Security News > 2022 > June > Surfshark, ExpressVPN pull out of India over data retention laws
Surfshark announced today they are shutting down its VPN services in India in response to the new requirements in the country that demand all providers to keep customer logs for 180 days.
VPN services aim to provide privacy to internet users by encrypting their network traffic and hiding their actual IP addresses behind those assigned to servers hosted at providers worldwide.
"In short, Surfshark VPN does not keep track of your online whereabouts or actions in any way. The VPN server only keeps enough data to keep your VPN connection going, and nothing of it is kept after you're done," explains SurfShark's no-logs policy.
The popular VPN vendor says it will instead set up virtual servers located in Singapore and London, but which still appear as if they are based in India.
ExpressVPN, one of the world's largest VPN service providers, left the Indian market last week, refusing to comply with the new rules to keep user logs for extensive periods.
The changes to India's law are sweeping, pushing VPNs outside the country, and more vendors will likely follow ExpressVPN and Surfshark.