The move is part of a cunning plan to create a "premium consumer privacy and security player".

Kape said the acquisition expands its customer base to more than six million from three million and would create a tier one digital privacy and security firm best positioned to capitalise on the expected market growth.

ExpressVPN, it said, has seen a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.1 percent over the past four years amid strong demand for consumer-friendly data privacy and security products.

Consumers have increasingly turned to VPNs such as ExpressVPN to obscure their identities on the internet.

Kape Technologies chief executive Ido Erlichman said that controlling a digital presence is at the forefront of every tech consumer’s mind now.

“Kape is more committed than ever to innovating and delivering the tools internet users need to protect their data and rights", he said.

ExpressVPN co-founder Dan Pomerantz said the firm will have more capital and resources to "accelerate our product development, deliver even more innovation to our users, and protect them from a wider range of threats".

Kape said ExpressVPN will continue to operate day-to-day as an independent service.