NymVPN is one-year old — and it's celebrated its birthday with a host of announcements for the future

It hardly seems like it, but a year has already passed since NymVPN launched its VPN to the public at the Frontline Club in London.

It was March 13, and the Switzerland-based provider, together with activist and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, announced that the new VPN had come to reignite the digital privacy sector. One year later, the VPN has already become a well-respected entity in the online privacy space.

To celebrate this milestone, the team led by CEO Harry Halpin gathered last Friday (March 13) for a community event. Here, Halpin announced a two-year roadmap that will expand the VPN with new features, including split tunneling, post-quantum encryption, and faster Mixnet speeds.

As it continues to become a fully decentralised, market-ready VPN product, the new capabilities will boost performance and usability, allowing the VPN to compete on equal footing with the best VPNs on the market.

If you were already a fan of NymVPN and agreed with its self-proclaimed title of “the world’s most private VPN,” then you’ll be happy to hear that even more effective anti-censorship features are on the way.

Making excellence ordinary

Privacy has primarily been the focus of NymVPN, which leverages blockchain technology to protect against threats from centralised systems. Now the next step is transforming the service into a fully-fledged product capable of scaling up.

This means adding the practical, intuitive features and functionality that were previously missing and that non-technical users expect - and are actually willing to pay for.

NymVPN introduced an ad-blocker on desktop apps and a stabilization update earlier this year. Next, the VPN is developing a simplified “one-click” interface to enable a more intuitive experience.

It will also introduce split tunneling between its ‘fast mode’ and ‘anonymous mode’. This implementation will enable users to route sensitive data through its highly secure Mixnet while using the more standard WireGuard protocol. for less sensitive activities.

In reality, this translates to better performance when you don't need NymVPN's full obfuscation capabilities, but stress-free access when you do.

Additionally, the team is working to make its Mixnet faster by implementing a range of cryptographic techniques. This includes post-quantum cryptography, and by switching from TCP/IP WebSockets to pure UDP (User Datagram Protocol).

“We want the Mixnet to be as reliable and fast as you want it and to make you as anonymous as you want to be,” Halpin said.

“The Mixnet should be able to reach speeds three to five times faster than the current model,” he added.

The icing on the cake? Nym will introduce anti-censorship capabilities that continue to work even if the internet connection is cut. “We can’t talk about these features because most of them are designed to ensure our resilience against heavy nation-state level surveillance.”

The path ahead

The ultimate goal? By 2027, NymVPN aims for its privacy protection features to surpass those of any existing VPN, thanks to a new DAO governance model.

Whether a fully decentralised VPN with a footprint large enough to defend against nation-states is possible remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: NymVPN is on the road. And they are not looking back.