'I don’t like that he made this donation' — Mullvad CEO reacts to co-founder’s donation to controversial Swedish populist party | Tech Radar

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'I don’t like that he made this donation' — Mullvad CEO reacts to co-founder’s donation to controversial Swedish populist party

Mullvad says co-founder's 5 million SEK donation to the Örebro Party 'is not part of Mullvad's values or mission'

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Mullvad VPN's co-founder Daniel Berntsson donated 5M SEK to the Örebro Party

Mullvad confirms the donation "is not part of Mullvad's values or mission"

Örebro party's leader, Markus Allard, is known for controversial views

Daniel Berntsson, co-founder and co-owner of Mullvad VPN, has donated 5 million Swedish kronor (around $514,000) of his personal funds to the controversial populist Örebro Party.

First reported by local news outlet Flamman, the 2025 donation accounted for 72% of the party's total income last year.

"This is a donation from me personally," Berntsson told reporters, saying that he supports the party's anti-corruption stance. In a post on social media, Mullvad confirmed that it was a "private donation," which "is not part of Mullvad's values or mission."

The disclosure has sparked backlash online, with some users threatening to switch VPN providers. The Örebro Party and its leader, Markus Allard, are known for controversial populist stances, particularly regarding "remigration" policies.

Speaking to Tech Radar, Mullvad co-CEO Fredrik Strömberg confirmed that neither Mullvad VPN AB, its parent company Amagicom AB, nor its sister company Tillitis AB played any role in supporting the political party.

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"Speaking for myself, I don’t like that he made this donation, and I know this view is shared by many of my colleagues. Speaking as the co-CEO of Mullvad, we will continue to protect the universal right to privacy," Strömberg said.

The firm also addressed the controversy publicly. In a statement posted to X, the team reiterated that Mullvad operates as a "political company" dedicated to fighting for freedom of speech, freedom of information, and the universal right to privacy.

Mullvad is a political company. We fight for freedom of speech, freedom of information and the right to privacy. These are firmly held values of the founders of Mullvad. Mullvad protects the right for people to express things we don't agree with. We protect the right of everyone…June 27, 2026

"We also live these values by being tolerant in our daily work," the post continues. "No matter what their other opinions are and no matter whether the founders or anyone else in Mullvad dislike them. The founders themselves fundamentally disagree on several important issues."

Mullvad said it would "gladly refund" any customers who choose to cancel their subscriptions or switch to another provider due to philosophical disagreements.

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One Reddit user said they "deeply regret recommending Mullvad to people over Proton," adding that they will personally switch to Windscribe.

Defining itself outside the traditional left-right spectrum, the Örebro Party began as a local party in Örebro before launching its parliamentary election campaign this year.

Berntsson's donation appears to have been vital in elevating the party's campaign capabilities ahead of the upcoming election.

According to data collected by Donation Watch, 2025 was the most lucrative year in the party’s history, netting a total of 5.58 million SEK. For comparison, the party received just 202,000 SEK in total donations throughout 2024.

While tech founders are entirely free to hold personal political affiliations, this incident raises broader questions regarding the growing influence of tech wealth in political campaigns. It also forces a conversation about whether privacy-focused firms should be entangled with political groups—regardless of where they sit on the ideological spectrum.

Ultimately, the number of users who choose to cancel their Mullvad subscriptions in protest will serve as a strong indicator of how deeply the privacy-conscious community values neutrality.

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Chiara is a multimedia journalist committed to covering stories to help promote the rights and denounce the abuses of the digital side of life – wherever cybersecurity, markets, and politics tangle up. She believes an open, uncensored, and private internet is a basic human need and wants to use her knowledge of VPNs to help readers take back control. She writes news, interviews, and analysis on data privacy, online censorship, digital rights, tech policies, and security software, with a special focus on VPNs, for Tech Radar and Tech Radar Pro. Got a story, tip-off, or something tech-interesting to say? Reach out to chiara.castro@futurenet.com

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