established data protection stronghold.
As a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), Iceland complies with GDPR standards, providing some of the strictest data protection requirements in the world. This includes the “privacy by design” mandate, which forces companies to integrate user security into the design of their services.
As Switzerland and parts of the EU move towards broader data retention, Iceland remains a stable outlier. As PrivadoVPN explains: “Iceland treats VPNs as application layer service providers and not Telcos that require data storage and logging.”
There is also no mandatory data retention for non-ISP services. Iceland’s strong stance on free speech – famously demonstrated by its role as a WikiLeaks haven since 2010 – serves as a strong symbol of the nation’s commitment to communications privacy.
While traditional “privacy hotspots” like Panama (home of NordVPN) and the British Virgin Islands (home of ExpressVPN) are still attractive due to their exclusion from major surveillance alliances, PrivadoVPN’s choice of Iceland suggests a different priority.
The company told Techradar that Iceland offers both critical privacy protection and institutional reliability. “Unlike offshore jurisdictions that offer privacy without accountability, Iceland offers standard European data protection, strong legislation, clear data retention limits, and established legal institutions,” said a spokesperson from Privado.
Outside of VPN rules
VPN authority is always an important factor when choosing a VPN provider, as it sets the legal framework and government policies that govern its operation.
However, while PrivadoVPN has moved its official home to Iceland, most of its infrastructure is based in the US – a key member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance.
When asked about the vulnerability of US-based infrastructure, PrivadoVPN told TechRadar that these concerns are mitigated at the technical level with a strong no-logs framework designed to minimize overall data loss. The company said:
“The place of control is important, but what you collect is more important. We do both well.”
It remains to be seen whether other privacy-focused providers will follow suit and turn Iceland into the industry’s next big hub. What is certain is that PrivadoVPN’s movements are unlikely to go unnoticed.
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