VPN
The latest news and reviews of VPNs.
Latest
Google fights rule that would let the US hack devices worldwide
The US is already snooping on computers around the world, but Google is worried that it might be sneaking in a rule change that would sanction more nosy behavior. The search firm has filed comments protesting an advisory committee proposal that would let the government get warrants for "remote access" to phones and PCs when their locations are hidden "through technological means." While the change is ostensibly targeted at American suspects masking their connections or running botnets, Google is worried that the proposal is worded such that it would allow law enforcement to hack into devices worldwide without any real political debate on the subject. After all, someone on a virtual private network could easily be in another country -- you might not know until you've broken in.
Netflix clamps down on attempts to dodge its regional restrictions (updated)
Netflix can only stream the videos that studios make available in a given country, which has led to a booming business in workarounds (such as proxies and virtual private networks) that let you see the company's catalogs in other nations. Heck, one New Zealand internet provider practically built a service around it. However, you might not get to count on that unofficial solution for much longer. VPN operators claim to TorrentFreak that Netflix recently started blocking some users who use these technological loopholes to watch videos that would normally be verboten. The effort isn't widespread and mostly appears to focus on connections with many simultaneous Netflix sign-ins (that is, they're obviously being used for circumvention), but it's a surprise to viewers who were used to having unfettered access.
Canadian internet providers now have to forward warnings to pirates
Watch out, Canada: you now have to deal with anti-piracy notices, much like your American friends. The country has just implemented a copyright law provision that requires internet providers to forward copyright violation warnings to customers caught downloading allegedly pirated material. The networks aren't obliged to punish you, so accusations shouldn't lead to disconnections or throttling. However, there's nothing dictating what those messages are allowed to say. There's a concern that the law lets copyright settlement firms run rampant, like they have in the US -- they may try to scare you into making an expensive payment rather than defending yourself in court. Also, virtual private network hosts will have to keep six months' worth of activity logs on hand, so your privacy is at greater risk even if you're squeaky clean. It'll be a while before Canucks know the full effect of this measure, but there is a chance that it'll create more problems than it solves. [Image credit: Samuel Chambaud/AFP/Getty Images]
Opera Max can now save Android mobile data in 16 more regions
Over the last few months, Opera's been slowly rolling out Max across the world to save mobile data -- apparently by up to 50 percent, including images and videos -- on Android devices, and its recent collaboration with MediaTek is no doubt a big boost to the service's street cred. But the Norwegian company isn't done yet. While Opera Max is already available to users based in most parts of the Americas, all European Union countries, Russia and others, today Opera added 16 more regions to the list. Just to name a few, these include Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. You can see Opera's full list after the break, and then head to Google's Play Store to grab the Android Lollipop-ready data compression app.
TunnelBear VPN lets you surf, securely
TunnelBear VPN is a simple app that works beautifully to let you securely surf online using your iPhone or iPad (and there's a Mac version as well). A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an encrypted connection to a server that permits you to be online without worrying about anyone stealing your passwords or watching your private communications. It also helps to defeat software that tracks your movements online. VPNs are handy for anyone who is concerned about their privacy. Because VPNs hides your location, you can easily connect to a VPN server in another country, which will have the effect of making servers in that country think you are local. This lets you get around restrictions that might be in place. More on that in a minute. Using TunnelBear is pretty straightforward. After you create a free account, you are walked through the steps to get it set up and working. This involves installing a network profile onto your iPhone or iPad but TunnelBear makes it as easy as it can be. You are given the choice of one of two ways to connect to the VPN. The first is through the app itself. The second is using the Settings App on your iPhone or iPad. The latter