Is Hotspot Shield a reliable VPN?

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by DesuMaiden, Jul 7, 2015.

  1. DesuMaiden

    DesuMaiden Registered Member

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    I know Hotspot Shield is a free VPN, but I was wondering whether it was reliable for my everyday activities. Could I use Hotspot Shield in conjunction with Tor to increase my anonymity? I hope it does work.
     
  2. redcell

    redcell Registered Member

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    I last used the Elite version last week. VPN connection dropped sometimes. Thus, my view - it is unstable and not my preference.
     
  3. quietman

    quietman Registered Member

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  4. taleblou

    taleblou Registered Member

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    cyberghost free is a trickster and I did not like it. At first it all goes according to what they offer. fast connection without issue. But after a few days every time you click on it it gives the BS message of free slots are unavailable and wait for over a minute or so via counter and then it connects. Although you can clearly see that lots of free slots are available. So they lie and trick people using free version to make them buy the full version.

    This is false advertising and as such I would stay away and will never trust them.
     
  5. quietman

    quietman Registered Member

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    Thanks for the feedback taleblou.

    You clearly spent more time testing it than I did .
    I tried it , watched it working , and did a few security related tests ; then I uninstalled it and put it aside " for a rainy day ".

    I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who saw this type of "throttling" behavior from Cyberghost Free.
     
  6. redcell

    redcell Registered Member

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    Sorry to say this but there's no such thing as reliable VPN in terms of full privacy.

    I'm sure we're all aware of concerns like DNS leak, connection break and VPN server logging, Don't take anyone's word for it unless you test it yourself. I've posted in the long time ago in this forum to use chaining method.

    Your base connection must not be your own ISP. Then, within your encryted OS:
    VM1 OS1 (VPN1) -> VM2 OS2 (VPN2 + TOR + browser proxy)
     
  7. david banner

    david banner Registered Member

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    how do you do that?


    i think cyberghost is ok. any free program will not give the same service as its paid brother. I got a free 3 month premium key a few months ago and such offers happen from time to time

    cyberghost don't keep logs and when the vpn connection drops the internet connection drops too. They give a link to check for dns leaks
     
  8. david banner

    david banner Registered Member

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    A friend of mine asked Hotspot Shield:-
    Question:
    Is there aware in the paid. is there data mining and logs kept?

    Reply:
    We do not collect any personally identifiable information on Hotspot Shield. Hotspot Shield automatically collects certain non-personally identifiable information from Users that is used in the aggregate only. We do not collect, store, or share any permanent identifiers of Users, including IP addresses. We do not keep any kind of activity logs for any of our users, whether they are free or Elite. Please note that Hotspot Shield only enables privacy and encrypts user Internet sessions when it is turned ON. Having Hotspot Shield on the desktop, without turning it ON does not do anything. Unless Users turn Hotspot Shield ON and opt into the service, Hotspot Shield will be completely idle.


    Hotspot Shield encrypts every page visited by our Users, thus protecting communications between each User and the Internet. AnchorFree Hotspot Shield employs certain physical, managerial, and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of any information collected. We cannot, however, ensure or warrant that the safeguards will be uninterrupted or effective, or that any information you transmit to AnchorFree Hotspot Shield will remain secure, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission of information, AnchorFree employs certain techniques and technologies to ensure the security of our systems. However, please note that this is not a guarantee that such information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. If AnchorFree learns of a security systems breach, we may post a notice on the AnchorFree website to notify Users. Please note that Hotspot Shield helps secure your Internet session, not your computer. Hotspot Shield does not protect your computer from viruses or malware. We recommend getting anti-virus/anti-malware solutions from one of our reputable partners in order to also help secure your computer.

    The Information Hotspot Shield Collects:
    "Cookies" Information. When you use Hotspot Shield, we may send one or more cookies - a small text file containing a string of alphanumeric characters - to your computer. Hotspot Shield uses both session cookies and persistent cookies. A persistent cookie remains after you close your browser and may be used by your browser on subsequent use of Hotspot Shield. These persistent types of cookies can be removed, but each web browser is a little different, so please look through your browser "Help" file to learn the correct way to modify your cookies set-up.
    "Automatically Collected" Information. When you use the Hotspot Shield, we automatically record certain information from your web browser by using different types of proprietary technology, including cookies. The automatically-collected information does not identify a User personally, and AnchorFree only uses the automatically collected information in the aggregate for various purposes, including but not limited to monitoring the advertisements displayed on the Hotspot Shield.
     
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