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EU VETTED

Opera VPN

VPN · Norwegen
Gegründet 1995 · opera.com/features/free-vpn

Oslo-heritage browser VPN (Opera Norway AS): Deloitte-audited free browser proxy + paid VPN Pro, but ultimately Chinese-controlled via Kunlun Tech (Opera Limited, Cayman/NASDAQ). Listed as a warning.

Opera VPN bietet EU-Hosting in Norwegen, doch ein US-Mutterkonzern oder Unterauftragsverarbeiter hinterlässt ein materielles CLOUD-Act-Risiko. Gelistet unter VPN.

Bewertungsnotizen

Opera VPN is the 'Norwegian outside, foreign inside' case in this category. The data controller and heritage entity is Opera Norway AS in Oslo (a 30-year-old Norwegian browser maker; the free browser VPN dates to 2016 via the SurfEasy acquisition), and the free in-browser VPN passed an independent Deloitte no-log audit (18 Jun–10 Aug 2024) confirming no logging of browsing activity or originating network address, so on a pure product-privacy axis it is defensible. But the ownership reality is the opposite of a sovereignty win: Opera Norway AS rolls up via Opera Services AS → Opera Holdings AS to Opera Limited, incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed on NASDAQ (OPRA), which is in turn majority-owned and controlled by Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd. (Beijing-based, Shenzhen-listed; ~69% stake), whose controlling shareholder Zhou Yahui is also Opera's executive chairman. The structural exposure is therefore dual and non-EEA: a minor US-nexus from the Cayman/NASDAQ listing, but material exposure to Chinese-law / non-EEA control of the ultimate parent, captured here as cloud_act_exposure: material (closest tier; the controlling jurisdiction is China, not the US). country_iso is kept as NO to reflect the Oslo operating entity / buyer-facing brand, with the Chinese control captured in ownership_signal + this rationale. The paid Opera VPN Pro (~€4/mo, 6 devices) does not run on Opera's own fleet: it is a white-labelled third-party network (originally NordVPN, more recently reported to be ExpressVPN/Kape technology), neither EU-owned. Listed as a warning, not a recommendation: no EU/Norwegian sovereignty signal survives the Kunlun Tech control.

Befund

CLOUD Act
Eigentümer
Unterauftragsverarbeiter
— nicht offengelegt

Geprüfte Signale

Jurisdiktion
  • EU-/Angemessenheits-Hosting: Ja
  • EU-/Angemessenheits-Betreiber: Ja
  • Keine US-CLOUD-Act-Exposition: Nein
Transparenz
  • Öffentlicher AVV: Nein
  • Unterauftragsverarbeiter offengelegt: Ja
  • Open-Source-Clients: Nein
  • Zertifizierung durch Dritte: Nein
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Über Opera VPN

Opera VPN is two products under one brand, both carrying the Opera name and its Oslo heritage. The free browser VPN is a no-registration, unlimited, browser-only TLS/HTTPS proxy built into the Opera browser, offering three broad regions (Americas, Europe, Asia) rather than country-level choice; it is a proxy for Opera browser traffic, not a full-device VPN tunnel, and lacks a kill switch. The paid Opera VPN Pro is a full-device VPN (Windows, macOS, Android; no native iOS/Linux app at audit) priced around €4/month with annual plans roughly 50% cheaper, 6 simultaneous devices, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Crucially, VPN Pro does not run on infrastructure Opera owns: it is a white-labelled third-party network, originally NordVPN's servers, more recently reported (TechRadar) to be powered by ExpressVPN's technology, so the underlying fleet belongs to non-EU VPN consolidators.

On product privacy, Opera has a genuine credential: the free browser VPN completed an independent Deloitte no-log audit (engagement 18 June–10 August 2024) which verified that the infrastructure contains no logging functionality and collects no data about browsing activity or originating network address. Opera Norway AS is the named data controller, and the privacy statement describes both free VPN and VPN Pro as no-log services, with only a random subscriber ID shared with the third-party VPN Pro provider.

The reason this listing exists as a warning rather than a recommendation is the ownership chain: the cleanest 'Norwegian outside, foreign inside' example in the directory. Opera Norway AS (Oslo) is wholly owned through Opera Services AS and Opera Holdings AS by Opera Limited, a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed on NASDAQ under OPRA. Opera Limited is in turn majority-controlled by Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd. (a Beijing-based, Shenzhen-listed Chinese technology group holding roughly 69%) whose controlling shareholder Zhou Yahui also serves as Opera's executive chairman. The 2016 acquisition by a Kunlun-led Chinese consortium is the moment the heritage Norwegian browser became a Chinese-controlled asset. For an EU/EEA sovereignty audit, none of the Norwegian heritage signal survives this: the ultimate decision-making and beneficial control sit under Chinese jurisdiction, the listed parent under Cayman/US-securities jurisdiction, and Norway itself is a member of the 'Nine Eyes' extended intelligence alliance. Best read: a usable free browser proxy with a real Deloitte audit, but the structural antithesis of a sovereignty pick. EU/EEA buyers wanting an actual sovereignty profile should prefer Mullvad (SE, founder-owned), ProtonVPN (CH, non-profit Foundation), IVPN, or AirVPN (IT, founder-controlled).

Unterauftragsverarbeiter-Karte · nicht offengelegt

Anbieter veröffentlicht keine Liste der Unterauftragsverarbeiter. Schrems-II-Konformität und CLOUD-Act-Risiko lassen sich ohne sie nicht unabhängig prüfen.

Rahmenwerke & Zertifizierungen · keine gelistet

Wir haben die Website des Anbieters und die Register der Zertifizierungsstellen geprüft. Keine aktiven Zertifizierungen gefunden zum Zeitpunkt der letzten Prüfung (2026-06-12).

Funktionsmatrix

Tabelle 1Funktionen von Opera VPN

Gleichzeitige Geräte 6 Geräte
Kill-Switch Nein
Geprüfte No-Logs-Politik Ja
Port-Forwarding Nein
Plattformen Windows macOS Android

Integration & Zugriff

REST API Nein
SSO (SAML / OIDC) Nein

Compliance & Governance

Audit log Nein
Self-host / on-prem option Nein

Preise & Tarife

ab 4 €/Monat
Freemium
Preisseite ansehen

Öffentliche Dokumente

Anbieter veröffentlicht keinen öffentlichen AVV. Ohne öffentlich zugänglichen Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag können kleine EU-Kunden den Verarbeitervertrag nicht selbst abschließen. Dies wird als fehlender öffentlicher AVV vermerkt (siehe So prüfen wir).
  • Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag (AVV)
    — fehlt
    fehlt
  • Liste der Unterauftragsverarbeiter
    www.opera.com/legal…
    Öffnen
  • Nutzungsbedingungen
    www.opera.com/terms…
    Öffnen

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