Background Hidemyass Android
Hide My Ass! (HMA!) Is a company, with Its claim to fame being its number of subscribers — it has more than 400 million, now. This provider has seen its share of controversy with respect to consumer privacy. It recently made upgrades in the hopes of redeeming itself and winning back the loyalty of its readers support to it. Hidemyass Android
We took it To get a test run to find out whether it’s worth and how much it’s improved the money.
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What’s a VPN?
It creates an encrypted tunnel to when you trigger a VPN Guard your information as it passes from your computer to a host controlled by the VPN. From there, your info releases onto the net. It’s a simple concept, but one with tremendous impacts to your privacy and security.
It prevents anybody lurking on your neighborhood Network from intercepting or monitoring your activity. Though the airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi network appears safe (it might even be password-protected) it’s not actually secure unless you are using a VPN. For another thing, a VPN can stop your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from gathering information about your online activities so it can sell anonymized user information to the highest bidder.
A VPN also makes it difficult to correlate your Online activities with your identity. Because your traffic is exiting from the VPN company’s server, you appear to have its IP address, effectively hiding your true location. Additionally, it compels even the most determined attacker to try and sort through all of the visitors from different users on the same VPN server to obtain what they’re after. For these reasons, and much more, you need a VPN on your lifetime.
Note that your visitors is only encrypted by a VPN till it exits via the VPN server. Provided that the site your data should be protected all the way. Additionally, while VPNs can provide a modicum of anonymity, a tool like the Tor system is far better at concealing your identity.
VPNs have long been used by journalists and political activists To circumvent censorship in countries with repressive net policies. They are also useful if you are looking to circumvent geographic restrictions on streaming content. A VPN can spoof your existing location, providing you with access to geographically restricted content like BBC streaming or MLB TV. Some VPNs do not appreciate these activities (which might be in breach of terms of service or even local laws) and content providers such as Netflix are breaking down on users that spoof their location and the VPN providers they utilize to perform it.
There is a good opportunity Which you may not have ever laid hands on a VPN before. Do not worry, if that’s true! We have got a whole feature about the best way best to prepare and use a VPN. Hidemyass Android
VPN Protocols
There are several techniques. My Preferred method uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is famous for its speed and reliability. It’s also open minded, and therefore has been chosen over for potential vulnerabilities by anyone with the interest to do so.
Hide My Ass uses OpenVPN on Windows, with an older version That supports PPTP, and L2TP, too. There are also two different versions of the macOS app which, taken collectively, support IPSec (IKEv1 and v2), L2TP, and PPTP. Note that these old versions of this app are being phased out by the developer. The iOS variant uses only IPSec, along with the Android app uses just OpenVPN.
That’s a Small hodgepodge, and I am frustrated that Hide My Ass does not provide OpenVPN on all platforms. Nevertheless, a number of the issue is with the programs. Apple requires programmers to jump through additional hoops if they want to include OpenVPN within an app, but a lot of them are starting to move in this direction. I’d like to view Hide My Ass do exactly the same, across the board.
Your Privacy With Hide My Ass
With any security product, you want to be sure that the Business behind it’s going to be operating in your best interests. This is especially true for VPNs, which are intended to improve privacy and security. If a VPN business is simply as nosey as your ISP, there’s not much point in using it.
While I review VPNs, I browse the Organization’s privacy policy And speak with agents to be able to better understand how your data is used and stored. In the instance of Hide My Ass, the corporation ought to be praised on its privacy policy. It states Hide My personal logs your own username, the timestamp of connection and disconnection, the number of information transmitted, your real IP address, and the IP address of the host you linked to. This is not radically different from what’s provided by other providers. In reality, it’s very like Golden Frog VyprVPN’s policy.
What is notable is that Hide My Ass Will store this data for two to three months, while VyprVPN shops it for only 30 days. Other services hold even less information, or they dispose of it immediately. Hide My Ass says it retains this data for this time period so as to improve performance, prevent fraud, and prevent bad guys from using the VPN to send spam. The organization, especially, also lists file sharing among the illicit activities it takes this information to prevent, despite the firm being fine by means of BitTorrent on some servers.
It May be possible that this advice could be used To correlate an individual’s identity to particular activity online, but it will likely be very difficult. Even with this information, an audience would need to know which VPN server to watch then compare this action against Hide My Ass’s logs, and also be able to parse out the target’s traffic from everybody else using the exact same server.
The Hide My privacy policy also clearly says that it Does not monitor or store the actual content of your internet activity. So, the support isn’t looking at your websites or the files that you are downloading. That’s great, and just what you wish to hear by a VPN company.
Before, some VPN companies monetized consumers by Injecting ads into their internet traffic. Hide My Ass says it does not do that, and goes even farther. A business representative explained to me the firm does not profit from consumer data at all.
