Surfshark

Surfshark was founded in Lithuania in 2018, when it launched its VPN, and that year underwent its first independent audit, by Cure53. Vytautas Kaziukonis served as chief executive from the company’s founding.⁠[1][2]

In 2019 Surfshark launched Alert, a data leak monitoring tool, and Search, a private search tool, and published its first annual Digital Quality of Life index. In 2020 it moved its server network to RAM-only operation and introduced the WireGuard protocol, and in 2021 it launched Antivirus and Incogni. The company moved its headquarters from the British Virgin Islands to the Netherlands in 2021.⁠[1][2]

Surfshark published the results of its first independent security audit by Cure53 since 2018. Cure53 had been given access to five Surfshark VPN servers in March 2021; its report listed four security-relevant findings, all general weaknesses rated Medium severity or lower, two of which Cure53 confirmed as fixed. Cure53 described a “very solid security premise at Surfshark,” and Vytautas Kaziukonis said: “Having a secure network of thousands of servers is a big responsibility.”⁠[3]

Surfshark launched Incogni, a data removal service that contacts data brokers on behalf of users in Europe and the United States to delete their personal data under the GDPR and the CCPA; at launch it cost $7.99 a month or $47.88 a year. Vytautas Kaziukonis said the service aimed to help users opt out of data brokers’ practices more efficiently.⁠[4]

Surfshark and Nord Security, the maker of NordVPN, announced that they had finalized a merger agreement, a process they said began around mid-2021. Both companies are privately owned and did not disclose the terms; after the merger each keeps its own infrastructure and product roadmap and operates independently. At the time Nord Security had more than 1,000 employees and Surfshark more than 200, and Surfshark’s Surfshark One suite included a VPN, antivirus software, a private search tool and the Alert data leak detection system. Kaziukonis said: “Consolidations in the global consumer cybersecurity market indicate the industry’s maturity.”⁠[5]

New rules from India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) required VPN providers to retain data such as users’ real names, IP addresses and usage patterns for up to five years and to hand it to the authorities on request. Surfshark announced that it would shut down its physical servers in India when the rules took effect and would instead offer Indian locations through virtual servers hosted in Singapore and London that still assign Indian IP addresses. Head of Legal Gytis Malinauskas said the company “is not willing to compromise its values nor its technical base.”⁠[6]

The timeline on Surfshark’s website shows that Deloitte confirmed its privacy standards in 2023 and verified its no-logs policy again in 2025. In 2023 the company launched an Internet Shutdown Tracker with non-governmental organizations; in 2024 it ranked in the top 50 of the Financial TimesFinancial TimesThe Financial Times (FT) is a London-based English-language business and financial news organization, known for its salmon-pink newspaper and its motto “Without Fear and Without Favour.” It was owned successively by the British Pearson group and Japan’s Nikkei Inc., and today digital subscriptions are its main source of revenue.Open the full entry list of Europe’s 1,000 fastest-growing companies; and in 2025 it introduced the FastTrack route optimizer and an email scam checker, brought 100 Gbps servers online in Amsterdam, and received AV-TEST certification for its antivirus software.⁠[1]

Surfshark announced that Dovydas GodelisDovydas GodelisDovydas Godelis is the chief executive of the cybersecurity company Surfshark, succeeding its founder Vytautas Kaziukonis in March 2026. He has worked at the company for more than seven years, starting in marketing and later serving as head of growth and chief operating officer.Open the full entry would succeed Vytautas Kaziukonis as chief executive, the first change in the company’s leadership. Godelis had been chief operating officer for the previous two years and joined the company seven years earlier as a marketing specialist; Kaziukonis, the founder, became chairman of the board. Kaziukonis said: “I am handing over this leadership baton with great confidence and peace of mind.”⁠[2]

As of November 2026, the products listed on Surfshark’s website included Surfshark VPN, Antivirus, Alert, Alternative ID, Incogni, Ironwall, the Nexus technology and the Dausos VPN protocol built in 2026, with more than 40 million app downloads. In 2026 the company began a partnership with Amnesty International and launched a Cybersecurity Advocacy Fund. Its leadership includes chief executive Dovydas Godelis, chairman of the board Vytautas Kaziukonis and Incogni chief executive Darius BelejevasDarius BelejevasDarius Belejevas is the head and chief executive of the personal data removal service Incogni, having previously worked in digital marketing. He has spoken for Incogni in announcements including its people search site removals and a Deloitte limited assurance report.Open the full entry.⁠[1]

As of November 7, 2026, the footer of Surfshark’s website named Surfshark B.V. (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce number 81967985), at Kabelweg 57 in Amsterdam, as the operating company, and linked to official accounts on Facebook, X (@surfshark), ThreadsThreadsThreads is a text-sharing social app from Meta built by the Instagram team; launched on July 5, 2023, it lets users log in with their Instagram account and has gradually connected to the fediverse through the ActivityPub protocol, and in June 2026 Meta announced it had reached 500 million monthly active users.Open the full entry, Instagram, the YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel @SurfsharkAcademy, the Reddit community r/surfshark, TikTok and a Naver blog for Korean users.⁠[7]

Surfshark: Website: https://surfshark.com/ (opens in a new window); X: https://x.com/surfshark (opens in a new window); YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SurfsharkAcademy (opens in a new window); Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SurfsharkPrivacy/ (opens in a new window); Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surfshark/ (opens in a new window); Threads: https://www.threads.net/@surfshark/ (opens in a new window); TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@surfshark (opens in a new window); RedditRedditReddit is an online platform that organizes content and discussion around interest-based communities, founded by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005. Users take part in communities by posting, commenting, and voting; its operating company, Reddit, Inc., listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2024.Open the full entry: https://www.reddit.com/r/surfshark/ (opens in a new window); Naver blog: https://blog.naver.com/surfshark_korea (opens in a new window); Incogni: Website: https://incogni.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[1][8]