What can assure me that I'm in good hands when using Opera One?

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Hi, I'm coming back to Opera after a break. I haven't found any browser that suits my needs as Opera did.
I often read about the Chinese connection of Opera, Kunlun being their main investor and stake holder. And some maybe overanxious people are worried that everything they type into the browser is directly sent to the headquarters of the Communist party.
Some even say, that Opera claiming it's headquartered in Norway is an outright lie or at least only marketing. And that Opera is already what they call a Chinese browser.

I've also seen a video suggesting that Opera's malware protection is constructed as to send every query to Opera's servers whereas even Google's original is hashed.

And some of the most urgent allegations is that Opera is more an advertising company than a browser company. So they claim, that what you do with Opera is used for targeted advertising.

I'm not overly paranoid with privacy, I'm using Google, Facebook or Instagram e.g. I'd even use Edge, Chrome or Safari. But still I feel some kind of uneasiness when using Opera.

I really like the features. Opera gives me what I appreciate in other browsers in its own feature set. Has there been any proof of some shady data usage by Opera? Or on the contrary, has Opera been audited by some independent researchers?

I've read some of the entries in their security blog. They all sound convincing to me, though I don't have any special technical credentials.
What can assure me that I'm in good hands when using Opera One?

[leocg]

leocg Moderator Volunteer @Guest last edited by

@celticcross See https://www.opera.com/privacy, https://www.opera.com/terms and https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/07/debunking-spyware-misinformation/

[A Former User]

A Former User @leocg last edited by

@leocg Thank you very much.

[A Former User]

A Former User last edited by

Opera may be the best browser because of its neat features. But even if they don’t share any user data with the Chinese government, what they probably won‘t do, I couldn’t use it with good conscience.
Its main investor and CEO are Chinese and from a country that not only devalues human rights and suppresses opposition. It also is an active supporter of Russia in its war against Ukraine.
So, do you really want to support a Chinese billionaire with contacts to Chinese leadership.
Opera may be headquartered in Oslo, but as it’s owned by Kunlun Tech from Bejing it’s not a European company in its proper sense.

The moment Kunlun would sell its shares to European or generally Western investors, so that they become owners by majority, I would gladly and proudly use it. So I hope that maybe EU or the US would ban Opera, if they don‘t dissolve from any Chinese influence and cyberwar against free and liberal democracies I won‘t use it as much as I like their actual outfit.