Question Who runs Adguard and where are they really based?

[jetman]

What information do we have on the people behind Adguard? And where are they based exactly.

I remember reading that they are based in Russia. While the business may be registered in Cyprus, I am not sure their staff are physically located there.

Considering that Adguard products are often promoted on this forum, I think its a matter worth clarifying.

 

[Bot]

Adguard is indeed developed by a team called Adguard Software Limited. While the company is officially registered in Cyprus, their development team is primarily based in Russia. They are transparent about this information on their official website. It's important to note that the location does not affect the functionality and security of their products.

 

[jetman]

Adguard is indeed developed by a team called Adguard Software Limited. While the company is officially registered in Cyprus, their development team is primarily based in Russia. They are transparent about this information on their official website. It's important to note that the location does not affect the functionality and security of their products.

They are not particularly transparent about this...

Contact Us | AdGuard

Learn more about the company behind AdGuard and ways to contact us, whether it is about solving a problem or asking any other questions you have for us.

adguard.com

 

[Bot]

They are not particularly transparent about this...

Contact Us | AdGuard

Learn more about the company behind AdGuard and ways to contact us, whether it is about solving a problem or asking any other questions you have for us.

adguard.com

I apologize for the confusion. The link you provided indeed shows the company is registered in Cyprus. However, multiple sources and discussions on forums suggest that the development team is in Russia. Adguard doesn't explicitly state this on their website, which may lead to some ambiguity.

 

[jetman]

If they are indeed based in Russia, they would be required to comply with any requests made to them by the government of that country.

PS- this isn't meant as an anti-Russian post (I'm non-political) but I think its worth knowing who runs VPN / DNS services that we may rely on to keep us secure.

 

[blackice]

Their developers themselves have stated on Reddit that most developers still reside in Russia and some in the Ukraine as well as a couple other places. Their business headquarters are in Cyprus.

 

[TairikuOkami]

I remember reading that they are based in Russia. While the business may be registered in Cyprus, I am not sure their staff are physically located there.

Basically every shady/illegal business is registered in Cyprus. But to be fair, Adguard is not a political organization, so they do not want to lose profit due to political issues.
Yes, they are mostly Russian and they try to hide it, maybe too much, because they do not want to end up like Kaspersky. I honestly do not care about them, but it is, as it is.

 

[CyberDevil]

Their developers themselves have stated on Reddit that most developers still reside in Russia and some in the Ukraine as well as a couple other places. Their business headquarters are in Cyprus.

It's an old tale. They have a closet in Cyprus for having a registered office and simplified taxation. I'm not sure they even have a single employee in Cyprus. Most and all of the key employees work in a big office in Moscow. They are constantly recruiting in Moscow. I can drop links if you really need proof.

 

[blackice]

It's an old tale. They have a closet in Cyprus for having a registered office and simplified taxation. I'm not sure they even have a single employee in Cyprus. Most and all of the key employees work in a big office in Moscow. They are constantly recruiting in Moscow. I can drop links if you really need proof.

What proof do I need? I’m familiar with tax shelters, optics, and shell companies. I honestly don’t care since I don’t use Adguard. Development in Russia is enough for anybody who is concerned about that.

 

[Arequire]

From the co-founder 2-years ago:

Most of the developers are in Moscow. I myself live in Moscow and I co-founded AdGuard back in 2009 also in Moscow. Back in 2014 we moved the business to Cyprus, the CEO and some managerial staff live there, but re-locating developers was not on the table (it may be now). And I still count myself as an engineer so I want to be with them.

Besides all that, there are many people from the team that live in Ukraine...

Obviously I can't speak as to whether this information is still correct or not.

 

[Arequire]

From the co-founder 2-years ago:

Most of the developers are in Moscow. I myself live in Moscow and I co-founded AdGuard back in 2009 also in Moscow. Back in 2014 we moved the business to Cyprus, the CEO and some managerial staff live there, but re-locating developers was not on the table (it may be now). And I still count myself as an engineer so I want to be with them.

Besides all that, there are many people from the team that live in Ukraine...

Obviously I can't speak as to whether this information is still correct or not.

 

[monkeylove]

You can also think of this in light of "eyes" nations:

https://cybernews.com/resources/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes-countries/

 

[blackice]

You can also think of this in light of "eyes" nations:

https://cybernews.com/resources/5-eyes-9-eyes-14-eyes-countries/

If you aren’t conducting international espionage or some other real threat, or a sensitive journalist, this is a concern that is going to keep you up at night for no reason. No “eyes” care if you torrent or watch certain kinds of videos.

 

[monkeylove]

If you aren’t conducting international espionage or some other real threat, or a sensitive journalist, this is a concern that is going to keep you up at night for no reason. No “eyes” care if you torrent or watch certain kinds of videos.

Ironically, for the same reason one can give the same arguments concerning Russia and China.

 

[blackice]

Ironically, for the same reason one can give the same arguments concerning Russia and China.

Agreed, what is China even going to do with a SSN anyway?

 

[LennyFox]

When the technology is available it will always be used. In that regard there is no difference between the 5-9-14 eyes, Russia, China or Saudi Arabia. The difference is made whether the people can hold the governments responsible and justice can decide on that according local laws without interference from outside forces and journalist are able to do their jobs without being threathened by politics, police, army or criminals.

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