i2Coalition Member Spotlight Q&A: Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield VPN provides users with privacy, security, and access to the internet. It has military-grade encryption and built-in malware and phishing protection to help keep users safe from scams. 

In this Q&A , you’ll find out how Hotspot Shield actually increases download speeds, why stay-at-home orders have made VPN even more important, and much more about how Hotspot Shield and its parent company Pango Inc. does to keep users safe from various threats.

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i2Coalition: In a ZDNet review, the reviewer concluded that Hotspot Shield “actually may defy physics and increase your connection speed.” Is it possible for users to experience faster download speeds using your VPN than without it?

Hotspot Shield: Yes, Hotspot Shield can accelerate internet speed. We’re proud that Hotspot Shield was awarded the “World’s Fastest VPN,” according to Ookla’s Speedtest.net, the de facto source for testing your internet connection’s speed. As part of Speedtest.net’s independent study of VPNs, their experts found that Hotspot Shield actually increased download speeds by 26.2% over long-haul connections compared to a VPN-less connection. They also found that all other VPN providers they tested decreased download speeds by at least 42.5%.

i2C: As more people work from home, more people and companies have been relying on VPNs to browse the internet securely or access company resources. Can you tell us how users can benefit from Hotspot Shield?

Hotspot Shield: Pre-COVID, people browsed from work, cafes, and more, so their search history was naturally more distributed and anonymous. Today, nearly all of our activity is coming from our homes. Using Hotspot Shield VPN helps to anonymize web browsing activity. You can use your VPN when you’d like more privacy or keep it on 24/7 to help keep your identity and online activity more private. Also, with a Premium subscription, you can use Hotspot Shield on your Wi-Fi router so that all traffic is funneled through the VPN right at the source — meaning all internet traffic sent through your router is encrypted and private when you’re at home. 

i2C: Can you talk about some of the security features for Hotspot Shield Premium subscribers that provide additional protection against malware, phishing, and other threats?

Hotspot Shield: Hotspot Shield provides internet security to its Free and Premium subscribers across all platforms, including Windows, Mac, Apple iOS, and Android. It offers military-grade encryption to protect your information from being intercepted by hackers and snoopers, as well as malware and phishing protection. In fact, we notify our users if they’ve visited a suspicious site because we keep a database of 3.5 million known or suspected malware sites, which is updated regularly.  

i2C: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about Hotspot Shield?

Hotspot Shield: Pango Inc. is the company behind Hotspot Shield and offers an all-in-one subscription of premium security and privacy products to protect people and families. With Hotspot Shield Premium, you get free access to a comprehensive security and privacy suite, including: 

• Password manager: 1Password, the #1 best overall password manager, according to WIRED
• Robocall blocking: Robo Shield (available in US and Canada) and Hiya (available outside of US and Canada)
• Identity theft protection: Identity Guard (available in US) 

Hotspot Shield Premium also offers support for unlimited streaming (including Netflix, Hulu, BBC, Prime, Hotstar), with unlimited speeds with no data caps. No browsing logs means you can browse privately and securely when you’re connected to Hotspot Shield VPN.