approach provides faster connecting but may be more technical than some people would like. The app's interface is quite entertaining and also easy to use and understand. You can always try one and then switch to the other by choosing "Reinstall Profile" from TunnelBear's menu in the app. Once you are set up then you can connect. Connecting to the country you live in is the best plan unless you specifically need to appear as if you are in a different country. In my tests, using TunnelBear's VPN is noticeably slower when tunneling to, say, the United Kingdom from the United States. There is a slowdown tunneling locally as well but it is nowhere near as great as it was going across the pond, as it were. TunnelBear claims you should see about 80%-90% of your normal speed and my tests showed that when tunneling within the United States. When I connected to the United Kingdom, that speed dropped as low as 50% at one point. All tests were done using Ookla's Speedtest App. If you are new to the concept of the VPN you might wonder when you would want to use it. Generally, I do whenever I find myself on a public WiFi network. You really don't know who's running it or who might be lurking around on it. For me, the killer feature is the ease with which you can appear to be in a foreign country. During the London Summer Olympics a while back, I heard that some people (cough) made good use of TunnelBear in watching the live, unedited, and un-ruined-by-NBC-commentary feeds from the BBC rather than waiting for prime-time. I have heard others have used it for Downton Abbey or Doctor Who purposes as well. I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of these statements. (Technically, doing anything like this is not allowed and is frowned upon.) I may or may not have used it to watch the live results in the UK of the historic vote on Scottish independence at 1AM. TunnelBear VPN takes the mystique and technogeekery out of the VPN and does so with a delightful and whimsical user interface. I've tried a few of these types of apps and this is the one I come back to again and again. The app is designed for both iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 7 and up. It provides 500MB free data per month (which is hardly enough to do much of anything) and offers in-app purchases of data plans including US$2.99/month, $7.99 every 3 months, or $29.99 for a full year. Note that if you get the free Mac version and buy a plan through it or through TunnelBear's website, the prices are $4.99/month or $49.99 per year but that gives you unlimited use on your Mac and up to two mobile devices (including Android). For many, that will be the better deal. The iPhone and iPad in-App plans are only for a single device. Finally, you can get 1 free gigabyte of data by tweeting them and asking for it. Instructions are in the app and on their website.
Ask TUAW Live is on the air at 5 PM ET today!
"Ask TUAW Live" happens today, Tuesday, May 06, 2014 at 5:00:00 PM EDT. You can check here for showtimes in your area. We're taking your questions now via the Ask Tuaw feedback form, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. We will be joined by special guest Dave Peck, developer of Cloak, the ever-popular Virtual Private Network (VPN) app designed specifically for Apple devices. To watch the live feed and participate in the chat, jump over to the TUAW page on Google+. There you will find links to this Google Hangout. Bring your questions, ideas, tips and tricks, or recipes for craft cocktails to share with the rest of the TUAW community. NOTE: Due to the way Google handles Hangouts for Pages, you will need to add the TUAW page on Google+ to your circles so we can circle back. Is that what they call it these days? Panel Dave Peck (Cloak) Shawn Boyd (Host) Patrice Brend'amour Mikel Potts Hal Sherman Charles Akimoto Kelly Guimont Cloak & Security Cloak OpenVPN Wifi Pineapple Cloak and Heartbleed Imperial Violet 1Password Watchtower 1Password 4 Keychain Design Dropbox (LA Times) Paranoia for beginners Diceware OverCloak in the Settings (Mac) Pick Chuck: Samsung 840 EVO 1TB Dave: Monument Valley Hal: Scio (Kickstarter) Kelly: Star Wars Cantina Band Auditions Mikel: Tales of Honor: The Secret Fleet Patrice: Mortified Nation Doc: Logitech Anywhere MX for PC and Mac
Hulu attempts to block international viewers who use VPNs
It's no secret that many use virtual private networks (VPN) to dodge Hulu's ban on TV streaming outside of the US, and the company is now clamping down on these surreptitious international viewers. TorrentFreak reports that Hulu has started blocking anyone trying to access its service from commonly used VPN services, whether or not they're stateside. If you're from the US, you're told to "disable your anonymizer." We've reached out to Hulu for its official response, but there's no doubt that it's giving foreigners the boot.
