Internet service providers ( ISPs) in those countries must comply with these laws by keeping logs of their users’ browsing activity and email exchanges. Many developed countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada, as well as most EU member states, have very strict laws on data retention. The country where the provider is incorporated and the laws it has to adhere are commonly referred to as jurisdiction. Like any other business, a VPN provider must operate in accordance with the laws and regulations of the country or state where they are registered. What is a jurisdiction and why does it matter? Your browsing history is never stored: Your online activity (the websites you visit and services you use) are never tracked or stored.Your IP address is stored, but only while you are connected to the VPN: Once you disconnect from the VPN, your IP address is deleted.We have read their privacy policy and transparency report in its entirety, and conclude the following: “Our goal is to be upfront about what we collect” Having over 650 million users around the world, means that it wants to be clear about what data is collects. This can be an issue, as you don’t really know what is being stored. Many VPNs, being relatively small companies, have vague privacy policies. Hotspot Shield has a very clear zero-log policy: It does not log your browsing data and deletes your IP address after you disconnect from the VPN. What is Hotspot Shield’s logging policy like? They have different ideas of what passes as sensitive data, which is why you should always read their privacy policy and at least one or two honest user reviews before signing up. None of the VPN providers we endorse collect personal information about their users.Īs far as other providers are concerned, even if they claim they don’t log any sensitive user data, that might not be entirely true. They tend to use this information for advertising purposes and/or sell it to third-party data collectors.
#Hotspot shield vpn app free
This is usually the case with free providers, which is why we never recommend them.
If your provider keeps logs of the websites you visit, online services you use, and the web searches you make, you shouldn’t take it lightly. There is no need whatsoever for a VPN to spy on your online activity, though. While this isn’t that big a deal from their perspective, it could represent a deal-breaker to users looking for a secure and 100% anonymous browsing experience. The only reason why a VPN provider would need your actual IP address is to find out where their service is being used. As explained, this data is collected anonymously and is typically bundled with similar data collected from other users in order to derive usage and performance statistics. There is usually no need to worry about the first two categories of information – service-specific and connection-specific.
Activity-specific information: Extensive information about your browsing activity which can include the addresses of websites you visit while using the service, as well as your search history.IP-specific information: This information reveals the IP address from which you connected to the service and can be used to pinpoint your exact physical location.Connection-specific information: Anonymous information that shows the dates, times, and length of your browsing sessions and the volume of incoming and outgoing traffic per session.Service-specific information: Anonymous information about the VPN server you use to surf the web, your device’s operating system (OS), and the version of the VPN client that you’re using.The amount and type of data providers keep in user logs varies, but it typically falls into one or more of the following four categories: Though you might not expect them to collect information about their users – after all, the purpose of a VPN is to provide anonymity on the internet – most VPN providers still do that.
#Hotspot shield vpn app how to
What is a logging policy and why does it matter?Įvery app developer wants to know how their app is being used, who is using it, and how to improve its performance to attract even more users. What privacy and security elements do we test for?
The Bad: It does not use its own DNS servers. Moreover, it applies the highly secure AES-256 encryption, and features a kill switch. It also uses its own Hydra Catapult protocol, which is much faster than OpenVPN. The Good: Hotspot Shield has a very clear zero-log policy and does not track anything you do online.
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