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Hide My Ass! (HMA!) Is a UK-based company, with Its claim to fame has been its huge number of readers — it’s more than 400 million today. This supplier has witnessed its share of controversy with regards to user privacy. It made upgrades to it service in the hopes of winning back the loyalty of its subscribers and redeeming itself. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

We took it To get a test run to see whether it is worth and how much it’s improved the money.

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What Is a VPN?

It creates an encrypted tunnel to when you trigger a VPN Guard your data as it passes from your computer to a server controlled by the VPN. From that point, your data releases onto the internet that is open. It’s a very simple idea, but one with enormous consequences for your privacy and security.

It prevents anyone lurking Community from observation or intercepting your activity. While the airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi network looks safe (it might even be password-protected) it’s not actually secure unless you are using a VPN. For another thing, a VPN can prevent your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from collecting information about your online activities so that it could sell anonymized user information to the highest bidder.

A VPN also makes it Challenging to correlate your Online activities with your identity. Since your traffic is exiting in the VPN firm’s server, you seem to have its own IP address, effectively hiding your true site. Additionally, it compels even the most determined attacker to test to sort through all the visitors from different users on the same VPN server to obtain what they are after. For these reasons, and much more, you want a VPN on your life.

Note that your traffic is only encrypted by a VPN until it exits through the VPN server. Provided that the site your data should be secure all the way. Additionally, while VPNs can provide a modicum of anonymity, a tool like the Tor system is much better at hiding your identity.

VPNs have long been used by journalists and political activists To circumvent censorship in countries with repressive internet policies. They are also useful if you’re searching to circumvent geographical constraints on streaming content. A VPN can spoof your current location, giving you access to restricted content such as BBC streaming or MLB TV. Many VPNs do not enjoy these actions (which may be in violation of terms of support or even local legislation ) and content providers like Netflix are also cracking down on users who spoof their location and the VPN providers they utilize to do it.

There is a Fantastic chance Which you may not have ever laid hands on a VPN before. Don’t worry, if that is true! We have got an entire feature on how to set up and use a VPN. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

VPN Protocols

There are several techniques to create a VPN connection. My Preferred method uses the OpenVPN protocol, which is known for its speed and reliability. It’s also open-source, and therefore has been chosen over for possible vulnerabilities by anyone with the interest to do so.

Hide My Ass uses OpenVPN on Windows, using an older version That supports L2TP, and PPTP, too. There are also two different versions of the macOS app which, taken collectively, support IPSec (IKEv1 and v2), L2TP, and PPTP. Be aware that these older versions of the app are being phased out by the developer. The iOS variant uses only IPSec, and the Android program uses only OpenVPN.

That is a Small hodgepodge, and I am disappointed that Hide My Ass does not offer OpenVPN on all platforms. Nevertheless, some of the matter is with the platforms. Apple requires developers to jump through extra hoops if they want to include OpenVPN within a program, but a lot of them are beginning to move in that way. I would like to view Hide My Ass do exactly the same, across the board.

Your Privacy With Hide My Ass

With any safety item, you want to be sure that the Business behind it will be operating on your best interests. This is especially true for VPNs, which are supposed to improve privacy and security. If a VPN business is just as nosey as your ISP, there’s not much point in using it.

When I examine VPNs, ” I browse the company’s privacy policy And speak with representatives in order to better understand how your information is stored and used. In the instance of Hide My Ass, the corporation ought to be praised on its privacy policy. It says Hide My personal logs your own username, the timestamp of connection and disconnection, the amount of information transmitted, your actual IP address, and the IP address of the host you linked to. This isn’t radically different from what is provided by other providers. In reality, it’s very similar to Golden Frog VyprVPN’s policy.

What is noteworthy is that Hide My Ass Will store this data for two to three weeks, while VyprVPN shops it for only 30 days. Other providers hold less info, or they eliminate it immediately. Hide My Ass states that it keeps this data for this particular time period in order to improve performance, prevent fraud, and prevent bad guys from using the VPN to send spam. The organization, notably, also lists file sharing as one of the illegal actions it requires this information to prevent, regardless of the firm being fine by means of BitTorrent on certain servers.

It might be possible that this advice could be used To correlate a user’s identity to particular activity on the internet, but it would likely be very hard. In spite of this information, an observer would have to know which VPN server to watch and then compare that activity against Hide My Ass’s logs, and have the ability to parse out the target’s visitors from everybody else using the exact same server.

The Hide My privacy policy also clearly states that it Doesn’t monitor or store the real content of your internet activity. So, the service isn’t looking at your websites or the documents that you are downloading. That is 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 doesn’t do this, and goes even further. A business representative explained to me the company doesn’t gain from user data at all.