Turkish ISPs make getting to YouTube a little easier, but haven't unblocked it yet
Even after the unbanning of Twitter and a court ruling in Google's favor, YouTube is still blocked in Turkey. Accessing the video streaming site did get a little easier today however, as the Wall Street Journal has confirmed residents can once again use DNS servers from Google, Level3 and OpenDNS that will route them around the block. More easily implemented than using a VPN, it finally reopens access via those servers after they were blocked ten days ago. There's no public statement available from the ISPs or the Turkish government, but hopefully unrestricted access to the best YouTube has to offer is coming soon.
Here's how the NSA can collect data from millions of PCs
We know that the NSA has been ramping up its efforts to collect data from computers, but it's now clear that the intelligence agency has the tools to compromise those computers on a grand scale. Information leaked by Edward Snowden to The Intercept has revealed that the NSA has spent recent years automating the way it plants surveillance software. The key is Turbine, a system launched in 2010 that automatically sets up implants and simplifies fetching data; agents only have to know what information they want, rather than file locations or other app-specific details. A grid of sensors, nicknamed Turmoil, automatically spots extracted info and relays it to NSA staff. The combined platform lets the organization scrape content from "potentially millions" of PCs, instead of focusing only on the highest-priority targets.
FreedomPop's new smartphone keeps your calls and data private for $189
When surveillance agencies collect large volumes of cellular data, it's easy to understand why you'd want an extra-secure smartphone. Those devices aren't always affordable, though, which is why FreedomPop has launched the Privacy Phone for $189 contract-free. It's ultimately an old Galaxy S II, but its software boasts some strong secrecy measures -- all of its internet-based calls and messages are encrypted, and data goes through a virtual private network (VPN) that masks your identity. Don't count on total security. FreedomPop isn't using more than 128-bit encryption, and VPNs aren't always safe from prying eyes. Still, the Privacy Phone may fit the bill if you're looking for better-than-usual anonymity at a low price.
Back off, NSA: Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-focused smartphone
You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest in Firefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it'll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We're looking at an Android-based phone with a "top performing" processor and a cellular module that will be unlocked, free of geographical restrictions and compatible with any GSM network. In place of carrier bloatware, we're promised a skin called "PrivatOS" that will allow you to make and receive secure phone calls and text messages, store files securely and browse the web privately through an anonymous VPN -- services that are largely already available from Silent Circle, which happens to be a key partner on the Blackphone project. That's pretty much all we know for now, but pre-orders will begin sometime during the last week of February, and by then we hope to have hands-on impressions and a better understanding of how Blackphone will be different to BlackBerry encryption, Samsung's Knox service and other more established rivals.
How to defeat the 'Great Firewall of China' with an iPhone
Visitors to China are often perplexed to find that they can't access Twitter, Facebook or other sites. The reason isn't that they don't have access to cellular or WiFi networks; instead, it's state censorship and surveillance courtesy of the Golden Shield Project, aka "The Great Firewall of China." Roman Loyola at TechHive recently visited Beijing and used the trip as a research opportunity to see how visitors with iPhones can bypass the Great Firewall and tweet their trip to friends back home. It turns out to be somewhat easy; you just need to have an unlocked GSM iPhone and then purchase a SIM card when you arrive in China. Before you leave, though, you also need to sign up for a virtual private network (VPN) service. Loyola highlights two in particular -- Express VPN and AirVPN -- and taps Express VPN as being much easier to set up. During his time in Beijing, Loyola says he was able to hit Apple, Bing and Instagram without resorting to the VPN. However, Facebook and Twitter weren't available. That's where the VPN came in handy, and Loyola mentioned that other than a noticeable four- to five-second lag when sending a tweet or posting on Facebook, everything worked well. It's a good read for travelers, and an absolute must for those who live or work in China and want unfettered access to the internet. As Loyola points out, "the Chinese government is actively (and endlessly) trying to prevent the use of VPNs to access the 'outside world,'" so it's possible that the methods described in his post may change in the future.
