VPN providers withdraw servers from India due to new rules

Several popular VPN companies are moving their servers out of India. At the end of June, new rules will come into effect in the country requiring VPN providers to store customer data, such as names, IP addresses, email addresses and payments. The providers do not want to participate in that.

NordVPN is the latest company to pull VPN services from the Indian market, according to TechCrunch . A VPN (virtual private network) allows users to connect to the internet anonymously. This is often done via a server in another country.

No customer data is kept by NordVPN, the company reports. “But we also think it is very important to protect the privacy of our customers,” said a spokesperson. “That’s why we can no longer keep servers in India.”

But NordVPN isn’t the only company to step in that way. Express VPN and SurfShark also got their servers from India. Some providers say they will continue to offer VPNs to Indian users, but that may also be against the rules.

The new legislation was announced last month by Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who believes that non-compliant VPN providers should withdraw from the country. The minister says the new rules are intended to counter cyber attacks and strengthen India’s cyber security.