Hide WiFi Behind a Hotspot Shield

If you use WiFi access in public places or even at home or in an office, you could be open to all kinds of scams. Anyone with the know-how could access your login details, credit card number and other information without you knowing while you use sites like Amazon, eBay, Paypal etc, they could even, perish the thought, take your turn in Facebook Scrabulous without you knowing!

The BBC’s Real Hustle shows you just how easily it could happen to you

Concerned? You needn’t be, just download, install and fire up the free Hotspot Shield software and you can surf wirelessly confidant that your computer is hidden behind an anonymizing shield. Moreover, Hotspot provides geolocking, which means you should be able to access websites via the backdoor as if from any country in the world. Which means if you are in UAE, for example, you may still be able to log into Orkut, Facebook, or any other banned site, or if you’re in the UK you could get to your Pandora online streaming radio account once again (they’re shutting down access after January 15, 2008).

Hotspot Shield works as a virtual private network (VPN) between you and the wireless connection, there are many possibilities for accessing inaccessible sites as well as staying safe while you surf. According to makers AnchorFree, “This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers and hackers from viewing your email, instant messages, credit card information or anything else you send over a wireless network. Which means you remain anonymous and protect your privacy.” If it works as they suggest, then this tool could replace all previous advice on accessing inaccessible and banned sites mentioned elsewhere on this blog.