Apple details iOS 7's improved business credentials
While iOS already has a place in the corporate world, that spot isn't guaranteed when there's competition with both a renewed BlackBerry and Samsung's Knox. Accordingly, Apple isn't leaving anything to chance: it just posted a page explaining the business-friendly iOS 7 features that it teased at WWDC. The biggest improvements for end users may be enterprise single sign-on and per app VPN, both of which will save hassles when launching work apps. IT managers should have it easier as well -- iOS devices can join Mobile Device Management as soon as they're activated, and a company can assign apps to individual users without losing control. There's considerably more features than we can list here, but it's clear from a cursory glimpse that Apple likes its foothold in the enterprise.
iTwin Connect updated with Mac support, offers inter-OS personal VPNs
Back in 2009, we might have been a little, well, acerbic in our reaction to the initial iTwin. Yet here we are in good ole 2013, and the plucky USB networking key is alive and well. In fact, it was CES when we saw its latest incarnation -- iTwin Connect -- arrive offering (somewhat more useful) private and public VPN services. At the time this was for Windows only, but that's now changed. Mac users can get the same remote desktop, file access and aforementioned VPN functionality, that will also work between machines of both creeds. If you're on the fence about that $199 price tag, remember that comes with access to iTwin's own public VPN servers, and no subscription fee.
Apple changes its position on iOS VPN changes
Earlier this month, Apple posted a support document on its website with details on how settings would change for iOS users connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs). Now the company has done an about-face, updating the document to inform the public that the changes will not happen. The changes were made following a patent infringement lawsuit by VirnetX against Apple in which Apple was found to have violated a patent through the design of the popular FaceTime software. That loss in court cost Apple US$368 million, and the company made a minor change in the iOS VPN On Demand feature as a result. As Jacqui Cheng of Ars Technica explains, "The change was going to be relatively minor-devices with VPN On Demand configured to 'always' would instead behave as if they were set up to only establish a connection as needed." The latest document from Apple appears to indicate that it has come to an agreement with VirnetX and won't need to issue a software update to make the VPN changes. The document states that "Apple no longer plans to change the behavior of the VPN On Demand feature of iOS 6.1 for devices that have already been shipped. The 'Always' option will continue to work as it currently does on these devices."
Apple forced to change VPN On Demand for iOS due to lawsuit from VirnetX
Apple has announced changes to their VPN on Demand service for iOS devices following a lawsuit by VirnetX. The changes will only effect devices using iOS 6.1 or later. The move come on the heels of a US$368 million ruling against Apple, where a federal jury found the company had violated VirnetX patents. The lawsuit stems from Apple's FaceTime software, arguably among their most popular features. The same day the $368 million decision was passed, VirnetX filed another lawsuit against Apple, this time aiming for a judgment that includes products that were not released when the original case was filed. Apple has released the following explanation of the changes via their support network. Devices using iOS 6.1 and later with VPN On Demand configured to "Always" will behave as if they were configured with the "Establish if needed" option. The device will establish a VPN On Demand connection only if it is unable to resolve the DNS name of the host it is trying to reach. This change will be distributed in an update later this month. If the name of a host can be resolved without a VPN connection, you may see one of the following behaviors: If the host is a web server that presents different content to internal and external users, the VPN On Demand connection will not be established and you will see the external content. If the host is a web or mail server that has a name that can be resolved externally but cannot be contacted externally, the VPN On Demand connection will not be established and you will not be able to connect to the server. If you are using a public DNS service that provides an alternative IP address for hosts that it cannot resolve, the VPN On Demand connection will not be established and you will not be able to connect to the server. If you are using a VPN configuration that includes wildcard entries (such as *.com) that match top-level domains that are publicly accessible, the VPN On Demand connection will not be established when you contact hosts in those domains.
