Swedish ISP Offers VPN Service to Provide User Anonymity

A decision by Swedish internet service provider Bahnhof to offer its customers anonymity through a virtual private network (VPN) is likely lawful, an official at the state-funded Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) told Bloomberg BNA. Staffan Lindmark, a legal adviser and coordinator at PTS, said in a Nov. 18 statement that domestic law “neither limits the provision nor the use of VPN services.”

While Lindmark’s organization is focused on crime and security issues, pro-copyright organizations have long held that the use of unregulated VPNs aids illegal file sharers and allows the unlicensed streaming of online services such as Netflix. ...