AnchorFree

Last updated
AnchorFree
Founded2005 (2005)
Founder David Gorodyansky
Headquarters
Redwood City, California
,
USA
Products Virtual private network
Website www.anchorfree.com

AnchorFree is an internet privacy and security company that provides businesses and consumers with advanced technologies to enable secure and private web browsing. [1] [2] The company's flagship product is Hotspot Shield, a popular virtual private network (VPN) service and the top-grossing app for productivity in the Apple App Store. [1] [3] The company is led by David Gorodyansky, who founded the firm in 2005 with his friend Eugene Malobrodsky. [4] [5] AnchorFree is headquartered in Redwood City, California, with offices in Ukraine and Russia. [2] Its most recent fundraising round in 2018 brought in $295 million, bringing total funding to $358 million. [6]

Contents

Platforms and users

The company works with a 'freemium' model and provides free software with general features and a paid version with certain enhanced features, [7] such as virtual server locations, improved speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and 24/7 live support. [8] The software is backed by AnchorFree's Hydra technology. [9]

AnchorFree's apps are available for desktops and mobile devices using Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android and iOS operating systems. [8] [10] The software has been downloaded 650 million times. [2] Additionally, AnchorFree's proprietary technology is utilized by 60% of the world's reputable security companies and several global telecommunication companies. [11] [9]

Hotspot Shield is a significant app in countries where the Internet is censored. The app allows users to gain access to restricted websites privately and securely. [12] [13] The firm reported an increase in its Egyptian user base from 100,000 users to one million during the Arab Spring in 2010. [12] [14] During this time, the program was used to access social media websites like Twitter to organize protests. [12] [14] It was also used in Tunisia and Libya before the Arab Spring. [13]

With Baglan Rhymes and subsequently, Michael Geer joining the company and spearheading growth, operations and revenue, In 2012, after reaching 60 million downloads, the company announced it had raised $52 million in financing from Goldman Sachs. [15]

Since then, AnchorFree's user base has surpassed 650 million downloads. [2] The increase was driven in part by users’ desires to protect themselves online after major privacy and security events like the Equifax data breach, KRACK vulnerability, and the FCC's scrapping of Net Neutrality regulations. [1]

In 2018, the company announced that it had secured a further $295 million in funding from WndrCo, an investment company founded by Ann Daly, Sujay Jaswa, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. [16] [2]

Reviews and awards

In January 2019, TechRadar gave AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield 4 out of 5 stars [7] [9] calling it a “premium VPN for users who value speed.” Reviewer Mike Williams summarized by saying “if raw speed is your top priority, its turbo-charged performance could justify signing up all on its own". [9]

In 2019, Fast Company named AnchorFree the 13th most innovative company in the world and the No. 1 most innovative security company. [17]

AV-Test, a reputed security auditor, called AnchorFree's technology the fastest, most secure on the market. [18]

The Appy Awards named Hotspot Shield the best Online Security/Privacy Application in 2013. [19]

Forbes magazine, for which the company's CEO has written articles, [20] named AnchorFree America's sixth most promising company in 2013. [21] [22]

Business Insider named AnchorFree as one of the 15 most important security startups of 2013. [23]

Critical reception

In August 2017, the Center for Democracy and Technology issued an open complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, which stated "concerns undisclosed and unclear data sharing and traffic redirection occurring in Hotspot Shield Free VPN that should be considered unfair and deceptive trade practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act." [24] CDT "partnered with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University to analyze the app and the service and found 'undisclosed data sharing practices' with advertising networks." [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">App Store (Apple)</span> Mobile app distribution platform by Apple

The App Store is an app marketplace developed and maintained by Apple, for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opera (web browser)</span> Free web browser

Opera is a multi-platform web browser developed by its namesake company Opera. The current edition of the browser is based on Chromium. Opera is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Two mobile versions are still active, called Opera Mobile and Opera Mini. Opera also has a news aggregator app called Opera News with Aria, an AI-based search engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malwarebytes</span> Internet security company

Malwarebytes Inc. is an American Internet security company that specializes in protecting home computers, smartphones, and companies from malware and other threats. It has offices in Santa Clara, California; Clearwater, Florida; Tallinn, Estonia; Bastia Umbra, Italy; and Cork, Ireland.

The Conduit toolbar was an online platform that allowed web publishers to create custom toolbars, web apps, and mobile apps at no cost. It was developed by Conduit Inc. but demerged to Perion Network. Conduit had approximately 260,000 registered publishers who have collectively created content downloaded by more than 250 million end users. Web apps and pieces of content developed through Conduit's platform can be distributed and exchanged online via the Conduit App Marketplace. As of 2010, 60 million users consumed apps from the marketplace on a daily basis.

Connectify is an American software company that develops networking software for consumers, professionals and companies. Connectify Hotspot is a virtual router software for Microsoft Windows, and Speedify is a mobile VPN service and app with channel bonding capabilities, available for individuals, families and enterprise.

BetterCloud, an independent software vendor based in New York, NY and with engineering offices in Atlanta, GA, builds unified SaaS management software. A venture-backed startup, BetterCloud has raised $187 million in total funding, with the most recent round was led by Warburg Pincus with series F funding with $75 million raised to date. A previous round of funding was done in April 2018 which was led by Bain Capital Ventures. In December 2016, BetterCloud completed pivot from G Suite to general SaaS management.

Hotspot Shield is a public VPN service operated by AnchorFree, Inc. Hotspot Shield was used to bypass government censorship during the Arab Spring protests in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private Internet Access</span> Virtual private network provider

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a personal VPN service that allows users to connect to multiple locations. In 2018, former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès was named chief technology officer of PIA's parent company, London Trust Media. In November 2019, Private Internet Access was acquired by UK-based Kape Technologies.