iTwin Connect turns a humble USB stick into your own VPN (video)
Passing files over the internet using iTwin's 256-bit AES encryption's all well and good, but wouldn't it be nice if you could use that connection for other things? Luckily for you, that's just what the iTwin Connect was designed to do. In addition to the usual file-sharing jiggery-pokery, the new hardware can let you surf via your domestic internet connection, control devices on your home network and play with your desktop from afar. Even better, the company is throwing in US, Asia and Europe-based VPN servers of its own, so you can still catch that episode of Duck Dynasty on Hulu if your primary machine's turned off. Despite the raft of new features on offer, the company isn't charging a regular subscription, so all of that will set you back a rather meager $130.
Hands on with WiTopia's VPN service
This week, I gave WiTopia's VPN a try. And to be quite honest, it wasn't exactly the experience I was hoping for. As I discussed in my first post on this topic, Virtual Private Networking offers ways for users to safeguard their data in public situations, when looking for privacy on their desktop computers, and when location shifting. I started my tests as a complete VPN noob. I wasn't sure what I was getting in for, or how well VPN would work with my setup. I resolved to test VPN in various situations and see how well I could still accomplish my goals. Bill Bullock of WiTopia was kind enough to sit down with me and introduce the service before I pulled out my credit card and signed up for an account. "If you're on public WiFi, you should be using VPN," Bullock told me. "It's a matter of education." I decided to test it both in the public situation, the most common VPN experience, as well as on my personal system. Don't forget to switch on the VPN My first lesson was this: using VPN must be a conscious choice. Although iOS makes VPN incredibly easy to use, it doesn't work until you switch it on. Remembering to do that while you're out must become a habit, one that I really struggled to master. When active, a VPN icon appears at the top left in your status bar. This lets you instantly check if you've enabled the service. If you see the icon below, you have. Setting up VPN The set up process was amazingly easy. I just added a new VPN entry, and entered my account credentials as instructed. (Hint: you need to add backslash W before your email.) Total set up could not have taken more than a minute. After that, my account was ready to use whenever I desired -- all it takes is a simple click to get going. What I didn't expect is that various servers provide differing performance levels, presumably based on general load. WiTopia offers dozens of servers. I found that the local Aurora-based server offered iffy response times, but by connecting to Kansas City (just a bit further east), I could obtain far more responsive Internet. Your experience will vary, of course. Because you're directing all your traffic through a server, a slow one can really limit your device's responsiveness. WiTopia offers a help article to assist with slow connections and offers 24/7 customer phone support. Bullock points out, "Another item to remember is you probably retain cookies and other identifiers to iTunes, etc. and that may have had something to do with slowed downloads. We have customers streaming Video all over the world (which is very bandwidth-intensive and finicky) , so if downloads were significantly slowed, beyond what may be normal because we're encrypting all the data, it is likely something that could be tweaked." You can location shift One feature a lot of TUAW bloggers were interested in was VPN place shifting. When you select a server, your location becomes that location. Use a Canadian server, you're in Canada. Use a UK server, you're in Britain. (Attn pedants: I checked and didn't see any for Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, etc.) What did this mean? I was able to install and use the BBC iPlayer app and sample a variety of offerings. Geolimited shows that would not normally play back on my iPad were there for the viewing. (Attn Pedants: We at TUAW do not encourage or discourage geoshifting. The BBC website states "You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast", which does not cover replays. Consult an international lawyer to determine whether you should or should not engage in this behavior.) Location shifting, as much as it delights the heart of those whose home-team basketball game is blacked out, is not without its risks and frustrations. After finishing my tests and reverting to the United States, App Store kept giving me a hard time until I completely rebooted my iPad. These kind of problems were, however, much more frequent on my Mac versus my iPad -- probably because I use my Mac in a much more rigorous way. VPN on my Mac Setting up VPN on my new