The actual place of a VPN company also issues, as it Can inform what protections are afforded to clients. Hide My Ass has its own business headquarters in London, and works under the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The UK at large does have data retention legislation. That’s not ideal. Many VPN providers function in countries without data retention laws, or in ones which have privacy protections for consumers. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

I don’t believe It’s likely to make a determination About the benefits of a company based solely on its own place. It is important to understand policies and that the laws on the job in a company with such access. I encourage readers to consider this advice, and pick a VPN service with which they may feel comfortable.

Programs and Server Places

A Vital differentiator between VPN services is the number of Available servers and their geographical distribution. Lots of servers means you’re more likely to locate a server that’s not bogged down with other users. For its own part, Hide My Ass has a respectable servers at its disposal. That said, Personal online accessibility NordVPN, and TorGuard VPN have over 3,000 servers. These are my benchmarks for robustness from the VPN server class.

Geographic distribution of these servers can be quite important. Lots of places means more to pick from for functions that are spoofing, but also ensures that no matter will likely always be a server for the very best performance. Hide My Ass has an extremely impressive server locations across some 220 countries. It’s easily.

The list of available server places Provided by Hide My Ass is noteworthy since regions often ignored by other VPN companies are covered by it. It has, for instance, server places that are numerous throughout the continent of Africa–a rarity among VPN businesses. Additionally, it maintains servers in China, Russia, and Turkey, that have internet policies that are repressive.

Some consumers might be concerned about a company’s Usage of virtual servers. All these are servers which produce a single server function as servers. Virtual servers can also be configured to act as though they are in 1 state when they’re in a different, which is an issue if you are concerned about where your information is traveling.

I was told by A company representative this a complete 225 of the 286 server locations provided by Hide My Ass are all virtual servers. Only 61 of the server places are hardware, and 450 of Hide My Ass’s 876 servers are virtual. That’s far beyond providers. NordVPN, Private Internet accessibility, TunnelBear, IPVanish, and TorGuard simply use physical infrastructure.

A company representative explained to me that bulk 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 website. I’d love to see future versions of Hide My Ass be clearer about when you’re connected to a virtual server.

Installation and interface

Obtaining Started with Hide My Ass! Is super easy and the upgraded programs are very user-friendly. You’ll be given a license key, As soon as you register for your own account. You can use this or your credentials (password and username ) to log into any app. For the purpose of this review, we have tested the Windows client and the iOS app. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

Desktop

Once you’ve Established the client and logged in, you will be greeted with the Success! screen. Simply click Got It! To get this app’s screen. Here you have Freedom Mode: Immediate Mode and three options for modes.

In Instant Mode, you can click on the arrow And you’ll be linked to the server for your existing location.

In Location mode, which can be chosen by you You link to. Click on Change Location to see your options. There is a list which allows you to select servers based on different criteria. We all will show you an country listing. Clicking on the arrow to the left of each nation name will show you specific locations within this nation.

Quick Access shows you a list Recently linked to, as well as some recommended choices. Streaming will provide you a selection of two servers suitable for unblocking popular streaming services such as Netflix, one at the US and one in the united kingdom.

Peer to Peer shows You all servers that permit filesharing. There’s the Favorites option; to indicate a server as a popular, the center can click .

Going back To the main display, the one other option here is Freedom Mode, which is targeted at users who wish to bypass censorship. This mode will link you to a server in the nearest country that’s regarded as free of censorship.

You can Get into the Settings by clicking the menu icon at the upper left-hand corner of the main display and selecting Preferences. Here, you’ll see three tabs: General, Network Security, and Kill Switch. In the Generalscreen, you can change your startup options, like starting when you turn your computer on or if the app starts.

Additionally you Have. Then you can uncheck the box, if you would like to conceal your history.

Next, We have the Network Security screen in which you can choose settings for wifi protection that is automatic. It is also possible to turn on the IP shuffle feature making it more difficult for somebody to find where you are by periodically changing your IP address. One more option in this display allows you to use TCP with OpenVPN. Nonetheless, this is only recommended if UDP is blocked or throttled. TCP is more stable, but UDP is typically faster.

The Final tab is the Switch tab, so that it works for many applications, where you are able to toggle on this feature. You can add applications and decide whether or not to apply it.

This Is a robust program and it’s definitely both aesthetically.

Mobile

Many Providers will have a mobile program that is unrecognizable compared to the desktop version. However, HMA! Has streamlined its product, and also the iOS app looks nearly identical to the Windows version.

Once you’re You’ll get to the main display, which is basically the same as the display in the desktop program. Here you can choose from Location Mode Instant Mode, or Freedom Mode.

