Proton VPN and Amnezia VPN release anti-censorship upgrades amid escalating internet restrictions

Proton VPN announced that its Stealth protocol, after months of testing, is now available in the main stable branch of its Linux client. Previously, Linux users had to opt into beta channels to use the feature. Stealth works by wrapping VPN traffic in an extra layer of TLS encryption, making it appear as standard HTTPS traffic. This makes it difficult for network administrators, ISPs, and government censors to detect and block VPN usage through deep packet inspection. The company shared the news on Reddit, noting that users still need to update their Linux app to the latest version (v4.17.2) to access the feature. While the protocol is now in the stable branch, it still carries a “beta” label in the app. Proton explained that this label remains until the company is confident it works across all distributions and network conditions. Some users on distributions like Debian Sid reported temporary issues and had to switch to WireGuard; Proton requested bug reports in those cases.

This stable release is part of Proton VPN’s broader push to improve its Linux offering. Earlier this year, the company delivered a major makeover for both GUI and CLI users, bringing the Linux client closer to feature parity with Windows and Mac versions. It also added 20 new languages and official one-click installs via the Linux Snap Store.

Amnezia VPN, meanwhile, announced AmneziaWG 3.0, an update to its anti-censorship WireGuard-based protocol. The new version introduces greater variability in traffic patterns, making each connection unique and harder to detect. According to Amnezia, the update comes in response to recent large-scale coordinated attacks by Russian authorities, which used combined parameters such as packet size, sequence, inter-packet arrival times, handshake patterns, and traffic volume to identify VPN traffic. The previous protocol versions focused on hiding individual signatures, but the new approach alters the overall connection profile. Amnezia noted that its protocol has been installed more than 15 million times on Windows, which made its traffic patterns more recognizable. The update is available to Premium and Free users as v3.0 and to self-hosted users as v3.1.

The Russian government has been intensifying its censorship efforts. On August 4, it blocked access to more than 20 widely used services, with anti-censorship organizations describing the crackdown as possibly the largest in history. According to TechRadar, these measures have made it increasingly difficult for Russians to access even Google and Apple services. Amnezia said its service is currently “working reliably” in Russia, but earlier this year it had to restore its premium service after a state-sponsored cyberattack that shut down its system for a month and a half.