burnaway

IVPN | Infrastructure Engineer / Sysadmin | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3 only) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

We are a privacy-focused B2C VPN, running since 2010, independently audited every year (#8 in progress this month), well-regarded in the privacy community. Alongside the VPN we run additional services: modDNS, Mailx and Portmaster.

You'll partner with our senior infrastructure engineer and own day-to-day infra for IVPN and modDNS: rolling out a new immutable, diskless, bare-metal VPN gateway fleet, improving DNS routing, and automating whatever you can. Fully remote, high autonomy: maximum freedom, minimum meetings.

Looking for: - 3+ yrs managing production Linux, including bare-metal - 3+ yrs with a config management tool (Ansible, Puppet or Salt) - Comfortable scripting in Python, Go or Bash - Solid TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS - Genuine interest in infosec (public-key crypto, TPM, reproducible builds)

How to apply: the posting has the full details and a few short questions, apply by email as described there. Questions welcome at viktor at ivpn.net.

https://www.ivpn.net/en/infrastructure-engineer-sysadmin

Privacy-focused AI Project | Founding Engineer | Remote - Europe (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | Base salary + Up to 4% equity

We are building a truly private, open-source LLM gateway with outstanding user experience to address privacy problems around using LLMs. When we interact with AI-based services, we face the fundamental tension between utility and privacy. Current solutions to this problem are inadequate, so we are ready to build what we couldn't find.

Who are we? A well-funded, bootstrapped venture by the founders of IVPN - a VPN service highly regarded by privacy advocates and analysts, in operation since 2009.

We are looking for a Founding Engineer (based in Europe) to architect and build an MVP from the ground up. This is a role for a senior builder with:

- At least 8 years of professional experience

- Demonstrable history of solo-shipping products

- Deep expertise across the stack (e.g., Go/Rust for backend, React/Vue for frontend)

- Strong security and infrastructure automation mindset

What you can expect:

- Founder-funded, sovereign startup = no VCs and external pressure

- Small, dedicated, 100% remote team that prefers pragmatism and maximum autonomy.

- Complete technical ownership, responsible for building a system designed for high availability and verifiable privacy.

- Sole focus on engineering - zero distractions. Founders own strategy, functional requirements, design, communications, legal and all other business related decision and execution.

- Strong salary and a significant, foundational equity stake (up to 4%).

If you're a self-directed, experienced engineer who wants to build the foundational infrastructure for private, trustworthy AI access, email me at viktor at ivpn.net for a one-page project brief.

Privacy-focused AI Project | Founding Engineer | Remote - Europe (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | Strong salary + Up to 4% equity

We are building a truly private, open-source LLM gateway with outstanding user experience to address privacy problems around using LLMs. When we interact with AI-based services, we face the fundamental tension between utility and privacy. Current solutions to this problem are inadequate, so we are ready to build what we couldn't find.

Who are we? A well-funded, bootstrapped venture by the founders of IVPN - a VPN service highly regarded by privacy advocates and analysts, in operation since 2009.

We are looking for a Founding Engineer (based in Europe) to architect and build an MVP from the ground up. This is a role for a senior builder with:

- At least 8 years of professional experience

- Demonstrable history of solo-shipping products

- Deep expertise across the stack (e.g., Go/Rust for backend, React/Vue for frontend)

- Strong security and infrastructure automation mindset

What you can expect:

- Small, 100% remote team that prefers pragmatism and maximum autonomy.

- Complete technical ownership, responsible for building a system designed for high availability and verifiable privacy.

- Sole focus on engineering - zero distractions. The founders handle product, strategy, design, communications, legal and all other business related matters.

- Strong salary and a significant, foundational equity stake (up to 4%).

If you're a self-directed, experienced engineer who wants to build the foundational infrastructure for private, trustworthy AI access, email me at viktor at ivpn.net for a one-page project brief.

IVPN | System and Network Administrator | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused consumer VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts. This year we are launching multiple new services to complement our VPN offering.

