Update: December 26th, 2012: We've recieved a response! Find it below.

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This petition is being launched in partnership with ChromeUP.com and the r/ChromeOS community of Reddit.

While it may not actually take a system administrator to setup a virtual private network, it can certainly seem that way to a non-savvy user. The very concept of a so-called VPN can be downright confusing - especially in regards to its use with unsecured WiFi networks.

TunnelBear is known for taking the confusion out of the equation entirely. They offer drop-dead simple solutions for Windows, OSX, iOS, and Android environments. What they lack, however, is a Chrome OS version. I've contacted their support team and asked if they would consider developing for Chrome OS and was told sure, if enough interest is shown in the platform.

I think we can handle that, don't you?

Allow me to begin by properly introducing the reasoning why you might need a VPN to accompany your Chromebook while out in public. It's quite true - Chrome OS is very secure, but the networks in which you transmit your private data aren't always as secure. For example, should you login to a website that doesn't make use of SSL, that connection isn't secure - leaving network sniffers able to log your username and password. There was a time when SSL was uncommon - thankfully most major web services (especially those who process orders and sensitive information) now make use of SSL.

While you're grabbing an oddly named coffee-style drink at your local cafe, a fellow patron may be watching you surf the web in real time. They may not have access to your banking data, but they can see your visits to Reddit, for example. If you want to stop this entirely, your only option is to secure your entire connection from your laptop to a network outside that of your local cafe. In other words, you need a virtual, private network established between you and a datacenter, leaving anyone watching locally just a glimpse of an encrypted stream.

There are plenty of different types of VPN's, and even more providers. They all require some sort of setup though, whether just a username and password (like PPTP) or a certificate (OpenVPN). It's not always super easy, and that's why we really need a drop-dead simple VPN solution available to the Chrome OS community. After all, Chrome OS is designed to be as simple as possible - shouldn't our choice in VPN providers be the same?

Let me be clear - I'm in no way affiliated with TunnelBear. I'm not getting paid for signups or for sending traffic. I could have written a similar post for any of the countless VPN providers out there, asking for Chrome OS specific support. The way I see it though, TunnelBear provides an easy solution in a user-friendly manner. Chrome OS is designed for everyone - let's make setting up a VPN easy for everyone.

Click here to view the original blog post on ChromeUP.com.

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Update: On December 26th, we recieved this official response from the TunnelBear crew:

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Rawr!

Wow, I never thought I'd be happy to see a "petition" for one of our products. ;)

Thanks Craig for taking the time to write this up and spread the word. We are really happy that you enjoyed TunnelBear on OSX, Android and iOS.

Adding another platform is a big decision. We are a pretty small company and like to make sure if we do something, we do it really, really well.

I'm not sure if we can "bear" to develop and support another platform right now, BUT... we are also terribly opportunistic.

So if enough users (a few hundred?) sign up for this and show theres enough demand on Chrome OS, we'll certainly oblige!

Thanks and Grizzly Regards!

-CorpBear

(aka Ryan, Cofounder TunnelBear)

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Let's take that to heart and help make this a reality!