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Some Mullvad VPN customers tunnel for exit after co-founder donates millions to populist party
Mullvad, the Swedish VPN provider known for its privacy-focused services, is facing backlash from some customers after co-founder Daniel Berntsson personally donated SEK 5 million (£385,000/$519,000) to Örebropartiet, a populist party contesting Sweden's 2026 national election for the first time. The donation matters because it has drawn scrutiny to the politics of a company whose brand relies heavily on user trust, sparking public criticism from privacy-focused bloggers and a large online discussion thread, even though Mullvad insists the gift was a personal act unrelated to company values.
Örebropartiet mixes left-leaning policies, such as free preschool and public transport plus a 30-hour working week, with hard-right positions including sharply reduced immigration and "large-scale remigration." Berntsson's donation was unusually large by Swedish standards, reportedly the biggest single private donation to any party in 2025 and accounting for 72 percent of the party's annual income, according to newspaper Flamman. Mullvad, co-run by Berntsson and fellow CEO Fredrik Strömberg, has publicly stated the donation reflects Berntsson's personal views and not the company's mission, and The Register has sought further comment from the firm.
In short
- Mullvad co-founder gave SEK 5m to Sweden's populist Örebropartiet
- Donation funded 72% of the party's 2025 income
- Some customers are angry; Mullvad calls it a personal, not corporate, act
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Mullvad is correct to insist that a co-founder's personal political donation is separate from the company's privacy mission, and using such donations to question trustworthiness risks punishing lawful free speech. In a democratic society, individuals retain the right to support whatever political parties align with their views, and demanding that a company police its founder's personal beliefs sets a troubling precedent. If customers object to Berntsson's politics, the appropriate response is to choose a different VPN provider, not to pressure the company to control its founder's private choices.
The case against
A co-founder's substantial donation to a party with hardline positions on forced remigration and reduced civil freedoms raises legitimate questions about the founder's values and worldview, which may be relevant to assessing trustworthiness when data security is at stake. The donation's size—72 per cent of the party's annual income—suggests profound personal commitment rather than casual political engagement, and privacy-focused users reasonably wonder whether such convictions have implications for how a company might treat user data. The fact that Mullvad's brand depends entirely on user trust makes such concerns not a matter of policing speech, but of evaluating alignment between founders and the values their company purports to serve.
Explained simply
Mullvad is a Swedish company that sells virtual private network (VPN) services, letting people browse the internet with their identity and location hidden. It has built its reputation on strong privacy protections and minimal data collection, which has earned it a loyal following among users who care about online privacy and anonymity.
One of its two co-founders, Daniel Berntsson, recently gave a large sum of his own money to Örebropartiet, a Swedish political party standing in the country's 2026 general election. The party combines some traditionally left-wing policies with hard-right stances on immigration, which has made the donation politically contentious in Sweden.
This matters because Mullvad's business depends heavily on customer trust, and some users feel a founder's personal political donation reflects on the company itself, even though Mullvad says the gift was a private decision unrelated to how it runs the business. The episode has prompted public debate among privacy advocates and some customers about whether to keep using the service.
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