Mullvad's Protest: UK Bans Anti-Surveillance Ads

Swedish VPN provider Mullvad encountered significant resistance in the UK when attempting to air its "And Then?" anti-surveillance advertisement. Clearcast, the UK's advertising clearance body, blocked the TV commercial, citing a lack of clarity and inappropriate references to criminals. This decision was met with strong criticism from Mullvad, who described it as "Kafkaesque and Orwellian."

Further restrictions were imposed by Transport for London (TfL), which compelled Mullvad to modify its London Underground advertisements. Initial posters linking to the banned commercial and subsequent designs criticizing the ban were rejected. Mullvad eventually opted for a simpler message, "And Then?", relevant to commuters.

Mullvad views these advertising bans as indicative of a broader trend towards mass surveillance and censorship in the UK. The company pointed to government actions, such as secret orders demanding backdoors to encrypted data and the Online Safety Act, as detrimental to digital freedom and free speech. These challenges in the UK contrast with the successful airing of the advertisement in Germany, Sweden, and the US.