Barriers to the Internet

Have you ever encountered situations where you wanted to be at some place or gathering of your friends or work colleagues to know what they were planning, but unfortunately, you couldn’t because you weren’t invited? This has at least happened to us when we were small and not allowed in adult circles. What happens next? Your curiosity levels exceed your patience, and you wonder if, through some protection from being caught or invisible powers, you could unlock and sneak into.

Our internet acts much the same way. It has websites you can visit without any hassle, at any time and any number of times, but there are also some mysterious or hidden spots where you will only find barriers. This limited access or no access at all areas can still be visited using some special protocols. One such protocol providing software in our discussion today is called Hotspot Shield.

What is Hotspot Shield?

First released in 2005, Hotspot Shield is an application that establishes an encrypted virtual private network (VPN) with one of its Hotspot Shield public VPN servers, through which you can connect to the internet. Encrypting this connection prevents your internet protocol (IP) address from being exposed, and the web traffic between you and the server is safe from intruders.

Why use Hotspot Shield?

Well, if you are still not using Hotspot Shield, the next thing you will probably go towards after reading this passage is installing it on your devices. And yes, literally most, if not all, of your devices.

Few free things have hidden costs

You are probably used to using public Wi-Fi at parks, cafes, restaurants, malls, etc. But do you even know that most of these open internet spots are constantly being watched by their providers and people who happen to be normal users like you? With Hotspot Shield, you can safely use these public internet connections.

Not free, but still not safe

Okay, so you only use private internet connections at your home and office. This looks secure as you know who else is using it, and you trust them. But do you know that your paid internet service providers also collect your web browsing data? By using the Hotspot shield, you are completely anonymous to them also.

Are firewalls and anti-viruses enough?

Firewalls and anti-viruses make sure that no intruders enter your computer system, but what about the traces of your identity you leave on the internet every time you connect and visit some website? Hotspot Shield takes care of this issue as well.

Speed also matters

It is commonly perceived that using a VPN service slows down your internet speed because the data is routed through VPN servers. This is not the case with Hotspot Shield. Hotspot Shield ensures you perform all your tasks at maximum speed while staying safe and secure.

You become untraceable

Do you know that every time you connect to the internet, you are assigned a unique IP address through which your exact location can easily be traced? Hotspot Shield makes you change your physical location to whatever country you want. This way, no one knows where you are accessing the internet from.

Unlock geographically locked content

You might have come across apps or websites that are geographically locked; that is, they can only be visited by people residing in specific locations. Hotspot Shield helps you break this barrier and lets you access your favorite content irrespective of location or data source. This might seem similar to being untraceable, but for viewing geographically locked content, you do not have to change your location purposefully. Hotspot shield automatically adjusts itself to help you with this issue.

Pricing and Supported Platforms

Hotspot Shield comes in both free and paid versions. The only conventional differences between the two types are that the free version is not ad-free and has a daily data cap that resets in 24 hours. Hotspot Shield paid version is ad-free and is unlimited to use. Generally speaking, its paid version is also not that expensive for what it's worth.

As for the supported platforms, Hotspot Shield is available for Windows, iOS, and Android users. It also extends to a few browsers, such as Google Chrome in the Chrome web store.

Conclusion

With the advent of events in recent years that raised many questions about our digital privacy, software like Hotspot Shield is a must-support. And although few people say that VPN software collects user data, it’s better to have one leak than allow every app or website to make data breaches to our privacy.