• Amnezia VPN and Civil Rights Defenders teamed up to protect free speech
• Journalists, activists can ask for free access to Amnezia Premium VPN
• NordVPN and Surfshark previously introduced similar initiatives

Amnezia VPN has partnered with independent non-profit organisation Civil Rights Defenders to provide free access to Amnezia Premium for journalists and activists.

It’s not the first time the anti-censorship VPN has helped the category. Indeed, Amenzia VPN previously partnered with NGOs to support more than 300 journalists and activists from countries with heavy censorship — including Venezuela, Turkey, Russia, and Myanmar.

We all love the best VPNs to hide our real location, prevent our internet provider and third-party marketing companies from tracking us, or to protect our data when we connect to public Wi-Fi networks.

However, as regulators and platforms tighten their grip on freedom of digital access and the freedom of online expression itself, professionals writing about censorship or human rights violations and digital rights require reliable digital tools more than ever — particularly when they are located in countries with heavy internet censorship.

"Through this program, we hope to reach even more people," Amnnezia said.

In the meantime, its free service Amnezia Free continues to serve 2.5 million monthly active users for free in heavily censored countries, as the VPN continues to strengthen its commitment to protecting digital freedom by recently unveiling new anti-censorship protocols.

How to apply for the Amnezia VPN and Civil Rights Defenders program

The program is open to independent professionals and media organisations covering topics including freedom of expression and digital security, or that live and work in countries subject to censorship, media restrictions or state surveillance.

It will provide annual subscriptions to Amnezia Premium service — which, during our testing, has delivered impressive unblocking and access to 20 global server locations — with the option to renew the subscription for longer periods. There is currently no deadline for applications, and the program is expected to remain in place for at least one year.

To apply, professionals can complete a form if they have an email address linked to a specific project. Alternatively, they can contact Civil Rights Defenders by sending a description of their work and some references to vpn@civilrightsdefenders.org. Signal contact is also available upon request. You can find all the information in this blog post.

Mazay Banzaev, founder of Amnezia, emphasised that journalists and human rights defenders' work is vital to society. "Supporting them is part of what we consider our mission," he said.

In this context, the partnership with Civil Rights Defenders is ideal, as the organisation operates in over 50 countries and provides a range of digital support and security services, including legal assistance, temporary relocation and digital protection measures to enable human rights defenders to continue their work.

"Civil Rights Defenders partners with human rights defenders in some of the world's most repressive environments to ensure that those who work for democratic rights and freedom of expression have the right tools to minimize risks imposed by isolationism and censorship," said Sofia Walan, Executive Director of Civil Rights Defenders.

The partnership adds to previous collaborations between other VPN firms and non-profit organisations, reflecting a growing awareness and desire for new initiatives aimed at combating digital threats.

Earlier this year, NordVPN partnered with Internews to boost digital protections for journalists and activists by directly integrating NordVPN’s security tools and 'Changemakers' training sessions into Internews' global digital security programmes.

Surfshark had also previously collaborated with the same organisation to provide fully funded Surfshark One subscriptions to 100 media outlets and civil society organisations operating in nine high-risk countries.

Silvia Iacovcich is a tech journalist with over five years of experience in the field, including AI, cybersecurity, and fintech. She has written for various publications focusing on the evolving regulatory landscape of AI, digital behavior, web3, and blockchain, as well as social media privacy and security regulations.