On of the leading global VPN service providers TunnelBear, has reported a 12x increase of connections in Zimbabwe following anticipated protests today.
Zimbabweans are rushing to install VPN apps ahead of protests in the country today against government corruption and lack of political reforms. Although no one is aware of the outcome of the. protests, the citizens are staying ahead by ensuring that they stay connected in the event that internet restrictions are imposed.
TunnelBear tweeted their solidarity with the citizens and even offered them 10GB worth of data.
“Zimbabwe must #KeepItOnTunnelBear has seen nearly a 12x spike in connections in Zimbabwe since protests began. In light of this, we’re giving away 10GB of data for one month to our users in Zimbabwe to support them in this critical time.”
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A VPN, short for Virtual Private Network,allows internet users to bypass imposed restrictions blocking access to social media and chat apps such Whatsapp and Messenger.
The restrictions have not been declared yet but the country is taking precaution.
Popular VPN providers include Opera Browser, Hotspot Shield, CyberGhost, NordVN, 1.1.1.1 by Cloudflare and ExpressVPN.
There is wide speculation in the country that a total internet shutdown might be imposed, in which case the VPN will not help.
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