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Imagine using HotSpot Shield to browse a commercial website only to be redirected to a page that is heavily loaded with advertisements. Unfair & Deceptive Consumers use VPNs because they don’t feel safe on the network
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If researchers have gone to the extent of stripping down the source code and reverse engineering the app, the evidence presented might hold enough water for Hotspot Shield’s business to drown.
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These aren’t bugs or anomalies in the software functionality there seems to be a clear intent behind placing third-party trackers. Javascript code was also found to be injected into the app’s core with the intent to track users.Īnybody with a decent amount of computer knowledge can figure how serious these violations are. The team also concluded that sensitive data, such as MAC (Media Access Control) addresses and device IMEI numbers, were also passed on to these third-party sources. Trackers, Injections & Empty PromisesĪ peek into the investigation CDT conducted, with the help of Carnegie Mellon University, would shake the confidence of most loyal users.Ī team of researchers who reverse engineered the application found that it contained at least five different tracking libraries from third-party sources.
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Gorodynasky also claimed that about 97 percent of the VPN software’s user base was running the free edition of the app, which supports ads. This essentially means that even legal authorities, such as governments, cannot ask Hotspot Shield to share user data. In an interview last year, AnchorFree CEO David Gorodynasky made it clear that Hotspot Shield wouldn’t be able to use private data even if they wanted to, because of their “zero knowledge” approach. If CDT is to be believed, AnchorFree is guilty of attempting to make extra money by redirecting users to its partner websites. The primary accusation is in regards to the “anonymous browsing” feature that Hotspot Shield is popularly known for.
The document runs 14 pages long and has listed a host of findings that could implicate AnchorFree, Inc. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), a nonprofit organization that fights for consumer privacy rights, has accused Hotspot Shield of violating their privacy policies.Ī complaint was filed with the Federal Trade Commission earlier this month. The company had a solid foundation and had won over many users and critics alike, until now. It was also extensively used during the Arab Spring protests by citizens in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya to bypass government censorship. Initially released in 2005 by developer AnchorFree, Hotspot Shield has now grown to serve more than 500 million users. It’s a well-known fact that numerous companies that provide VPN services are newly incorporated, and to consumers, that’s bad news. This has compelled users worldwide to do a background check on their VPN providers. VPNs are presumed to be the holy grail of internet privacy, but recent accusations against Hotspot Shield bring back every netizen’s worst fear-nothing can truly protect you online. Hotspot Shield VPN allegations remind users that internet privacy is difficult to achieve if it’s being distributed by incorporated parties.
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