VPN technology has become increasingly popular over the years as individuals become more conscious of their online privacy. Hotspot Shield was one of the first providers to offer a free VPN for web browsing, and the company has grown into one of the world's most popular VPN services.
Hotspot Shield was developed by Anchor Free and launched in 2008. The initial version of the VPN was free. A free option is still available, but the company now also offers a paid premium service that includes more server locations and other additional benefits. A vast majority of individuals still prefer the free version of the software.
The company offers a 7-day free trial that allows individuals to test drive the VPN service before they commit to a purchase. There are extensions for Firefox and Chrome which make using the VPN quick and easy. Most users report that they do not see a significant reduction in connection speed when using Hotspot Shield.
What the VPN from this company does is create an encrypted tunnel between a user's device and an ISP. As data passes through this tunnel it is encrypted and becomes very difficult to decipher. As a result, it is hard for hackers and data thieves to steal a user's private information. A VPN can also obscure a user's true IP address. The address displayed will instead be that of the VPN provider.
There have been some issues reported with the service. One security analyst exposed a bug which revealed a user's true IP address. The company was quick to fix the issue, however. More concerning is the fact that Hotspot Shield has been accused in the past of providing user browsing data to third-party advertising companies. This could be how the company supports offering its VPN for free.
There are some 500 million individuals around the world who use Hotspot Shield for Internet privacy. The general feedback for the company is positive. Most of those who choose to use the service use the free version. Hotspot Shield Elite can be somewhat pricey but includes more features. Some of these features may be necessary for expats and those who need to access restricted websites in certain areas.
Using this VPN is easy. All that is required is entering the credentials provided by the company into the VPN client that is found on all modern computing devices. There is no additional software for users to download.