Hotspot Shield is a tool that lets you connect to the Internet anonymously and encrypts everything you send and receive so that anyone spying on your browsing habits will be unable to see what you are looking at or the sites you are visiting.

You download and install a small program, that then connects to a server in the USA and creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your computer and the server in the USA.

The main features are:

• Secure your web session with HTTPS encryption
• Hide your IP address for your privacy online
• Access all content privately without censorship; bypass firewalls
• Protect yourself from snoopers at Wi-Fi hotspots, hotels, airports, corporate offices and ISP hubs.
• Secure your data & personal information online
• Access content from outside the US, such as Hulu, that is only meant for US users.
• Lets you use applications otherwise blocked on your network, e.g. Skype

I have mentioned Hot Spot Shield, which is created by a company called Anchorfree previously on Sciencetext. By turns, I dither about whether to recommend it or not because some people think it may not be as safe as its creators claim. There are worries about the adware it installs (it is optional, however), the advertising banner it adds to your browser window (there is a Firefox Greasemonkey script for removing that), and the HSS helper application that seems to run even when you are not using HotSpot!

So, I asked Eugene Lapidous, the chief architect at AnchorFree about a couple of the serious concerns users have.

When I have HSS installed, ZoneAlarm notifies me of incoming and outgoing packets from the HSS helper application even when HSS itself is not running. What gives?

These packets are HotspotShield polls for updates from the central server.

Is there any way to prove that?

You can verify with WireShark [which is not connected in any way to Anchorfree] that request packets always stay the same, in different times and for different users. It proves that no user-specific information is transmitted.

But why not simply switch off polling and avoid this kind of worry for users?

To avoid further questions, in the next Windows version we’re stopping polling when Hotspot Shield is inactive; polling in Mac version is already disabled.

The hidden “helper” application – hsssrv.exe – does not seem to be uninstalled when the main program is removed, that’s a major problem for many former users?

If you try to uninstall an application while the ZoneAlarm warning dialog remains open, the referenced process cannot be killed. To verify that everything, including hsssrv.exe, is uninstalled, just close ZoneAlarm during uninstall.

Well, that seems to address some of my concerns, but I’m still worried about the fact that one cannot kill the helper service or the underlying OpenVPN system using Windows Task Manager. That’s not right, surely…

I am monitoring HSS activity using Wireshark and other tools to see what it is really up to while I’m using the net. I will also be running a test uninstallation once I’ve done that.

PC Magazine meanwhile recently recommended HotSpot Shield. You can download it here, let me know how you get on and if you think it’s safe to use.

In the wake of the outrageous and cowardly proclamations this week from VirginMedia and Universal Music, you might be even more interested in using a virtual private network that essentially hides your IP address from the programs you’re using to access information.