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The Only real difference is that if you pick Location Mode, your options are presented in another manner. You’ve got three tabs: Countries, Cities, and Favorites, but lacking are Quick Access, and the additional options found from the desktop client, such as Streaming, Peer to Peer.

To Get into the streaming servers from the program, you’ll need to go to the Cities listing and find the Liberty Island server beneath US, New York. The UK, Donkey Town server can also be found to BBC iPlayer and UK Netflix.

Moving on, The settings for the app can be retrieved by clicking on the menu icon and selecting Settings. There you have two choices: Link Rules and Personal solitude.

In The Connection Rules section, it is possible to correct wifi security settings and decide whether to auto reconnect when wifi or mobile connections are disrupted.

The Personal solitude department just has One option: Share utilization data with third parties for analytics, which will be your permission to”enable app and device use information to be shared with third parties for analytics.” Bear in mind that this is enabled by default so it might be among the things that you wish to flip off.

Overall, This is a sleek and intuitive program, but some users might be missing additional features like a kill switch and also the option to change protocols.

Servers and functionality

The Hide My Ass! Network includes over 850 servers covering over 190 nations. A number of them are virtual servers, but a customer service representative was unable to inform us just how many. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

As we Discussed earlier, HMA offers several options for choosing the ideal server, such as distinct styles and the ability to indicate servers as favorites. Servers that allow P2P are indicated using a emblem.

We tested Numerous servers for performance in the UK and the usa in terms of surfing, surfing, and downloading. Besides there being an obvious lag in page loading times when attached with a UK server when surfing, there were no issues. This is not uncommon for geographically distant servers (the tests were completed in Toronto, Canada), but could be frustrating, especially for users who have slow internet speeds.

We did not See any lag or buffering while streaming 1080p with any of those test servers and could play online games without any difficulties.

HideMyAss! and Netflix

Hide My Ass! unblocks Netflix! But do not expect to connect to any Server and proceed. When we analyzed random servers using US Netflix using the client, we had no luck. But if you choose the Streaming option from the dropdown inside Location Mode, then you’ll see two choices: a US server (USA, New York, Liberty Island) and a UK server (UK, Donkey Town). Be aware that in the cell program, you will have to obtain these.

Connecting To Netflix server gave us access Into the US with no issue. Connecting to the UK one enabled entry to BBC iPlayer in Addition to UK Netflix. Many suppliers only concentrate on supplying US Netflix access, so it is refreshing to see one that strives to give access to the UK library also. What is more, BBC iPlayer is seriously cracking down on VPN use, so the ability to unblock this service is a nice perk.

If you’re You may have to go everywhere. HMA! Is having difficulty unblocking this service at this time and a customer care representative advised us that there is no estimated time for when it may be functioning.

HideMyAss! in China?

Hide My Ass! Doesn’t work reliably in China. It used to, but recent HMA! Responses in service forums have indicated that the support doesn’t longer function for some users. You could try your fortune, but you’d best look elsewhere, should you need a trusted China VPN.

HideMyAss! Speed test performance

For any VPN That is compatible with our evaluation procedures, we run speed tests that were designed to be as empirical as possible. We use a Canadian evaluation server to connect to VPN servers in the United Kingdom, the Usa, Australia, Hong Kong, and Germany. For every location, we download a test file (50MB in size) in the US server. This can be done four times every day at six-hour intervals. The typical download speed for every test is recorded along with the data is displayed.

You can see From the easy chart below how HMA! Compares to the other VPN services we’ve been analyzing. In regards to median rates, while it does not have the fastest rates, it is close to the front of the package.

You can see that the spread in outcomes isn’t as tight as a number of the evaluation VPNs by clicking on the Detailed tab. This usually means you may see some inconsistency in regards to speeds.

It’s Important to be aware that these tests aren’t definitive and can serve as a general indication of the performance you might see. The volatility of the web adds a substantial variable of randomness. What is more, you’ll probably see possibly smaller or bigger disagreements, and longer wait times with a slow link. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

Customer Services

For those who need Any help while establishing or using the service, HMA! Has a couple of alternatives for you to select from. Clicking the Help tab on the Site, you’ll find a Getting Started section along with a Knowledge Base. These each house posts associated with setting up, troubleshooting, and general queries. There’s some crossover so before seeking other alternatives you may want to research both.

In addition, You’ll locate a Community button which contributes to a discussion section. This can be segregated into different subjects; some seem to be out of date, while some are recently active. Under that, there are some FAQs.

If you don’t Discover what you’re looking for, or you simply need a response, you can click the live chat button. The service is prompt and knowledgeable, and representatives were able to resolve most issues we encountered. At one stage, a representative was unable to answer some security questions and advised he’d escalate the issue. This was responded to in.

