Table Of Content
hidemyass.com
It seems unimaginable to think that the internet would never have been invented, and what a different world we would live in without all of the amazing things it has made possible. We would miss out on sharing photos and videos of cute animals, consuming dank memes, and having our items delivered quickly - things that we take for granted nowadays. It's impossible to imagine life without the internet!
But to be honest, the internet has really changed our lives for the better. We now have more convenience, interconnectivity, and information than ever before. If you're older than me, you remember how it used to be before the internet. You had to either be in a classroom, have an encyclopedia, or go to the library to do research.
Other than that, it was all just word of mouth. Today, we have nearly all of the world?s recorded history, facts, and figures in our pockets. In a matter of seconds, we can become momentary geniuses. A quick Google search on our phones and we can know the answer to any question we may have. It is truly an incredible time to be alive. I mean, since I began writing this review, I have had 5 books delivered to my front door. If that isn't progress, I don't know what is.
However, the internet isn't all fun and games. For all the things that make the internet a miraculous resource that has undeniably changed our lives for the better, it has also resulted in much darker possibilities too--particularly if you don't have a secure and private connection to it. For every glorious advent of modern times that comes with the internet, there is always a shadow side.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of shadows is hackers. Unless your internet connection is private and secure, any and all of your personal information can be accessed by anyone tech-savvy and amoral enough to look for it. We're talking addresses, personal photos, videos, credit card numbers, etc. - anything that is transmitted over a public or insecure internet connection is fair game for those who want badly enough to exploit it.
Your ISP is tracking all of your online activity, including the websites you visit and the information you type. Many ISPs are mining and selling this data to third-party corporations. The age of INFORMATION means that privacy is dead.
Often, we are not even safe from our own governments. In fact, federal and state agencies can be some of the most egregious when it comes to spying on its citizens, as well as censoring what sites can and cannot be accessed. The overwhelming majority of countries in the "free world" have been documented monitoring civilian activity. And, of course, nearly every known repressive regime does the same while also banning and censoring hundreds of thousands of sites. In other words, George Orwell's concept of Big Brother is alive and well in the 21st century.
If you use public internet at places such as coffee shops, airports, hotels, or the like, then you are at a higher risk for online attacks. private internet connections are much more secure than public ones.
There is a glimmer of hope, however. Whether you are a concerned citizen who wishes to shake off the government's control or an ISP's monitoring of your data, just a regular person who is concerned for their online safety, or a citizen under a despotic government - a good Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be a potential solution to all of these concerns. With so many VPNs to choose from, though, at so many different price points, it can be hard to figure out which one is the best for you. So, today we'll look at one of the highest-rated VPNs on the market: HMA VPN.
History
Hide My Ass (HMA) recently changed their name to a cryptic initialism of the original, Hide My Ass! Their logo, however, of a donkey dressed up to look like a private investigator (complete with fedora, trench coat, and sunglasses) has survived the company's rebranding efforts.
In 2005, Jack Cator of Norfolk, England, created HMA. At the age of 16, he had a problem that many teenagers have- he couldn't access or download music and games over the school network. So Cator decided to create a VPN service to bypass restrictions. He was praised for his ingenuity and 16-year-olds everywhere can now bypass restrictions with HMA.
Cator has said that the first HMA server was created in a matter of just a few hours using open-sourced code. The first iteration of HMA was more like a proxy than a proper VPN, however, and existed as a free site that users could access via a URL; from there, the site privately routed the user to their desired website in-browser.
HMA acquired 10 million users by 2014 and 215,000 paying subscribers. Cator's VPN caught the attention of AVG Technologies, who purchased the company outright for $40 million. Today, it is one of the most widely used VPN services in the world.
Design
HMA is one of the most intuitive and user-friendly VPN services I have ever seen. It really doesn't get any simpler than this. Simply click the 'on' button and, thanks to HMA's lightning connect feature, the program automatically detects the strongest private network on the server in your area. You can, of course, also choose to select a specific network from a list by searching your location, but you will likely never strictly need to do so. Just hit the 'on' button and enjoy endless private browsing.
Content
There isn't a lot of content on the HMA website or app, but it's lightweight and won't slow down your browsing or streaming experience. There are some content concerns to be aware of, though- for example, what kinds of things you do online.
Netflix works fine on HMA (as advertised). I tested it, and streaming speeds and quality were both pretty inconsistent. There are a lot of VPNs out there that have a big impact on streaming speeds, but HMA didn't seem to work as well as advertised when it came to streaming from my favorite services.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
HMA VPN is available on many popular devices. Users of Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android can use HMA in the program or app form. And as I mentioned earlier, whatever device you are using, HMA has an easy and user-friendly experience. If you use Linux, Ubuntu, or something similar, however, you might want to look elsewhere.
Pricing and Plans
I am happy to report that, unlike many other VPNs, HMA offers a 7-day free trial period. So, feel free to give it a try without necessarily committing to a long-term payment plan. Once you have given HMA a week, you can choose from the following payment plans:
-Can subscribe for 12 months for $6.99/month
-Can subscribe for a year for $6.99/month
-Subscribe now for $6.99/month
-I've been with this company for 36 months and have been paying $4.29/month.
Some people might prefer another VPN service over HMA because it is more affordable, but HMA is still a good option and not too expensive.
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