Deutsche Welle (DW) is making its websites accessible from anywhere in the world for free by connecting to dedicated servers run by Proton VPN.
For those who haven’t heard of it, DW is Germany’s international news organization that provides accurate and independent coverage and analysis of events worldwide. While it is state-funded, DW is governed by the Deutsche Welle Act, which is intended to keep it independent and free of government interference.
Available in 32 languages, DW is an especially important news source in countries where authoritarian governments censor objective reporting. These regimes often see DW as a threat and the governments of Turkey, Iran, and Russia have blocked DW’s TV channel and website.
Partnership with Proton VPN
DW didn’t like that and contacted Proton in the fall of 2022 to see if they could help them make independent reporting available all around the world. In line with its mission to build a better Internet, Proton VPN answered the call, and the results are in now.
As a result, everyone from all over the world can now access DW’s websites, even if they don’t have Proton VPN’s paid plan. Simply look for the specially-labeled DW servers in all Proton’s Free locations (United States, Japan, and the Netherlands), or search for “news”.
By doing so, you will get direct, unlimited, high-speed access to the DW website, including all live streaming and video-on-demand content. Also, by connecting to these servers, you are protected from government surveillance.
Helping make the Internet better
Internet censorship has existed for years now and, unfortunately, the situation is only becoming worse.
With this partnership with DW, Proton VPN is trying to make things slightly better for everyone. It’s one of those first-of-its-kind deals and we can only hope other respectable media outlets and VPN providers will follow suit and come up with similar deals.
“We are very happy to be partnering with a company that is just as dedicated as we at DW are to protecting the online privacy of activists, journalists and others while providing them with free, unrestricted access to the open Internet,” said Guido Baumhauer, the Managing Director of Distribution, Marketing and Technology at DW.
It is also worth mentioning Proton VPN’s previous efforts to combat censorship. To that end, they have developed several technologies, such as Smart Protocol, which detects attempts to block your VPN connection and automatically selects the VPN protocol and IP port that will bypass the block; Alternative Routing, which bypasses advanced VPN block attempts by routing your connection over hard-to-trace third-party networks; and Stealth VPN protocol, which obfuscates your VPN connection to make it look like a standard internet connection.
And, as we always say, if you still haven’t found a VPN for your needs, perhaps now’s the time to change that. Give Proton VPN a try and see if it works for you. For what it matters, it has a free plan, which as you can see, lets you access Deutsche Welle from anywhere. Check it out.
Pros
Cons
- Easy to use apps for popular platforms
- Works with Netflix and Hulu
- Dedicated servers for Tor and torrenting
- There's a free version of the service
- No live chat support
- Doesn't work well with BBC iPlayer