Wickr is an American software company based in New York City. It is known for its instant messaging application of the same name. The Wickr instant messaging apps allow users to exchange end-to-end encrypted and content-expiring messages, and are designed for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Wickr was acquired by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in mid-2021. The free version of the app was discontinued in December 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gorodyansky</span> American entrepreneur and angel investor (born 1982)

David Gorodyansky is an American entrepreneur and angel investor best known as the CEO of AnchorFree, a company he co-founded in 2005 with Eugene Malobrodsky. AnchorFree is the developer of Hotspot Shield, a virtual private network provider. In 2019, Fast Company named AnchorFree the 13th most innovative company in the world and the #1 most innovative security company. AnchorFree's most recent fundraising round (2018) brought in $295 million, bringing total funding to $358 million. Gorodyansky has also invested in GlobeIn, an online exotic arts and crafts marketplace, and Venturocket, an job matching website. He is chairman of AnchorFree and GlobeIn.

Onavo, Inc. was an Israeli mobile web analytics company that was purchased by Facebook, Inc., who changed the company's name to Facebook Israel. The company primarily performed its activities via consumer mobile apps, including the virtual private network (VPN) service Onavo Protect, which analysed web traffic sent through the VPN to provide statistics on the usage of other apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TunnelBear</span> Virtual private network provider

TunnelBear is a public VPN service based in Toronto, Canada. It was created by Daniel Kaldor and Ryan Dochuk in 2011. In March 2018, TunnelBear was acquired by McAfee.

ExpressVPN is a company providing online privacy and security solutions, including a virtual private network (VPN) service and a password manager. Since September 2021, ExpressVPN has been a subsidiary of Kape Technologies, a company wholly owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi.

NordVPN is a Lithuanian VPN service with applications for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, and tvOS. Manual setup is available for wireless routers, NAS devices, and other platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple Card</span> Credit card developed by Apple Inc.

Apple Card is a credit card created by Apple Inc. and issued by Goldman Sachs, designed primarily to be used with Apple Pay on an Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac. Apple Card is available only in the United States, with 12 million cardholders as of early 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PureVPN</span> Virtual private network provider

PureVPN is a commercial VPN service owned by GZ Systems Ltd. Founded in 2007, the company is based in the British Virgin Islands.

NordLocker is a file encryption software integrated with end-to-end encrypted cloud storage. It is available on Windows and macOS. NordLocker is developed by Nord Security, the Lithuania-based company behind the NordVPN virtual private network.

A virtual private network (VPN) service provides a proxy server to help users bypass Internet censorship such as geo-blocking and users who want to protect their communications against data profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.

PrivadoVPN is a VPN service provider with applications for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, AndroidTV and Amazon Fire TV along with custom configuration support for routers and Linux. PrivadoVPN is based in Switzerland and operates under Swiss privacy laws.

Kobo360 is an African tech-enabled digital logistics platform, headquartered in Lagos and connects cargo owners to truck owners, with a physical presence in 6 African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sandler, Rachel. "This software startup had its best year ever and the CEO says the end of net neutrality is a big reason why". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "AnchorFree, maker of Hotspot Shield, raises $295 million in new funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  3. ↑ Griffith, Erin (2018-09-05). "AnchorFree, Maker of a Top Online Privacy App, Raises $295 Million". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  4. ↑ Konrad, Alex. "AnchorFree: A road warrior's friend, a censor's foe". CNN Money. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Empson, Rip. "With its Hotspot Shield hitting 60M Downloads, AnchorFree Lands a Whopping $52M from Goldman Sachs". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Griffith, Erin (2018-09-05). "AnchorFree, Maker of a Top Online Privacy App, Raises $295 Million". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  7. 1 2 "With Its Hotspot Shield Hitting 60M Downloads, AnchorFree Lands A Whopping $52M From Goldman Sachs". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  8. 1 2 Velazco, Chris. "AnchorFree brings their Hotspot Shield mobile security app to Android". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Williams 2019-04-08T09:42:40ZUtilities, Mike. "Hotspot Shield VPN review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2019-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Messeih, Nancy. "Hotspot Shield: A quiet hero for Internet privacy and security around the world". TNW. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  11. ↑ VPN, TechRadar Pro 2018-10-10T15:01:30Z. "AnchorFree: Why our VPN can ensure fair internet for all". TechRadar. Retrieved 2019-04-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. 1 2 3 Colao, J.J. "How To Thwart Hackers And Dictators With One Free Download". Forbes. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  13. 1 2 Messieh, Nancy. "Hotspot Shield: A quiet hero for Internet privacy and security around the world". TNW. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  14. 1 2 Markowitz, Eric. "David Gorodyansky and Eugene Malobrodsky, Founders of AnchorFree". Inc. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Empson, Rip (2012-05-21). "With Its Hotspot Shield Hitting 60M Downloads, AnchorFree Lands A Whopping $52M From Goldman Sachs". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  16. ↑ Gilbey, Angharad (2018-09-06). "AnchorFree closes $295M investment". Cyberviser. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  17. ↑ "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2019". Fast Company. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  18. ↑ "VPN Comparative Test" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "Appy Awards 2013". MediaPost. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  20. ↑ "David Gorodyansky". Forbes. May 28, 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Forbes names AnchorFree as America's Sixth Most Promising Company". MarketWire. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  22. ↑ Colao, JJ; Canal, Emily. "America's Most Promising Companies". Forbes. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  23. ↑ Bort, Julie. "The 15 most important security startups of 2013". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "CDT's Complaint to the FTC on Hotspot Shield VPN". Center for Democracy and Technology.
  25. ↑ "Privacy group accuses Hotspot Shield of snooping on web traffic". ZDNet.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.