We are looking for a System and Network Administrator with the following responsibilities:

- maintaining and ensuring the high availability of our network of hundreds of servers, including VPN gateways

- interfacing with ISP's to resolve upstream network issues

- provide tier 2 and 3 support to our customer support team for issues relating to infrastructure

- consolidating infrastructure, unifying monitoring and aligning operational practices across the business.

The position is fully remote with high level of autonomy: maximum freedom, minimum meetings.

What we expect:

- 5+ years experience managing Linux servers including bare-metal.

- Strong understanding of TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS and other related Internet protocols

- Experience working with a configuration management tool e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Salt.

- 5+ years experience with Python, Go or other scripting languages

- Interest in infosec, specifically with regards to public key cryptography, firewalls and Linux server hardening.

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor at ivpn.net. If you are ready, you can apply here: https://www.careers-page.com/ivpn/job/L67WWWY5

IVPN | System and Network Administrator | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused consumer VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts. This year we are launching multiple new services to complement our VPN offering.

We are looking for a System and Network Administrator with the following responsibilities: maintaining and ensuring the high availability of our network of hundreds of servers, including VPN gateways / interfacing with ISP's to resolve upstream network issues / provide tier 2 and 3 support to our customer support team for issues relating to infrastructure / consolidating infrastructure, unifying monitoring and aligning operational practices across the business.

The position is fully remote with high level of autonomy: maximum freedom, minimum meetings.

What we expect: 5+ years experience managing Linux servers including bare-metal. / Strong understanding of TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS and other related Internet protocols / Experience working with a configuration management tool e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Salt. / 5+ years experience with Python, Go or other scripting languages / Interest in infosec, specifically with regards to public key cryptography, firewalls and Linux server hardening.

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor at ivpn.net.

If you are ready, you can apply here: https://www.careers-page.com/ivpn/job/L67WWWY5

IVPN | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused consumer VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Senior Infrastructure Engineer to help: -- maintain our existing infrastructure -- implement a new server architecture for our VPN gateways that we have been working on for the past year that is open, immutable, diskless, secure and built on bare-metal servers

The position is fully remote with high level of autonomy.

Requirements are experience with: -- infosec, specifically with regards to cryptographic controls used on servers e.g. Public key crypto, reproducible builds, TPM -- TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS and other related Internet protocols -- configuration management tools e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Salt -- managing Linux servers, including bare-metal -- Python, Go or other scripting languages

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor at ivpn.net.

If you are ready, it's better to apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/senior-infrastructure-engineer-...

Note: target budget for this role is 55k to 70K EUR pa. depending on experience.

IVPN | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Senior Infrastructure Engineer to help: -- maintain our existing infrastructure -- implement a new server architecture for our VPN gateways that we have been working on for the past year that is open, immutable, diskless, secure and built on leased bare-metal servers.

The position is fully remote with high level of autonomy.

Requirements are deep experience with: -- infosec, specifically with regards to cryptographic controls used on servers e.g. Public key crypto, reproducible builds, TPM -- TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS and other related Internet protocols -- configuration management tools e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Salt -- managing Linux servers, including bare-metal -- Python, Go or other scripting languages

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor at ivpn.net.

If you are ready, it's better to apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/senior-infrastructure-engineer-...

IVPN | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Senior Infrastructure Engineer to help maintain our existing + implement a new server architecture for our VPN gateways that we have been working on for the past year that is open, immutable, diskless, secure and built on leased bare-metal servers. The position is fully remote with high level of autonomy.

Requirements are deep experience with: - infosec, specifically with regards to cryptographic controls used on servers e.g. Public key crypto, reproducible builds, TPM - TCP/IP, UDP, SSL/TLS and other related Internet protocols - configuration management tools e.g. Ansible, Puppet, Salt - managing Linux servers, including bare-metal - Python, Go or other scripting languages

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor at ivpn.net.

If you are ready, it's better to apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/senior-infrastructure-engineer-...

IVPN | Golang Developer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Golang Developer to work on a new project, a privacy-friendly DNS solution (B2C).