The actual place of a VPN company also issues, as it Can notify what protections are afforded to clients. Hide My Ass works under the jurisdiction of England and Wales, also gets its business headquarters in London. The UK at does have data retention legislation. That’s not ideal. Many other VPN services operate in countries without data retention laws, or in ones which have favorable privacy protections for customers. Hidemyass Android
I don’t believe It’s likely to make a decision About a company’s advantages based solely on its place. But, it is very important to understand the laws and policies on the job in a business with intimate access. I encourage readers to think about this advice, and pick a VPN service.
Programs and Server Locations
A key differentiator between VPN services is the amount of Servers that are available and their geographical distribution. Lots of servers means you are more likely to locate a server that’s not bogged down with other consumers. For its part, Hide My Ass has a very commendable 876 servers at its disposal. Nevertheless, Private online Access NordVPN, and TorGuard VPN have over 3,000 servers apiece. These are my benchmarks for robustness from the VPN server class.
Geographic distribution of those servers is also quite important. A great deal of locations means more to choose from for functions, but also ensures that no matter where you travel there will be a local server for the very best performance. Hide My Ass has an extremely impressive server places across some 220 countries. It’s easily.
The list of server locations that were accessible Provided by Hide My Ass is especially noteworthy because it covers regions often ignored by VPN companies. It has, as an example, server places that are numerous across the continent of Africa–a rarity among VPN businesses. It maintains servers in China, Russia, and Turkey, which have net policies that are repressive.
Some consumers May Be concerned about a VPN company’s Use of servers. These are servers that make a single physical server operate as several servers. Virtual servers may also be configured to behave as if they are in 1 state when they’re in a different, which is an issue if you’re concerned about where your data is traveling.
I was told by A company representative this a full 225 of the 286 server places provided by Hide My Ass are virtual servers. Only 61 of the server places are hardware, and 450 of Hide My Ass’s 876 servers are all virtual. That’s far beyond other providers. NordVPN, Private Internet Access, TunnelBear, IPVanish, and TorGuard utilize physical infrastructure to get their host locations.
A company representative explained to me that majority of the Firm’s physical server infrastructure is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Miami, New York, Prague, Seattle, and Singapore. This doesn’t really jibe with what Hide My Ass lists on its own website. I’d love to see future versions of Hide My Ass be clearer about when you are connected to a virtual server.
Installation and interface
Getting Began with Hide My Ass! Is super simple and the updated programs are very user-friendly. You’ll be given a license key, once you register for your account. You can use your own credentials (username and password) to log into any program. With the aim of this inspection, we have tested the Windows client as well as the iOS app. Hidemyass Android
Desktop
As Soon as You’ve Logged in and launched the , you’ll be greeted with the Success! screen. Click Got It! To get the app’s main screen. Here you have three choices for modes: Location Mode, Immediate Mode, and Freedom Mode.
In Immediate Mode, you can click the arrow And you’re going to be connected to the server for your site.
In Location mode, you can choose that You connect to. Click Change Location to see your options. There is. All will show you an state listing. Clicking the arrow will show you locations within that country.
Speedy Access shows you a list of servers you’ve Connected to, as well as some options. Streaming will provide you a choice of two servers acceptable for unblocking popular streaming services such as Netflix, one in the united states and one in the united kingdom.
Peer to Peer shows You all servers that permit filesharing. Ultimately, there’s the Favorites choice; to indicate a server as a favorite, on the center can click to the right of the server name.
Going back To the main screen, the one other option here is Freedom Mode, that is targeted at users who want to bypass censorship. This mode will link you to a host in the closest country that’s deemed to be free of censorship.
You can Get into the Settings by clicking the menu icon at the top left corner of the main display and selecting Preferences. Here, you will find three tabs: General and Kill Switch. From the Generalscreen, you can change your startup options, such as starting when your computer turn on or if the app launches.
You also Possess a Private Privacy department housing one alternative that relates to Quick Access in Location Mode. If you want to hide your history, then you can uncheck the box.
Next, We have the Network Security screen in which you may select settings for wifi protection that is automatic. You can also turn on the IP shuffle feature making it harder for someone to detect where you are by periodically changing your IP address. One more option in this display allows you to utilize TCP using OpenVPN. However, this is only recommended if UDP is blocked or throttled. TCP is more stable, but UDP is typically faster.
The Last tab is the Switch tab, so that it works for many applications, where you can toggle on this feature. You can even add single applications and decide whether or not to apply it.
This Is a app that is fairly robust and it’s definitely both visually pleasing and easy-to-use.
Mobile
Many Providers will have a mobile program that’s unrecognizable compared to the desktop version. However, HMA! Has streamlined its product, and also the iOS app looks almost like the Windows version.
