
The truth is, no one can know anything for sure, but all we want to know is that they’re being transparent and telling us what information they keep and why. Logging is a big gray area with a lot of VPNs because many of them will claim that they have a “no logging” policy, but you still find out that they’re keeping all of this personally identifiable information about you. Typically any VPN based in the United States is not a good choice because one way or another, they have to log more customer’s information than required for operating VPN service. This factor is a red flag right off the bat because the United States has very tough laws regarding privacy, and even if the company is focused on maintaining your privacy, they’re highly challenged. We know that Pango is based in Silicon Valley, California, which gives Hotspot Shield a US jurisdiction. It makes it much more difficult for them to safeguard your information because third-parties are constantly banging down the door, trying to get at it. Some companies are based in countries with strict laws regarding data retention. These are two of the most important factors because they play a major role in how safe your information is in the hands of the “people in charge.”Įven the best company with the highest of intentions will fail in an environment that is built for them to fail. One of the first things we looked for in this Hotspot Shield VPN review is jurisdiction and privacy laws.

If you’re interested in learning more about these three products outside of Hotspot Shield, we’ll take an in-depth look at them towards the end of the review. It’s essentially identity theft protection that constantly monitors your personal information to ensure that nothing strange is happening with your money. Lastly, they have another product called Identity Guard that protects your digital and financial information from falling into the wrong hands.
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They also have a product called 1Password, which is a password manager that helps you create strong and secure passwords while also storing them in an encrypted database, so you never have to worry about forgetting them. It’s only available in the United States and Canada on apple products, but it blocks robocalls by automatically identifying spam and telemarketing calls. In addition to Hotspot Shield, they have another product called Robo Shield. So, you might be wondering, what else does Pango offer ? Founders of major companies, tech startups, and industry disruptors are all responsible for making Hotspot Shield what we hope it is. If we look at the company directors, we see that there are some big names present here. They’re constantly adding their portfolio of products, so they’re not only providing you with an encrypted connection, but they’re offering an entire suite of products to provide privacy solutions for years to come. They state that they built this company, hoping that everyone could browse the internet safely and securely without having to worry about someone spying on them. By taking a look at their reputation and some of their other product offerings, we can begin to see if their history enhances our opinions of the company and makes us feel more confident about trusting them with our personal data. To better understand Hotspot Shield, we should understand it’s parent company, Pango. While Hotspot Shield does offer a “freemium” plan, it’s pretty limited, and we’ll get into more of those details coming up. And just about one year after, in late 2020, Pango was bought by Aura.Īs with all VPNs, the goal of Hotspot Shield is to develop an encrypted connection through one of the servers allowing users to connect to the internet more securely. The VPN debuted in 2008, founded by the company “ AnchorFree.” This Silicon Valley company eventually developed Hotspot Shield for mobile apps in 20 to work alongside the desktop application. In 2019, Hotspot Shield was acquired by Pango, a developer of the famous password manager app 1Password. That said, here you’re getting the real deal. This process is something you want to avoid because it’s unclear as to what level of security and protection you’re getting. In many cases, other VPNs will “white label” Hotspot Shield and piggyback off their servers.


We frequently see other VPN providers using Hotspot Shield as their VPN provider when they don’t have one to use for themselves. The company has a paid version called Hotspot Shield Elite, and they have their main product, which is a free VPN service.

Hotspot Shield is a virtual private network that’s divided into two parts.