Ideally you possess the following knowledge: - Strong experience with Golang. Minimum of 2 years experience in your last role. - Experience with back-end development, including server, network, and hosting environments. - Strong networking knowledge, specifically relating to implementing and managing DNS. - Fluent in SQL and able to create complex database schemas. - Understanding of security best practices to safeguard user data.

We are looking for mid-level/senior candidates who can own the project from planning to release (with internal help, of course).

You can email me if you have any questions about the role: viktor@ivpn.net if you are ready, it's better to apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/golang-developer

Don't forget to mention you found the role on HN.

IVPN | Full-stack Web Developer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Full-stack Web Developer to work on a new project for a privacy-friendly DNS solution (B2C).

Ideally you possess the following knowledge: - HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and modern JS frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js) - Experience with back-end development, including server, network, and hosting environments, using Node.js / Python or Golang. - Knowledge of DNS protocols, privacy tools, and ad-blocking technology. - Fluent in SQL and able to create complex database schemas. - Understanding of security best practices to safeguard user data.

We are looking for mid-level/senior candidates who can own the project from planning to release (with internal help, of course).

You can email me directly to discuss the role: viktor@ivpn.net if you are ready, it's better to apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/full-stack-web-developer-ivpn Don't forget to mention you found the role on HN.

IVPN | Full-stack Web Developer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Full-stack Web Developer to work on a new project for a privacy-friendly DNS solution.

Ideally you possess the following knowledge: - HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and modern JS frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js) - Experience with back-end development, including server, network, and hosting environments, using Node.js / Python or Golang. - Knowledge of DNS protocols, privacy tools, and ad-blocking technology. - Fluent in SQL and able to create complex database schemas. - Understanding of security best practices to safeguard user data.

We are looking for mid-level/senior candidates who can own the project from planning to release (with internal help, of course).

You can email me directly to discuss the role: viktor@ivpn.net or apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/full-stack-web-developer-ivpn Don't forget to mention you found this on HN.

IVPN | Technical Writer, Privacy and Security | Remote (UTC-5 to UTC+7) | Part-time (20h) | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts.

We are looking for a Technical Writer to create in-depth guides about privacy, information security and VPN use. We prefer quality over quantity, and aim for providing real value to our technical audience as opposed to churning out surface level, keyword stuffed content marketing posts.

To qualify for this role, credentials and number of years of experience does not necessarily matter, given you have a deep interest in privacy, come equipped with technical skills, and have a knack for writing.

This is a remote, part-time (20 hours per week) position with a possibility of switch to full-time depending on the progress of projects and your goals.

You can email me directly to discuss the role: viktor@ivpn.net or apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/technical-writer-privacy-securi...

OVPN was recently bought by the parent company of HotSpotShield. Make of that what you will.

https://www.ovpn.com/en/blog/next-chapter-for-ovpn

This is Viktor from IVPN. We have recently added more capacity to our Belgium server. I'm looking at our internal graphs and it has not been hitting 100% in the past couple of days. We are monitoring it closely and ready to add more bandwidth if necessary.

IVPN | Senior Infrastructure Engineer | Remote (UTC-1 to UTC+3) | Full-time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service in operation since 2010. We have high ethical standards, regular security audits and a stellar reputation among security and privacy analysts. We are planning to overhaul our VPN infrastructure with a new server build to radically improve the transparency of our service.

We are looking for an experienced infrastructure engineer to research and develop a new server architecture for our VPN gateways that is open, immutable, diskless and secure, using open-source software and multiple layers of security technologies. You will also be responsible for the initial provisioning of servers, from procurement to building and final distribution to data centers (travel might not be required).

If you have: - strong understanding and interest in InfoSec, specifically with regards to cryptographic controls used on servers - multiple years of experience with a scripting language (Python, Go) - same with managing Linux servers then you are a great fit for this role.

You can email me directly to discuss about the role: viktor@ivpn.net or apply here: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/senior-infrastructure-engineer

interesting idea on Nym, I'd like to discuss this further for a potential project, if you are interested you can find me email in my bio

meta -- i'm just wondering if the OP found this blog post through the https://projectnaptha.com main page screenshot of the book. these two posts are side-by-side on HN now and it gave me the chills "what a coincidence" - perhaps not.

if you trust them now with not logging and selling your data, you should trust them not doing anything to screw you over, and giving you sufficient warnings before a sale happens so you can re-evalute that trust. if you don't trust a provider, you shouldn't use them. "i don't trust any VPN providers" is a reasonable position, but your argument saying "all VPNs will end up selling data" is still flawed.

