<![CDATA[Hola free VPN uses people's real IP address, does Opera's VPN do the same?]]>I hope the tone of this post doesnt come out too accusatory. I have no reason not to believe in Opera people's good faith, but I am sincerely still flabbergasted by this realization and I'd like an answer.

So, I just discovered that the free VPN service called Hola basically works by giving out the IP of its free user base as a fake IPs to those that pay for it. It is basically used by, among others, scalpers to loop over attempts to block bots to drain marketplaces (since the IP comes from an household and not from a datacenter etc).

"When a product is free, you are the product", and all that jazz.

I wonder how does the free Opera VPN operates. Is it the same? Is my IP given out to some Deep Web POS to conduct their shady business while I just want to enjoy some regional locked content in peace once in a blue moon? Or is it something else? And is this "something else" enforced whether I have the VPN activated or not?

Thanks in advance.

]]>https://forums.opera.com/topic/85610/hola-free-vpn-uses-people-s-real-ip-address-does-opera-s-vpn-do-the-sameRSS for NodeTue, 11 Aug 2026 03:34:34 GMTSun, 13 Jul 2025 12:23:26 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Hola free VPN uses people's real IP address, does Opera's VPN do the same? on Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:36:44 GMT]]>@leocg thanks! I didnt want to accuse anyone, I just wanted an answer, as I said, and I wanted to contextualize where my question was coming from and what my (reasonable) fear was.

I appreciate your answer.

]]>https://forums.opera.com/post/389254https://forums.opera.com/post/389254Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:36:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Hola free VPN uses people's real IP address, does Opera's VPN do the same? on Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:14:32 GMT]]>@maffaxxx First, see https://operavpnpro.freshdesk.com/support/home and
https://www.opera.com/privacy

Second, just because one single free VPN service does things wrongly, you think that all others do?

Opera free VPN has its own set of IP addresses that are assigned to the users.

]]>https://forums.opera.com/post/389252https://forums.opera.com/post/389252Sun, 13 Jul 2025 14:14:32 GMT