As Soon as You’re You’ll get to the screen, which is exactly like the primary screen in the app. Here you can choose from Instant Mode, Location Mode, or Freedom Mode.
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The Only real difference is that if you select Location Mode, your choices are presented in a different manner. You have three tabs: Countries, Cities, and Favorites, but lacking are speedy Access, and the options found from the desktop such as Streaming, Peer to Peer.
To Access the streaming servers in the program, you’ll have to go to the Cities list and find the Liberty Island server beneath US, New York. The UK Town server can be located to UK Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
Moving on, The settings to the app can be retrieved by clicking on the menu icon and selecting Settings. There you’ve got two options: Private solitude and Link Rules.
In The Link Rules segment, it is possible to adjust wifi security preferences and decide whether to auto reconnect when wifi or mobile connections are interrupted.
The Personal privacy section just has 1 option: Share usage data with third parties for analytics, which will be your permission to”enable app and device use data to be shared with third parties for analytics.” Bear in mind that this is enabled by default so that it may be one of the things that you wish to turn off.
Overall, This is a sleek and intuitive program, but many users may be missing additional features such as a kill button and also the choice to change protocols.
Servers and functionality
The Hide My Ass! Network comprises over 850 servers. Some of these are virtual servers, but a customer support representative was unable to tell us just how many. Hidemyass Android
As we Discussed earlier, HMA offers many options for choosing the right server, including distinct modes and the ability to mark servers as favorites. Are marked using a symbol.
We analyzed Servers for functionality in also the UK and the usa in terms of streaming, browsing, and downloading. Besides there being an obvious lag in page loading times when attached with a UK server when surfing, there were no substantial problems. This is not uncommon for geographically distant servers (the evaluations were carried out in Toronto, Canada), but could be frustrating, particularly for users with slow net rates.
We did not See any lag or streaming whilst streaming 1080p using any of the test servers and could play online games without any difficulties.
HideMyAss! and Netflix
Hide My Ass! unblocks Netflix! But do not expect to simply link to some Server and proceed. When we analyzed servers that are random with US Netflix with the desktop client, we had no chance. However, if you select the Streaming option in the dropdown inside Location Mode, you will see two options: a US host (USA, New York, Liberty Island) along with a UK server (UK, Donkey Town). Note that in the app, you will have to obtain these inside the Cities list in Location Mode.
Connecting With no issue server gave us access Into the US. Connecting to the UK one enabled access to BBC iPlayer in Addition to UK Netflix. Many suppliers only focus on providing US Netflix accessibility, so it’s refreshing to see one which strives to give access to the UK library also. What’s more, BBC iPlayer is seriously cracking down on VPN usage, so the ability to unblock this support is a wonderful perk.
If you are You may need to go elsewhere. HMA! Is having trouble unblocking this service at this time and a customer support representative informed us that there is no estimated time for when it may be functioning .
HideMyAss! in China?
Hide My Ass! Does not operate in China. It used to, but recent HMA! Responses in service forums have indicated that the service doesn’t longer function for a few users. You can try your luck, but you’d best look elsewhere if you want a China VPN.
HideMyAss! Speed test functionality
For any VPN That is compatible with our test procedures, ongoing speed tests that were designed to be as empirical as possible are run by us. We utilize a Canadian evaluation server to connect to VPN servers in the US, the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, and Germany. For each and every location, we download an evaluation file (50MB in size) from a US server. This can be done four times per day in intervals. The average download speed for each test is listed and the information is displayed.
You can see From the easy graph below how HMA! Compares to another VPN services we have been analyzing. In regards to download speeds, while it does not have the fastest rates, it’s close to the front of the package.
You can see that the spread in outcomes is not as tight as some of the test VPNs, by clicking on the Detailed tab. This usually means when it comes to speeds you may observe some inconsistency.
It’s Important to be aware that these tests aren’t definitive and can function as an overall indication of the performance you may see. The internet’s volatility adds a substantial factor of randomness. What’s more, you will probably see longer wait times using a slow connection, and smaller or bigger discrepancies. Hidemyass Android
Customer Services
If you need Any aid whilst setting up or using the service, HMA! Has a couple of options for you to select from. Clicking the Help tab you’ll find also a Knowledge Base along with a Getting Started section. These each house articles associated with setting up, troubleshooting, and general queries. So before seeking other options, that you might want to research both there is a crossover.
In addition, You’ll locate a Community button which contributes to a discussion section. This can be segregated into various topics; while others are active some appear to be out of date. Under that, there are some FAQs.
If you don’t Discover what you’re searching for, or you simply need a reply, you can click the live chat button at the bottom right-hand corner of this display. The service is prompt and educated, and representatives were able to resolve problems we encountered. At one point, a representative advised he’d escalate the issue as an email request and was unable to answer some safety questions. This has been responded to in under two hours which is very quick for an email response.