Mac mini was just as easy as on my iPad and geoshifting even easier -- mostly because I didn't have to type anything once I was all set up. To change locations, I just selected a server from a menu and connected. For the most part, I tried to stay connected to Kansas City -- although I did test out London and the BBC. VPN on a desktop computer is primarily about privacy -- keeping your activities, especially your searches, anonymous. Unfortunately, I found that VPN service often interfered with the tasks I was trying to accomplish. For example, I regularly ran into Google errors like these. Google was convinced that I was some kind of automated bot trying to compromise their service. and this A search on my IP address found it blacklisted due to use by spam bots. I also ran into difficulties working with iTunes Connect (as I was rushing to get out both an update and a new app), with IRC (which often would not allow connections on irc.freenode.net), and with my email server (which I fixed using a WiTopia help page, but I couldn't send email for several days). Downloads ran slower -- especially when trying to move massive quantities of data, including the latest Xcode beta for iOS 6.1, upgrading gigabytes of apps (mostly due to TomTom's 1.3 GB update), and re-downloading movies that iTunes "helpfully" removed to the cloud. After a point, I simply turned off VPN so I could finish my downloads sometime this century. Conclusions After doing my VPN tests, I am totally behind the VPN idea -- regardless of which reputable provider is used. However, for someone who lives by bandwidth and needs reliable Internet access, I'm not entirely sure I would use it 24/7. That's not because I wouldn't want to -- having my searches protected really appeals to me -- but because at least in this configuration, my work day was impacted enough to make it more of a use-with-public-WiFi scenario. My entire VPN experience is, as you can tell, quite limited. So please join in the comments with your person reflections on providers and work flows.
VPN for the rest of us: Interview with WiTopia
VPN, aka Virtual Private Network, is a technology that lets you securely share data across public networks. For the most part, when I think VPN, I typically imagine work-related corporate or federal government accounts, or people accessing the net in countries with excessive government surveillance. But there's a lot more that VPN can do. For example, it's an essential technology for sports fans who must shift the geographic location of their IP addresses so they can watch blacked-out sports from their broadcast region. It's also popular with travelers and coffee-shop-based tech workers who regularly access shared WiFi networks. Nothing harshes your caffeine buzz like having your passwords stolen from your over-the-air traffic. Many people use VPN because it's a work requirement. Others purchase a private account for one of the four reasons here: Security. They share public WiFI hotspots and want to protect their data at cafes, airports and hotels. They'd rather not share their personal credentials with identity thieves. Censorship. They need an end-run around corporate (no playing at the office) or government censorship (think China), so they can access services and websites that they'd otherwise be cut off from. Privacy. They want to avoid oversight, tracking and other privacy infringement by websites like Google. Region Shifting. They're looking to shift locations to access georestricted resources like local blacked-out football games or Hulu from outside the US. I recently had an opportunity to sit down with Bill Bullock, CEO of WiTopia, a personal VPN services provider, to chat about the technology. WiTopia has a good reputation at TUAW and several of our bloggers are customers. Its focus is on providing privacy and security for general users rather than aiming at the total-anonymity user base. WiTopia is practically a geriatric, old-age pensioner in this field, having been founded back in 2005. Bullock told me, "Before us, VPN was really thought to be mostly a corporate and government product. We were one of the first to put out a consumer market VPN." Bullock talked to me about security issues and why home users might want to invest in a VPN account. "Our VPN works over any connection across wires or Wi-Fi." Many consumers don't consider how vulnerable shared wired connections can be, but at hotels, users will still be sharing the same network. "If someone's in another room, they may be able to sniff your traffic." People often feel more secure on a wire, but their data is just as exposed. Sniffing your data, or monitoring the traffic eminating from your computer, is a potential problem at public hotspots. "There are a number of tools available that people with little technical knowledge can use. There's one called FireSheep that works right out of the Firefox browser. It