> If you need to hide all of your traffic from other users in your local network, you can accomplish that in a trust-no-one fashion by running your own VPN endpoint on a server you control which provides better privacy guarantees compared to a centralised commercial VPN whose business model will eventually involve selling your data (once user growth stops but shareholders demand continued revenue growth).

the privacy protection for most people using VPNs is required against their ISP and other actors looking to analyse their traffic, not users on the local network. a commercial VPN will be better for privacy due to the crowding effects, ie. large number of users sharing the same IP and protects against correlation attacks - it's much easier to trace the activities on your own VPN endpoint back to you. of course you need to trust the operators, which is as different question.

my grocer down the road is a nice fella and has tasty vegetables from sustainable sources, but he might get bought up by a big supermarket chain, so I'm not going to buy from him

no team disclosed, no ownership information, no real privacy policy, no real terms of service, no info on infrastructure and provider partners, promises "complete privacy" and "anonymity" (as if attainable, especially with no traffic mixing and BTC payments)...

don't trust services that promise things they can't deliver and you cannot vet properly.

IVPN | Infrastructure Engineer | Remote (Europe / UTC-1 - UTC+3) | Full-Time | https://www.ivpn.net

IVPN helps others resist online surveillance. Join us:

We are looking for an infrastructure engineer to help us develop and maintain our server infrastructure. In this role, you will use your knowledge of system and network administration to build reliable, secure and scalable infrastructure for our VPN service.

Responsibilities, requirements and more: https://ivpn.recruitee.com/o/infrastructure-engineer?source=...

consider picking a different font as well for the logo. does not have to be "vanilla" or overly safe. it's good to stand out, but the current font plays heavily into that discount feel.

Mullvad and IVPN offers the same (disclaimer: I'm part of the IVPN team). SafetyDetectives is a site that is owned by a VPN conglomerate [0] with the added bonus of having a history of distributing malware [1]. I suggest not using them as a source for VPN related info due to conflict of interest.

[0] https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn-review-websites-owned-by-vpns... [1] https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/what-is-kape...

As Netflix is now banning more residential IPs more aggressively, all "streaming VPNs" face problems nowadays: https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-intensifies-vpn-ban-and-tar...

"We have lost this argument in the past so what are we talking about" is a dangerous attitude in this context. Helping the 'average citizen' understand the extent of surveillance and facing the consequences is an ongoing process. Public awareness is still very low about these issues, but the norms are changing - many, including myself are working hard on framing the issue in a way that reaches wider audiences. We cannot just put up our hands and accept that this battle is lost and the power imbalance is too entrenched to be changed. If you are interested in recent studies that demonstrate that people who become aware of the privacy issues do care about them, email me.

...if so, which one would you start with?

I've been over this dilemma multiple times.

For me, what would matter is the status of the name, and not the domain. You say it's quite popular and most extensions are taken - why use it then? It will diminish your chances for standing out and having a memorable brand.

If your name is unique, is a good fit, specific for your space, not trademarked etc., then great! But in that case you are fine with any extension. getting "getbrandname.com" instead of "brandname.app" won't make or break your project.

If your name doest not fit the above criteria, pick a different one. Go wild, go bold. I suggest the book 'hello my name is awesome' (bad title, but on-point, actionable content) if you go ahead.

It reads like you have put a lot of time and energy into thinking the issues and possible solutions through. Here is a tip: as a first time potential user, this site gives an awfully complex vibe and its hard for me to get the layout, what should I do next, etc. Compare that to Facebook/Instagram sign up / onboarding / first steps experience. I suggest enlisting a UX researcher/designer who have done it before to tackle this problem.

Never heard about the Creel Report before, but here it is: https://archive.org/details/completereportof00unit/page/8/mo... Thanks for the tip.