- Windscribe has published a satirical op-ed mocking Mullvad’s PR crisis
- Mullvad’s co-founder donated around $500,000 to Sweden’s populist Örebro party, sparking backlash from users
- Mullvad confirmed that the donation “is not part of Mullvad’s values or mission”
Rival providers in the top VPN market rarely miss an opportunity to exploit a competitor’s missteps, and the ongoing controversy surrounding Mullvad is no exception.
In a satirical response to the recent news that a Mullvad co-founder made a massive political donation, Windscribe has issued a fake apology regarding its own CEO’s financial contribution.
Earlier this week it was revealed that Mullvad VPN co-founder Daniel Berntsson donated 5 million Swedish kroner (about $514,000) to the controversial populist Örebro party in Sweden. Berntsson, who said the donation was made personally to support the party’s anti-corruption stance, contributed an amount that represented 72% of the party’s total income last year.
The revelation forced Mullvad into damage control mode. The company quickly clarified that the private donation is “not part of Mullvad’s values or mission,” and offered refunds to any users who wanted to cancel their subscriptions due to philosophical disagreements.
Seizing the moment, Windscribe issued its own statement on social media, assuring users that they wanted to “get ahead of any potential public outcry”. The company explained that it would be hypocritical to criticize Berntsson’s financial support without disclosing that Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak has also made monetary donations to organizations that support causes he believes in.
“Let’s make one thing clear: we are not here to lie,” the statement read. “Yes, our CEO has made donations to a certain site, but today we want to come clean and make things right.”
Dogs versus cats debate
Instead of supporting a divisive political movement, Windscribe revealed that Sak, the proud owner of a corgi named Snoop, had donated personal funds to Save Our Scruff, a dog rescue in Toronto.
Anticipating that a strict pro-dog stance could “cause division in our user base”, the company quickly added that it had redressed the imbalance.
“So today we make one thing clear – we also support cats, and Yegor has personally donated to the local Annex Cat Rescue organization to support their work,” the post noted.
A statement from Windscribe about our CEO’s personal donations You may have heard in recent days that Mullvad’s co-founder and co-owner, Daniel Berntsson, donated ~$500,000 of his personal money to the controversial populist Örebro party in Sweden. While Mullvads… pic.twitter.com/B6ozQ1VtVB1 July 2026
While Windscribe’s parody is lighthearted, it underscores a serious point about brand identity in the cybersecurity industry. VPN users are notoriously privacy-conscious, and they often evaluate a provider’s ethical compass as rigorously as its encryption protocols.
When the leaders behind a VPN support controversial causes, it can seriously test user trust, regardless of the company’s official stance or strict no-logs policies.
Windscribe ended its post by mimicking the mainstream corporate PR playbook, asking users to forgive its “lack of transparency” in the pet debate. The company emphasized that Sak’s donations are a reflection of his personal beliefs and will not affect the security or operation of the software.
“Our service and applications are not affected by these donations,” the statement concluded. “They remain secure and dedicated to providing our users with the best VPN on the market.”
