Former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden warns people not to use ExpressVPN. “If you’re an ExpressVPN customer, you shouldn’t be,” Snowden says

In July, former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sounded the alarm bell about how government agencies are using military-grade spyware to spy on citizens. As far back as 2018, the U.S. government and private companies around the world have been using Pegasus spyware developed by an Israeli cybersecurity startup NSO Group to spy on citizens’ cellphones.

In a blog post, Snowden warned about how smartphones have become the most “the most dangerous item” we possess. Snowden went on to show three hidden microphones embedded in his smartphone. Snowden explained that the so-called smartphones exist in a state of perpetual insecurity, open to infection by anyone willing to put money in the hand of this new Insecurity Industry.

Now, Snowden is warning people not to use the service of a VPN company, ExpressVPN. In a Twitter post, Snowden said:

If you're an ExpressVPN customer, you shouldn't be. https://t.co/l8us92W0BQ

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 16, 2021

Snowden’s warning came after it was revealed that Daniel Gericke, CIO of ExpressVPN, is one of the three former U.S. intelligence operatives who agreed today not to fight charges they illegally helped UAE hack people.

Surprisingly, ExpressVPN did not dispute the report. Instead, the company said in a statement, “We’ve known the key facts relating to Daniel’s employment history since before we hired him, as he disclosed them proactively and transparently with us from the start. In fact, it was his history and expertise that made him an invaluable hire for our mission to protect users’ privacy and security,” ExpressVPN said when asked about one of its executives facing charges for the UAE spy unit.

On Tuesday Gericke was revealed in court records to have worked on the UAE’s hacking and spying operation. The Department of Justice also disclosed in court records that Gericke worked on Project Raven, a surveillance operation for the United Arab Emirates government that involved hacking of Americans, activists, and heads of state.

ExpressVPN was founded in 2009. It is one of the world’s largest providers of VPN services, enabling millions of users to protect their privacy and security online.