Hotspot Shield has one of the lowest privacy ratings of any VPN on this list. Although it encrypts data in transit, at rest, and across the entire network, its free version doesn’t require passwords, an obvious security issue. Additionally, the company logs information like when the service is used, how much bandwidth is used, the device and browsers used, the user’s location, etc. This is more information than necessary and it’s shared with third parties.
Encryption
| In Transit |
Yes |
| At rest? |
Yes |
| All network communications and capabilities? |
Yes |
Security Updates
| Automatic, regular software/ firmware updates? |
Yes |
| Product available to use during updates? |
No |
Passwords
| Mandatory password? |
Do not need password or account for free version |
| Two-Factor authentication? |
No |
| Multi-Factor authentication? |
No |
Vulnerability Management
Privacy Policy
| Link |
https://aura.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Specific to device? |
No |
| Readable? |
Yes |
| What data they log |
Account information, billing information, help desk submissions, how often service is used, how much bandwidth used, how long you use the VPN, on what device you’re on, apps and browsers used, approximate location, diagnostic information |
| What data they don’t log |
Do not collect device’s GPS information, web traffic |
| Can you delete your data? |
No |
| Third-party sharing policies |
Shares with third parties |
Surveillance
| Log camera device/ app footage |
n/a |
| Log microphone device/ app |
n/a |
| Location tracking device/ app |
Yes by server location |
Parental Controls
| Are there parental controls? |
No |
Company History
| Any security breaches/ surveillance issues in past? |
No |
| Did they do anything to fix it? |
n/a |
Additional Security Features
| Anything like privacy shutters, privacy zones, etc.? |
n/a |