Security and privacy
Hide My Ass! Is based in the united kingdom, so it is subject to data retention legislation. The UK can be a Five Eyes (and Fourteen Eyes) country, which means it’s part of an alliance which allows monitoring by external authorities. Plus, it is home to the Charter which imposes regulations of the Snooper.
For many VPNs, data retention legislation in their home country are not really a problem. This is because they function using a real no-logs policy where no connection or traffic logs are kept by them. They can not be tied to a single user even when connection logs are kept by them.
Regrettably, HMA! Isn’t one of these VPNs and contains a privacy policy that users will find off-putting. For one, while you can anticipate your IP address will be logged, along with timestamps and the number of information used. This is a big no-no for VPNs in general. Though an IP address is considered to be information that is personally identifiable, the fact is that this information can and has been used to trace the action of people. IP addresses are used in countless cases to help find and convict offenders. We are pro-privacy while we certainly don’t condone actions, also this policy does not cut it. Hidemyass Android
Moreover, Hide My Ass! Telephones the VPN IP address Attached into a session. Here is the IP address when you see it that a site operator can see and document. Since both the actual and VPN IP addresses are logged, between the end and VPN website logs, it might technically be possible to piece together all of a user’s internet activity. You may have seen news of a 2011 FBI case involving HMA! Where it passed over logs which were utilized to track a hacker down. Certainly, this is a mark for privacy.
One way to Make this less of an issue and to perhaps confuse things a bit is to make the most of this IP address shuffle attribute. When enabled in the Network Security screen of the program, this periodically switches outside your IP address to get a different one. It wouldn’t make you untraceable but may put in a layer of obfuscation.
Privacy Issues on the safety front, Hide My Ass! Fares fairly well. It uses 256-bit AES encryption, which is considered military-grade. This perfect forward secrecy and is in combination with 4096-bit RSA keys. It employs exactly the protocol UDP by default, however you can switch to TCP within the client. PPTP, L2TP, IPSec are available, depending on which app you’re using.
The versions boast To work for particular programs. A kill switch will kill the online connection if the VPN link drop for a certain reason. This attribute isn’t available in the mobile programs
A live chat Customer service representative advised us that there’s no DNS leak security. However, another company representative assured us that there is actually DNS and IPv6 leak protection, but no WebRTC escape protection. When we analyzed the support we didn’t see any DNS leak issues aside from leaks. HMA! Whereas ones would be preferable from a privacy standpoint does use public DNS servers.
1 handy Feature that Hide My Ass! Offers is automatic wifi protection, which can be customized in the in the Network Security section of the client or the Connection Rules tab of the app configurations.
Characteristics and pricing
Hide My Ass! Offers one merchandise with prices you sign up for. It’s definitely not one of the providers available. A 12-month planwill put you back $6.99 a month, which is greater than the average price for a similar term. What’s more, a great deal of VPN providers that are top will supply a protracted plan; for instance, a two- or three-year term with steeper discounts. Hidemyass Android
If You are not prepared to sign up to get a one-year term only yet, HMA! Does offer a six-month plan for $7.99 a month or you can pay on a monthly basis for $11.99 a month. These rates are a little above average if you compare to competitors.
Payment Choices include UnionPay, PayPal, and major credit cards. For much more privacy-conscious users, bitcoin along with other cryptocurrencies are payment methods. There’s a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can have your payment refunded, if you’re not satisfied with the service.
So what do You get for the money? Hide My Ass! Has a community of over 850 servers in over 180 countries. Some are dedicated to accessing streaming websites and certain servers permit P2P filesharing (read: torrenting). All plans have unlimited bandwidth and you can connect up to five devices. Programs are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. The VPN may be configured with a few routers and Linux. Pre-configured routers are available as an alternate.
From a Security standpoint, HMA! Offers automatic wifi protection, perfect forward secrecy, encryption, along with the desktop programs include a kill switch. However, the coverage problems that plagued the service in the past stay, so privacy is an issue.
Summary
For the most part, HMA! Provides a support. It has unlimited bandwidth speeds, and a decent network of servers. It’s able to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix US, Netflix UK, and BBC iPlayer. Additionally, it offers strong security apps, and customer support.
On the Surface, it feels like HMA! Would be a good alternative for torrenters, without a information Caps and some servers acceptable for P2P. However, the problems with the privacy Policy are a concern in addition to any other privacy-conscious users. This is the only for this Provider, but it is a large one. Other issues include the inability to operate Reliably in the somewhat hefty price tag along with China. Hidemyass Android
Click here to sign up for Hide My Ass! Today!