Why did LTT take Opera as a sponsor?

[Kush007]

Name of Brand: Opera

 

 

Description of your issue:

Why are you using a shady browser like Opera as a sponsor? Did no one in LMG remember their loan scam?

 

Have you tried solving your issue through the brand's customer support channel? If so, what was the result?

No

 

What would an ideal resolution of your issue look like?

Drop Opera as a sponsor.

 

[Crystal Fier]

Clearly they felt like Opera had changed/improved enough to work with them again. 

[SansVarnic]

9 minutes ago, Kush007 said:

Drop Opera as a sponsor.

Can you elaborate as to why they should, give examples and other relevant examples.

[roguedaemon]

Opera has known ties to the CCP, and has been involved in spying on users, selling data, and is basically malware: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/opera-sold-600-million-chinese-consortium/

 

 

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/crossbarking-attack-secret-apis-expose-opera-browser-users

[roguedaemon]

 

[TheLANguy]

I am also curious what prompted the shift after the previous conclusion in 2022.

[GoStormPlays]

LTT themselves made on a video talking about Opera GX. LTT made it clear that they didn't trust Opera GX then. I don't know what's changed.

 

[TheTechnofobyMinistry]

Opera is not a Chinese company. Opera Software, the company behind the Opera web browser, was originally founded in Norway in 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy. Its headquarters are still located in Oslo, Norway.

However, in 2016, a consortium of Chinese companies, including Kunlun Tech and Qihoo 360, acquired parts of Opera Software, specifically the consumer browser business, for $600 million. Despite this, Opera remains a Norwegian-based entity, and its operations and development are not fully controlled by Chinese ownership. The company continues to function independently with a global presence, and its ownership structure includes various stakeholders, not solely Chinese ones.

 

As a company incorporated in Norway, Opera is subject to Norwegian laws, including:

• Corporate Law: Opera must adhere to the Norwegian Companies Act, which governs how businesses are structured, managed, and operated in Norway. This includes requirements for financial reporting, shareholder rights, and corporate governance.
• Labor Law: Since Opera employs staff in Norway, it must comply with Norwegian labor laws, such as the Working Environment Act, which covers employee rights, working hours, and workplace safety.
• Data Protection: Norway, while not an EU member, is part of the European Economic Area (EEA). This means it has adopted the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into its national law through the Norwegian Personal Data Act. Opera, as a tech company handling user data, must comply with these regulations, which include strict rules on data collection, user consent, and data security.

[Arjun57]

3 hours ago, TheTechnofobyMinistry said:

Opera is not a Chinese company. Opera Software, the company behind the Opera web browser, was originally founded in Norway in 1995 by Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner and Geir Ivarsøy. Its headquarters are still located in Oslo, Norway.

However, in 2016, a consortium of Chinese companies, including Kunlun Tech and Qihoo 360, acquired parts of Opera Software, specifically the consumer browser business, for $600 million. Despite this, Opera remains a Norwegian-based entity, and its operations and development are not fully controlled by Chinese ownership. The company continues to function independently with a global presence, and its ownership structure includes various stakeholders, not solely Chinese ones.

 

As a company incorporated in Norway, Opera is subject to Norwegian laws, including:

• Corporate Law: Opera must adhere to the Norwegian Companies Act, which governs how businesses are structured, managed, and operated in Norway. This includes requirements for financial reporting, shareholder rights, and corporate governance.
• Labor Law: Since Opera employs staff in Norway, it must comply with Norwegian labor laws, such as the Working Environment Act, which covers employee rights, working hours, and workplace safety.
• Data Protection: Norway, while not an EU member, is part of the European Economic Area (EEA). This means it has adopted the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into its national law through the Norwegian Personal Data Act. Opera, as a tech company handling user data, must comply with these regulations, which include strict rules on data collection, user consent, and data security.

