![]() This is a crucial feature if you are serious about maintaining your privacy. Screenshot from the app.Ī kill switch is a software tool that will shut down your internet automatically if you lose connection to a VPN server. Does Hotspot Shield Have A Kill Switch? The Kill Switch feature in Hotspot Shield’s Windows App. For example, when we tested and reviewed ExpressVPN, one of our top VPN choices, it didn’t log this kind of metadata. Overall, this is more information than we would like for Hotspot Shield to collect and a little more than the average VPN. Hotspot Shield also mentions that it provides location information gathered from its free Android app to its advertising partners, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking of using Hotspot Shield Free on your Android device. Communication information (via email, phone or chat).Device hashes that the service uses to distinguish between different users, particularly for services that don’t require users to register accounts.Domains that users access, but on an anonymized format so that Hotspot Shield doesn’t know who accessed what domains.Amount of bandwidth each session consumed.You can learn more in our Hotspot Shield privacy report, but to summarize, Hotspot Shield records: So to clear our minds, we checked what exactly does Hotspot Shield record. That sounds good, but it’s a little vague. On the Hotspot Shield website, it says that it “doesn’t log any data that could be tied to you, shielding your identity and info from hackers and cyber predators.” Like most VPNs, Hotspot Shield says it has a “no logging” policy. If your VPN service is keeping logs of that data, then it could come back to bite you. Instead of your internet data going to your ISP, it goes to the VPN company. Using a VPN doesn’t automatically make you more secure. Here’s what we found out about Hotspot Shield. When we test VPNs, there are certain features we look for in relation to how secure VPNs are and how convenient they are to use. Moving on with our review, let’s talk about Hotspot Shield’s features. Hotspot Shield Features Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy Screenshot from Website 1 Unfortunately, the 2018 report was the last it ever published. That makes us feel a little bit better, although we wish the company had continued releasing these yearly reports. In addition, the same report showed that Hotspot Shield didn’t release any customer data in 20, despite receiving 92 and 79 requests, respectively. The last report it released showed that in 2018, the company received 56 requests for customer information, but that it didn’t release any data. Now, Hotspot Shield knows that the company’s location could raise doubts, so in recent years, it released transparency reports. Member countries of these alliances have laws that give governments the power to obtain consumer information from companies for purposes such as criminal investigation. is a founding member of the Five Eyes alliance and a part of the bigger Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes alliances of countries. laws, including laws that oblige the company to share customer data with the government whenever necessary. As a company in the U.S., Hotspot Shield is subject to U.S. One slight drawback of Hotspot Shield is its location. And not to spoil anything, but Hotspot Shield’s servers were blazing fast when we tested them. More servers mean less congestion, which often translates to better speeds. It has servers in most global regions such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. It started in 2008 and now has over 1,800 servers in 80 different countries. Hotspot Shield is a VPN company based out of Redwood City, California. Hotspot Shield is a perfect example, with super-fast speeds during our upload and download speed tests.Ībout Hotspot Shield Selecting a Server in the Hotspot Shield App Total security doesn't have to sacrifice speed. Slow customer support for non-paying users: If you're using the free version or simply shopping around Hotspot Shield's website, there's no live chat or phone support option.Strict data retention laws: The United States is not the best place to base a VPN service in, given its membership in Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes.Only five simultaneous connections per account: Five just doesn't cut it for some people.Free option: Hotspot Shield offers a free version that is convenient but capped at 500 MB per day and has a two Mbps speed limit.Can access Netflix: This could change, but for now, Hotspot Shield works with Netflix and other video streaming websites.Speed: Hotspot Shield performed lightning fast during download and upload speed tests.
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