What: AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that can be downloaded to make Internet connections 100% private and secure. The free service seals off users' searching behavior from intruding ISPs, hackers, advertisers and anyone else that would otherwise be able to view personal information and usage data. Why: Internet service providers have begun scanning information their customers view online in order to show targeted ads without user permission, a move that has been called out during Congressional hearings as a violation of the Communications Act. This online behavioral tracking has drawn increased concern due to a new technique called Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), a system is which ISPs track almost every detail of a person's online experience. Who: Most of the controversy has centered on NebuAd, a start-up from Redwood City, Calif. who is using DPI to provide ISP ad-tracking services for Embarq and Cable One. Other Internet advertising companies like Google use similar tracking techniques that include capturing and storing personally identifiable information. How: To download Hotspot Shield and prevent any ad tracking on your computer, go to the AnchorFree Hotspot Shield homepage: http://www.anchorfree.com/downloads/hotspot-shield. The program is free and will install automatically. Hotspot Shield currently runs on Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X (10.5 Leopard) and Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger).
What people are saying about Hotspot Shield: "After trying Hotspot Shield, I think it's better for most people who just want a hassle-free VPN... Hotspot Shield very easily puts your work into an encrypted tunnel where nobody is going to hack you." -- Prominent U.S. technology blogger "[Hotspot Shield] is very quick and easy to install and requires no expertise to configure. Spread the word among your friends... This is friggin' wonderful." -- American blogger in China "In a hotspot at a public location, a bad guy can set up a sniffer to snoop on all the data sent by everyone nearby... Hotspot Shield sets up a virtual private network (VPN) for you and encrypts all of your data so that it can't be read." -- PC World About AnchorFree: AnchorFree, the largest broadband media network, is also the first advertising network to offer consumers full control over their privacy and security through the company's Hotspot Shield, a free advertising supported VPN client available for download at www.anchorfree.com. AnchorFree is a privately held company based in Sunnyvale, California.
Contact Information: Media Contact: Melissa Biles or Tessa Greenwood LaunchSquad 415-625-8555 or anchorfree(at)launchsquad(dot)com