Just cause a law exists, doesn't mean it will always be followed

[CasualExtremist]

3 hours ago, Arjun57 said:

Just cause a law exists, doesn't mean it will always be followed

Yeah, some regions are not as well known for following their own laws... Those are for everyone else.

 

I would love to hear the simple answer to the simple question from a LTT representative: What has changed?

[Steve Chan]

Hi folks,

The decision to see through a sponsorship opportunity with Opera was not taken lightly and involved much discussion from the team. Ultimately, we decided that, according to the research we did, Opera passed our internal approval process. Below is a list of things that came up during discussion.

Does Opera have free reign to do as they wish with my data?
- They are HQed in Norway, having to comply with European jurisdiction laws, and we see no evidence that they are not doing so. There was talk around Opera being involved with a nefarious company in the past, but this company's shares (Qihoo 360) were all repurchased by Opera in 2022. They were also a shareholder and were not involved with Opera's products directly from what we can gather. 

Opera is not Opera GX.
- While we've had our issues with Opera GX in the past, they were mostly aesthetic and personal preference related. You may like how it's laid out, we may not. The same goes with Opera, which while appearing different and offering functionalities more similar to a traditional browser, is still based on Chromium. 

Opera's VPN Doesn't Work.
- The built-in, free VPN operates a little differently from from your traditional VPNs. It's more of a proxy service to help encrypt your data. The "Pro" version of their VPN service is powered by NordVPN. Nonetheless, we have opted to not promote anything VPN related in our arrangement with Opera.

More info can be found here: https://blogs.opera.com/security/2023/07/debunking-spyware-misinformation/

All the above said, we have done our due diligence in evaluating this partnership, but we're not perfect; if we missed something, or if someone has information contradictory to our discoveries, please let us know!

Leaving this thread open for further comments and replies.

[anothertealtiger]

On 4/4/2025 at 2:48 PM, Steve Chan said:

Opera is not Opera GX.
- While we've had our issues with Opera GX in the past, they were mostly aesthetic and personal preference related. You may like how it's laid out, we may not. The same goes with Opera, which while appearing different and offering functionalities more similar to a traditional browser, is still based on Chromium. 

I think I'm misunderstanding here, but is this really such an important distinction? Opera isn't Opera GX on a browser level, sure... But they're both by the same folks? I don't think the issue is really the browser itself in the first place anyways. 

[CasualExtremist]

18 hours ago, anothertealtiger said:

I think I'm misunderstanding here, but is this really such an important distinction? Opera isn't Opera GX on a browser level, sure... But they're both by the same folks? I don't think the issue is really the browser itself in the first place anyways. 

LTT saw it as how it was put on paper: "Legally isolated entities" and "Operating to comply with Norway regulations"

Opera Software (parent company of both browsers) sold their Opera brand rights and everything related to their web browser service(s) to Chinese "investors" in 2016 and have major office locations established outside of the "protected" Norway region (including a location in China).

So you could always speculate that the insane amount of user information harvested by a decently popular browser could be hosted in a less strictly regulated region and then maliciously used outside the reach of Norway's regulations. Hard to prove guilty or innocent. Also keep in mind that it is hard to find a browser that hasn't "cracked a few eggs to make an omelet" in regards to handling user data. Whether that should be the case in an ideal world or not, it is the case in our current environment. Do with that what you will.

[anothertealtiger]

9 minutes ago, CasualExtremist said:

LTT saw it as how it was put on paper: "Legally isolated entities".

Ahhh, this honestly alone explains it. Just like you said-- at this point it comes more down to suspicion and speculation, and starts to bleed more into the "guilty until provent innocent" territory which is all types of murky and lame. Appreciate the response

[DeerDK]

On 3/31/2025 at 8:47 PM, Arjun57 said:

Just cause a law exists, doesn't mean it will always be followed

Im having a bit of trouble making heads and tails of all the details being provided here, but I'd say that IF they operate out of Norway, I would generally trust there being consequences for breaking the law. While Norway technically isn't an EU-member, they might as well be for most intents and purposes.