Safety and privacy

Hide My Ass! Is based in the united kingdom, which means it’s subject to data retention laws. The UK can be a Five Eyes (and Fourteen Eyes) country, so it is part of an alliance that allows monitoring by outside governments. Additionally, it’s home to the Snooper’s Charter which imposes regulations British ISPs that greatly affect user privacy.

For many Data retention legislation in their home country are not really an issue. This is because they function with a real policy that is no-logs where no link or traffic logs are kept by them. They can not be tied to a single user if they do maintain connection logs.

Unfortunately, HMA! Isn’t among these VPNs and contains a privacy policy that many users will discover off-putting. For one, when you can anticipate that your IP address will be logged, along with timestamps and the amount of information used. This is a for VPNs generally. Although an IP address isn’t universally considered to be information that is personally identifiable, the fact is that information can and has been used to trace the action of individuals. IP addresses have been used to help find and convict criminals. While we don’t condone criminal actions, we are pro-privacy, and this coverage doesn’t cut it. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

Additionally, Hide My Ass! Logs the VPN IP address Attached to a session. Here is the IP address when it is visited by you that a site operator can see and document. Considering both the real and VPN IP addresses are logged, involving the VPN and end site logs, it would be possible to piece together all of a user’s online activity. You might have seen news of a 2011 FBI case involving HMA! In which it handed over logs that were used to track a LulzSec hacker down. Clearly, this is a black mark for privacy.

One way to Make this less of a problem and to possibly confuse things a little would be to take advantage of this IP address shuffle attribute. When enabled in the Network Security screen of the app, this occasionally transforms your IP address out. It wouldn’t cause you to squint but may put in a layer of obfuscation.

Privacy Issues on the safety front, Hide My Ass! Fares well. It utilizes 256-bit AES encryption, which is considered military-grade. This perfect forward secrecy and is in combination with 4096-bit RSA keys. It uses exactly the OpenVPN protocol over UDP by default, but you can switch to TCP inside the desktop client. PPTP, L2TP, IPSec are available, depending on what app you are using.

The background versions boast a kill button which can be tailored To work for programs. The internet connection will be killed by A kill switch if the VPN link drop for a certain reason. This feature is not available in the mobile programs

A live chat Customer service representative informed us that there’s no DNS leak security. But a different firm representative promised us that there is actually DNS and IPv6 leak security, but no WebRTC escape security. When we analyzed the service we did not see any DNS leak problems aside from leaks that are WebRTC. HMA! Does use public DNS servers whereas ones will be preferable from a privacy perspective.

1 handy Feature that Hide My Ass! Provides is wifi security, which is customized in the from the Network Security part of the desktop or the mobile app’s Connection Rules tab settings.

Features and pricing

Hide My Ass! Offers one merchandise with prices you register for. It’s definitely not one of the providers available. A 12-month planwill set you back $6.99 per month, which can be higher than the average price for a similar term. What’s more, a great deal of top VPN providers will supply an plan; for example, a two- or – term with steeper discounts. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

If You are not ready to sign up yet, HMA! Does offer a six-month plan for $7.99 per month or you could pay on a monthly basis for $11.99 per month. These prices are a little above average if you compare to competitors.

Payment Choices include major credit cards, PayPal, and UnionPay. Unfortunately other along with bitcoin cryptocurrencies are payment procedures. There’s a money-back guarantee, so you’ll have your payment refunded if you’re not fully satisfied with the support.

So what do You get for the money? Hide My Ass! Has a network of over 850 servers in over 180 nations. Some are dedicated to accessing streaming websites and specific servers allow P2P filesharing (read: torrenting). All plans come with unlimited bandwidth and you may join up to five devices. Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. The VPN may be configured using Linux and some routers. Pre-configured routers are available as an alternate.

From a Security standpoint, HMA! Provides automatic wifi protection, perfect forward secrecy, encryption, along with the desktop apps come with a kill button. On the other hand, the logging policy issues that plagued the service stay, so privacy is still an issue.

Wrap-up

For the most part, HMA! Offers a support. It has a decent network of servers, unlimited bandwidth, and speeds. It is able to unblock streaming services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix UK, and Netflix US. Plus, it offers apps , powerful protection, and superb customer care.

On the Surface, it feels like HMA! Would be a good alternative for torrenters, without a data Caps and a few servers. The issues with the privacy Policy are any other, as well as an issue for those looking to torrent privacy-conscious users. Indeed, this is the only important turn-off for this Provider, but it is a big one. Other concerns include the inability to work Reliably in the somewhat hefty price tag along with China. Sites Better Than Hidemyass

Click here to sign up for Hide My Ass! Today!