• How Hotspot Shield protects my privacy

    At Hotspot Shield, we believe deeply that information privacy is a fundamental human right, so we work hard to advocate on behalf of information privacy for every person on the planet. This is why we want to be as transparent as possible to make sure you understand our privacy practices. Here are a few ways we protect your privacy:

    •   •   We use 128-bit AES military-grade encryption as a standard
    •   •   We’ll never log, store or share your real IP address with anyone
    •   •   We anonymize users from all third parties, including ourselves

  • How does Hotspot Shield secure my internet connection?

    Turning Hotspot Shield on encrypts all of the traffic between your device and our servers using TLS 1.2 with perfect forward secrecy (ECDHE), 128-bit AES data encryption, and HMAC message authentication. This means that your web traffic on unsecured networks (such as public Wi-Fi at cafés and airports) will be securely encrypted by Hotspot Shield. This encryption also means that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) will not be able to snoop on your web traffic and create records of the websites you’re visiting while Hotspot Shield is turned on — all they can see is that all your traffic is being sent to and from our servers.

  • Does Hotspot Shield log or share my IP address with any third parties?

    No. Your ISP provides you with a unique IP address that may be used by the ISP and by websites to track your browsing activity across the web. Hotspot Shield replaces your IP address with an anonymous proxy IP address associated with one of our servers so that your actual IP address is not shared with the websites you visit. To further anonymize your web presence, Hotspot Shield assigns the same proxy IP address to multiple users, and assigns different proxy IP addresses to the same user over time, disabling third parties (such as ISPs, websites, advertisers, and hackers) from associating specific IP addresses with an individual user’s browsing activity.

    The Hotspot Shield systems are set up to delete your IP address at the end of each session. Hotspot Shield retains no information about your original IP address after you end your VPN session. Furthermore, Hotspot Shield does not share your IP address with unaffiliated third parties.

  • Does Hotspot Shield keep my payment information?

    Hotspot Shield offers two available versions: a free version, and a premium version. If you choose to buy Hotspot Shield Premium, your credit card or other payment information are never collected or stored by Hotspot Shield. If you purchase Hotspot Shield Premium on our website, your payment information is securely sent to either a third party payment processor or PayPal. If you purchase Hotspot Shield Premium via an in-app purchase or in the App Store on your mobile device, your payment information is collected by the app store provider (e.g., Apple or Google).

  • Does using Hotspot Shield protect me from malware, phishing, or spam?

    Using Hotspot Shield protects users from millions of known or suspected malware sites. The free version of Hotspot Shield offers users protection from basic malware sites, known as “Trojan sites,” which are deliberately created to infect a user’s computer with malware when the user downloads or clicks on content.

    Hotspot Shield Premium offers users this basic protection, as well as protection from 3 additional types of malware sites:

    •    •   Phishing sites: sites that mimic sign-in pages of trusted companies in an attempt to steal users’ private information such as passwords or credit card numbers
    •    •   Infected sites: sites that may be legitimate, but have been infected with malware
    •    •   Spam sites and content farms: sites created to earn a share of ad revenue, but have little useful purpose

  • Do I have to create an account to use Hotspot Shield?

    No, creating an account with Hotspot Shield is completely optional. You may choose to provide your email address and create an account to take advantage of Premium services, such as linking up to 5 devices to your account, but there is no requirement to do so. You can use Hotspot Shield without logging in or providing any registration information.

  • Do you collect any information about the websites I visit or the apps I use while using Hotspot Shield?

    We collect only anonymous, aggregate data about which websites our users visit and which apps our users use. We do not attribute any specific website visits or app usage to any specific user. We collect this information to 1) perform analytics on our services, including measuring whether our users are able to successfully access certain websites or apps, 2) troubleshoot service issues and improve service quality, and 3) place generic ads in front of specific apps or websites.

  • Does Hotspot Shield show me ads when using the service?

    The free version of Hotspot Shield is supported by ads, and Hotspot Shield Premium has no ads. The free version of Hotspot Shield may display ads provided by our advertising partners while you are using the service. Our ad partners place generic ads in front of certain apps or websites.

  • Will using Hotspot Shield stop advertisers from collecting any information about me or my device?

    Hotspot Shield does not share any personal information about you with advertisers. Nevertheless, advertisers may be able to collect certain information independently from you or your device when serving ads from the Hotspot Shield application, such as your device’s advertising ID and wireless carrier. For more information regarding your device’s advertising ID and its options, please visit https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3405269 for Android devices or https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202074 for iOS devices.

    Advertisers may also place cookies in your browser that may allow them to collect certain information about your browsing history. To find out more about how to exercise choices with respect to certain third party cookies, including opting out of receiving such cookies, visit the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising at www.aboutads.info, or the Network Advertising Initiative at www.networkadvertising.org.