These include freemium apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad devices. Opera plans to keep SurfEasy’s products operational for the time being, the company tells me. It just so happens that these markets are where VPN usage has also seen a big boom, with users taking to secure tunnelling technology not only to help protect their browsing from prying government eyes, but also to help them access content that might otherwise get geofenced and blocked from their view - either in straight censorship plays, or because of copyright licensing. Opera adding a secure VPN service will help it continue to gain users and grow its brand in these markets. Today, the company is notable for having a strong user base in international (read: outside the US) markets, with an emphasis especially in developing markets, where it sits alongside Facebook and others in trying to get more consumers connected online. In addition to this, there is another angle for where this could be an interesting acquisition for Opera. Implicit in that are questions raised through NSA revelations, as well as growing awareness among consumers of just how much of their data is tracked and used for more commercial purposes. “More and more internet users are starting to question whether they can trust the internet these days, and are actively looking for secure solutions for their phone or computer,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Oslo-based Opera Software, in a statement. This is Opera’s first security-focused acquisition, and it is made in the context of a growing demand among consumers not just for easy and cheap ways to browse the internet - a market that Opera has squarely played into up to now - but also more private ways of doing so. ![]() ![]() ![]() It has acquired SurfEasy, makers of a virtual private network (VPN) app that lets users browse the web more securely. Opera, makers of a suite of software for browsing the web on mobile and desktop devices used by some 350 million consumers, has made another acquisition to build out the services it offers to users.
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