Outcry over ExpressVPN ownership: What the Israeli connection means for user privacy

Social media users are calling for the mass cancellation of ExpressVPN subscriptions after it was revealed that a cybersecurity firm with Israeli ties owns the popular privacy service.

In 2021, The Times of Israel reported that Kape Technologies, a British-Israeli digital security company, acquired ExpressVPN, one of the world’s largest virtual private network (VPN) providers, for nearly $1bn.

The calls for cancellation intensified after social media users began circulating information about Teddy Sagi, the Israeli billionaire and owner of Kape Technologies. Many shared that in 2023, as reported by The Jerusalem Post, Sagi donated $1m to transport soldiers during the Israeli war on Gaza.

This is not the first time the calls have been made since the acquisition, but they are more widespread now, given Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza.

A VPN is a tool that encrypts internet traffic and masks identities by routing connections through secure servers. VPNs are widely used for privacy, anonymity, and bypassing censorship. Ownership of such services is considered highly sensitive by privacy advocates.

Kape Technologies, based in London and founded in 2010, has previously acquired VPN services, including CyberGhost, ZenMate, and Private Internet Access.

People across social media have urged users to delete the app, citing concerns over surveillance, military ties, and ethical complicity.

“Do yourself a favor and delete ExpressVPN. You don’t want Israel to have your information,” one person wrote.

“Please unsubscribe from ExpressVPN and notify everyone you know who uses it. Boycott, isolate, expel from the family of human,” another post read.

https://t.co/ybl9QVrDbS pic.twitter.com/RdlloCXIvw

— 🏴‍☠️ (@calvinfroedge) September 16, 2025

People have also been sharing lists of VPNs owned by Israeli companies, warning against services that benefit Israel.

The controversy underscores the tension between digital privacy and geopolitics. For many social media users, particularly amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the idea of entrusting personal data to an Israeli-owned company has become unacceptable.

Whether through the use of Israeli software used to spy on heads of state, journalists and activists, as revealed through the Pegasus scandal, or using facial recognition to "entrench apartheid", Israel has earned a notorious reputation for its spyware industry.

As one widely shared X post put it: “Most VPNs are owned by Israelis. Be careful out there. Do your research before downloading.”

Many also emphasised that the boycott is not only a matter of privacy but also a matter of principle.
“Time to boycott ExpressVPN then. For both moral reasons and security reasons.” One social media user wrote.  

“Anyone who wants to boycott Israeli companies, we should be pushing for a buycott. This is not just a war on the ground. We have a war online, too,” another person added.

The calls for boycotts of Israeli products reflect broader digital solidarity campaigns that have emerged during the Israeli genocide on Gaza since October 2023, with users increasingly scrutinising the ownership structures of the online services they rely on.

Posts calling ExpressVPN complicit in violence have circulated heavily, such as: “ExpressVPN supports genocide. Boycott genocide.”

Another social media user wrote simply: “Boycott! Israeli company supporting genocide.