Hotspot Shield

Internet security becomes more and more important each day. Various threats lurk around the Web, and it’s relatively simple to code a new worm or malware – even a teenager can do this today! This means that neglecting this part of your PC protection can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Hotspot Shield provides a radical solution to many Internet menaces. The program encrypts all the traffic your computer sends and receives while you surf the web and thus wards you against all kind of spying and sniffing activities. It also disguises your identity on the Internet by hiding your IP address. Add malware protection and free VPN proxy and you’ll realize why more than 10 million people all over the world chose this utility to protect their privacy.

Technically, Hotspot Shield reroutes the traffic from your computer to the secured Hotspot Shield server and then sends it to the destination via the safer HTTPS connection. This approach works both as protection for your traffic and as a proxy server to speed up your connection. Thanks to the proxy behavior of the program, you won’t experience lags and slow downs even working with greedy-for-traffic websites like YouTube or Vimeo. The program works with cable and WiFi connections and is browser-independent.

What’s cool about Hotspot Shield is that it is equally efficient both in home or corporate networks and in public (and potentially insecure) networks in cafés, airports, or parks. The authors of the tools claim it “sets up a safe virtual tunnel around the internet traffic” thus protecting your data against hackers, snoopers, and even ISPs. With Hotspot Shield installed, intercepting your traffic is impossible.

Aside from tunneling and malware protection, the program can also work as an effective YouTube unblocker. While this and similar websites are often restricted in many organizations, schools, and universities for valid reasons, there still might be a need to open one in a browser. And here is where Hotspot rocks! Thanks to the redirection of traffic it does, local network rules are not applicable anymore, and therefore YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, or gaming sites are accessible again.

The program would be a definitive recommendation had it no annoying ads, toolbars, and redirects. Upon installation, it changes the home page of all browsers, replaces the default search, and opts you into installing a toolbar as well. While its extensive security capabilities and excellent protection are the reasons why 10 million users installed the tool, the above stated irritation is a plausible reason why many of them could uninstall it shortly. Luckily, you can turn off these “add-ons” during the installation.

Nevertheless, in spite of the mentioned issues, Hotspot Shield can be recommended to anybody taking Internet privacy seriously. The disadvantages of the tool are more than balanced with its strong points.