Surfshark unveils new end-to-end encryption patent to reduce metadata collection

Date:
Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:52:00 +0000

Description:
Surfshark unveils new plans to handle encryption and reduce visible metadata. Here's why it's important for your privacy.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Surfshar k is looking to improve the privacy of current end-to-end encryption with a new patent The plan is currently based on distributed trust-based communication frameworks Despite this, Surfshark says its approach differs from the likes of NymVPN and ObscuraVPN

Surfshark has just registered a new patent looking to improve the privacy of current end-to-end encryption (E2E) systems.

Based on a distributed trust-based communication infrastructure, Surfshark 's proposed method seeks to reduce the amount of visible metadata meaning all the data that isn't the content by splitting the encryption process between two separate VPN providers. Better metadata privacy

Encryption refers to the scrambling of data into an unreadable form and is the technical solution born to protect these online activities.

End-to-end encryption (E2E) is the tech used by virtual private networks (VPNs) , some secure email services, and messaging platforms to ensure the content of the message remains private between the sender and the receiver.

A lot of metadata is still visible to the provider Karolis Kaciulis,
Surfshark

Yet, Surfshark's Lead System Engineer, Karolis Kaciulis believes that it's time to go beyond E2E.

He told TechRadar: "After the emergence of E2E encryption, we feel that the topic of user anonymity and security while using various messaging systems
and technologies has stagnated. We believe there is still room for improvement."

The main issue with today's encrypted messages, Kaciulis explains, is that while these messages cannot be accessed by unwanted third parties, "a lot of metadata is still visible to the provider."

Metadata includes details such as who sent a message to whom, when the
message was sent, the size of the message, and many others. At the time of writing, Surfshark reroute your internet traffic via its own servers only.
The provider is now looking if this new tech could fit in its product design roadmap. (Image credit: Surfshark)

This is where Surfshark's new patent comes in. Based on a distributed trust-based communication framework, it seeks to introduce a new way for VPN providers to handle encryption and de-centralize the ownership of the
message.

Such a framework would involve two different VPN companies handling the encryption process so that no single entity has all the information in its entirety.

"The patented method would ensure that the information is split," said the patent inventor. "Thus, the metadata seen by the provider companies (as well as governments where they reside) is reduced." Don't call it decentralized
VPN

It's worth mentioning that some providers already offer decentralized VPN solutions that split users' information between several entities without having a single point of governance.

For example, the newly launched NymVPN is built on a decentralized server network run by anonymous users across the world. Obscura VPN employs a two-party VPN structure, using Mullvad 's WireGuard VPN as an exit hop.

Kaciulis, however, thinks that Surfshark's patent goes beyond what a decentralized VPN stands for.

"Personally, I believe that today 'decentralized VPN' is a little bit of a buzzword used to convince users that its a better solution than the status quo. The Internet is built on trust and authority, and losing said authority only makes it less safe," Kaciulis told TechRadar.

Therefore, this solution comes as a way to emphasise the importance of having even more authority. "Its just that the authority is shared between multiple actors instead of one." You might also like Mullvad VPN brings Multihop to Android promising to make online tracking even harder 4 reasons why
Surfshark is still the best cheap VPN Metadata privacy matters and this VPN promises to help



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-services/surfshark-unveils-new-end-to-end-en cryption-patent-to-reduce-metadata-collection


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