We believe that building a good VPN service is only one part of protecting people’s online privacy.
As the online landscape changes and the VPN industry continues to develop, we also need to take part in more open industry conversations, work toward clearer standards, and hold ourselves to a higher level of transparency.
That’s why X-VPN joined the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) in May 2026, an industry-led initiative that brings together many established VPN providers. We see VTI as an opportunity to engage more openly with others in the industry, exchange ideas, and learn how we can do a better job of protecting the privacy and security of users around the world.
The VPN Trust Initiative, or VTI, is an industry-led consortium founded and led by the Internet Infrastructure Coalition, or i2Coalition. Its work focuses on improving understanding of VPN technology, and encouraging greater transparency and accountability across the VPN industry.
A central part of that work is the VTI Principles:
These principles cover a wide range of areas, from making sure marketing claims are clear and honest, to publishing transparency reports and helping the public better understand how VPN technology works.
In short, they look at not only how a VPN should work, but also how a VPN provider should operate.
For much of X-VPN’s history, our main focus has been building the product itself.
We started as a mobile-first VPN in 2017 and gradually expanded into a global, cross-platform service. As we’ve grown, however, we’ve also become more aware that some of the challenges facing VPN users cannot be addressed by product development alone.
Questions around privacy standards, transparency, regulation, censorship, responsible advertising, and public understanding of VPNs affect the industry as a whole.
Joining VTI gives us a place to participate in those conversations rather than approaching every issue in isolation.
As we shared in our recent VTI Member Spotlight, we believe the VPN industry benefits from more open dialogue and stronger self-discipline. Being part of VTI allows us to exchange perspectives with others in the industry and contribute to discussions about what responsible VPN operation should look like as technology and policy continue to evolve.
For us, joining an industry initiative is not a substitute for doing the work ourselves.
Trust should come from practices that users can examine, rather than from membership in any organization.
That is why we have been working to make X-VPN’s own privacy practices more transparent and independently verifiable. In 2026, X-VPN completed an independent no-logs audit conducted by a Big Four accounting firm. We also continue to publish our Transparency Report, including information about law enforcement and DMCA-related requests received by X-VPN.
These efforts connect closely with the areas VTI encourages the industry to discuss, particularly privacy, security, disclosure, and transparency.
At the same time, joining VTI gives us another opportunity to listen. Different VPN providers operate across different markets, technologies, and regulatory environments. Sharing those experiences can help the industry better understand common challenges and identify where clearer expectations are needed.
Joining VTI is also part of a broader shift in how we think about X-VPN’s role.
Over the past year, we have looked for more ways to support and participate in communities working on privacy, digital rights, Internet infrastructure, and online security.
That includes our support for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, noyb, and the Internet Society, as well as our participation in VTI.
These organizations and initiatives work in different ways, and our relationship with each of them is different. What connects these efforts for us is a simple idea: protecting privacy and an open Internet is larger than any one product or company.
We want to contribute where we can.
The VPN industry continues to change quickly. Users increasingly expect stronger privacy protections and greater transparency from the services they rely on.
Those conversations deserve participation from companies that build and operate VPN technology every day.
By joining VTI, we hope to contribute our experience, learn from others, and support efforts to make responsible practices clearer across the industry.
For X-VPN, this is another step in an ongoing process: improving our own service, being more transparent about how we operate, and taking a more active role in the wider conversation around privacy, security, and a trustworthy Internet.
Article by
Sandra Mitchell, X-VPN's writer, is a friendly advocate for online privacy and security with a passion for cybersecurity and the latest tech trends. Through her engaging writing, Sandra empowers readers to control their digital privacy. Beyond exploring VPN intricacies, she enjoys outdoor adventures, literature, and sharing the importance of online security with others.