could take over a person's Facebook account, Twitter account, etc. You could hijack a session and log into those services. It's an example of a very easy to use tool that a kid could use." Bullock described a number of other attacks such as one called an "evil twin" attack, where a hacker mimics a local hotspot, encouraging unsuspecting users to connect. It's a kind of WiFi phishing you might encounter at a coffee shop or airport. "You go to see what available wireless networks there are, one might be called FREE WIFI. This is a common thing that bad guys use, where someone advertises their laptop as a WiFi network. You're actually logging on to that laptop. At airports, there are lots of people with a laptop, so they blend in. You still get Internet access because they're hooked up to let you do that but all your data is going through their computer and can be seen and captured." By using a VPN connection to encrypt the traffic from your device, it protects you against these kinds of attacks. Even if you end up moving through a dishonest WiFi broker, they can't read your data. "If you're on public WiFi, you should be using VPN," Bullock said. "It's a matter of education. People used to leave their doors unlocked, but now they don't. Does that mean someone will break in the house? We hope not but WiFi is just radio, just like a radio station. Someone with a little bit of knowledge can capture all your data. They compromise your data and can steal your identity. We don't wish to spread paranoia but it only takes one time to really mess up your life." VPN can also be valuable to those who aren't on the move. When at home or at the office, privacy is the major driver to VPN services. "When you connect to the VPN, we assign you one of our IP addresses, so there's a level of personal privacy. Even if you do a Google search, where there will still be cookies, it gives you a level of personal privacy." Bullock explained that many sites track users by IP addresses. What's more, these addresses don't change as often as you might think they do. "Even with dynamically assigned IPs, I've kept the same Verizon IP address for over a year. If I don't have the VPN on, every search I do is tagged to this IP address and stored. "We all do searches on personally identifiable information. Most people don't want to think about it, but likely every search you have ever done in your entire life is stored on a server somewhere and mapped to a handful of IP addresses that can be identified as you. VPNs give you the ability to opt-out of this information gathering." With VPN you join a group of shared IP addresses that essentially anonymize you into a crowd. "We have thousands of addresses. It's a WiTopia address that's shared among many, many, many people. You get to be lost in the crowd; your ID is cloaked. All traces back to you stop at the Witopia gateway." Because of privacy and security, nearly everyone might consider a personal VPN account. The service works on Macs and Windows, as well as on mobile devices. "Apple has done a really good job of supporting VPN protocols. It's very easy to use on an iPhone or an iPad. You set it up once and after that just slide to ON in Settings. Two, three seconds later, you're ready to use the public WiFi hotspot at Starbucks." WiTopia's basic service costs US$50/year with unlimited data and city switching (in case you want to try out iPlayer or watch Hulu). If you don't like the service within 30 days, you can cancel for a full money-back guarantee. So, how does VPN work in real life? I'll discuss my experiences testing the service in my next post, where I go hands on with WiTopia. It wasn't all smooth going, but it gave me a lot to think about.
Hotspot Shield marks mobile anniversary, offers two-day giveaway
Dropbox isn't the only service celebrating a 100-million milestone this week; the desktop and mobile VPN service Hotspot Shield by AnchorFree is growing fast, and reports that it's passed the 100 million downloads mark for the PC and Mac product. The mobile version (reviewed here), launched one year ago for iOS and now also on Android, has made it past 3 million downloads and is growing by 20 percent per month. Hotspot Shield is celebrating the mobile anniversary with a Twitter-driven giveaway for a month's service. You can check out the details here. I generally dislike the tactic of cluttering your Twitter timeline with tweets for free stuff, and the iOS app already comes with a seven-day trial -- but if you need a month to see if it's worth subscribing, go ahead. The giveaway runs through Saturday morning Pacific time. The HS service does more than simply cloak and protect your Internet connection; it also provides data compression (very handy on mobile devices or slow connections) and filters websites for malware and other issues. Mobile service is available as an in-app purchase for US$0.99 a month or $9.99 a year.