The Hidden Ownership Networks Behind Popular VPN Services
With hundreds of virtual private network services competing for users, most consumers assume they’re choosing between independent companies. However, the reality reveals a complex web of corporate ownership where multiple VPN brands often answer to the same parent company.
This consolidation isn’t inherently problematic—shared resources can lead to better technology and security—but the lack of transparency raises important questions about privacy, competition, and who truly controls your internet connection.
Nord Security: The Baltic Tech Giant
Nord Security stands as one of the most influential players in the cybersecurity space, primarily known for NordVPN, which consistently ranks as a top-tier VPN service. According to Nord Security’s corporate website, the company is registered in the Netherlands while operating from Lithuania.
The ownership structure reveals interesting complexities. NordVPN itself is registered in Panama, with its Terms of Service referring to “nordvpn S.A.” as the operating entity. This creates a layered corporate structure where Nord Security serves as the ultimate parent company.
The Nord ecosystem extends beyond VPN services to include:
- NordPass (password manager)
- NordLocker (file encryption)
- NordLayer (business security)
Most of these products bundle together in premium NordVPN subscriptions, creating a comprehensive security suite under the Nord umbrella.
The Surfshark Merger and Tesonet Connections
In February 2022, Nord Security announced a landmark merger with Surfshark, another Lithuanian VPN provider renowned for offering premium features at budget-friendly prices. Despite the merger, both VPN services continue operating as separate entities with distinct user bases, feature sets, and pricing structures.
The corporate relationship isn’t prominently displayed on either company’s website, which can be attributed to the merger structure rather than a straightforward acquisition. This arrangement allows both brands to maintain their market positioning while benefiting from shared technical resources and research.
The ownership web extends further through Tesonet, a Lithuanian startup incubator co-founded by Nord Security’s Tomas Okmanas. Tesonet helped launch both Nord Security and Surfshark, along with numerous other technology companies. This connection highlights how venture builders can spawn multiple competing products within the same industry.
Media Ownership and Potential Conflicts
The corporate relationships extend into media territory through Tesonet’s founding of Mediatech, which owns Cybernews—a prominent technology review site that regularly evaluates and recommends VPN services. This vertical integration raises questions about editorial independence when media outlets share ownership with the products they review.
Ziff Davis: The American Media Conglomerate
Another major player in the VPN ownership landscape is Ziff Davis, the American media conglomerate that has expanded significantly into digital privacy services. As reported by Ziff Davis’s corporate communications, the company owns multiple VPN brands through its portfolio, though it often maintains separate branding and marketing strategies for each service.
This approach allows the conglomerate to capture different market segments while leveraging shared technological infrastructure and corporate resources across its VPN properties.
Why VPN Ownership Matters for Consumers
Understanding who owns your VPN provider becomes crucial for several reasons:
- Data jurisdiction: Corporate ownership determines which countries’ laws govern your data
- Privacy policies: Parent companies may implement data handling practices across all their brands
- Resource sharing: Technical infrastructure and security expertise may be shared among sibling VPNs
- Market competition: Apparent competitors might actually share corporate ownership and strategies
Transparent providers typically disclose their corporate relationships clearly, while others maintain separate branding that obscures these connections. This doesn’t necessarily indicate poor practices, but informed consumers deserve to know who ultimately controls their privacy tools.
The Future of VPN Consolidation
The VPN industry continues to consolidate as larger companies acquire successful independent providers. This trend likely means:
- More resources for security research and development
- Potential for standardized privacy practices across brands
- Possible reduction in genuine market competition
- Increased corporate transparency demands from users
As the digital privacy market matures, consumers should consider corporate ownership as part of their evaluation criteria alongside traditional factors like speed, features, and pricing.
The most reputable providers maintain independent operations despite shared ownership and continue to undergo independent audits to verify their no-logs policies and security claims. For privacy-conscious users, these verification processes remain more important than corporate structure alone.
