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| Original author(s) |
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|---|---|
| Initial release | 2012 |
| Operating system | |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Virtual private network, Internet censorship circumvention |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
IPVanish VPN (also known as IPVanish) is a US-based VPN service owned by Ziff Davis. [1]
IPVanish was founded in 2012 by Mudhook Media Inc, an independent subsidiary of Highwinds Network Group in Orlando, Florida. [2]
In 2017, Highwinds Network Group was acquired by CDN company StackPath which included IPVanish as part of the acquisition.
In 2019, IPVanish was acquired by J2 Global with their NetProtect business. [3] [4]
According to a June 2018 article by TorrentFreak , court documents showed that IPVanish handed over personal information about a customer to the Department of Homeland Security (HSI) in 2016. [5] The customer was suspected of sharing child pornography on an IRC network. [5] The information, which allowed HSI to identify the customer, consisted of the customer's name, his email address, details of his VPN subscription, his real IP address (Comcast) "as well as dates and times [he] connected to, and disconnected from, the IRC network.” [5] The logging of the customer's IP address and connection timestamps to the IRC service contradicts IPVanish's privacy policy, which states that "[IPVanish] will never log any traffic or usage of our VPN." [5] [6]
In 2017, IPVanish and its parent company were acquired by StackPath, and its founder and CEO, Lance Crosby, claims that "at the time of the acquisition, [...] no logs existed, no logging systems existed and no previous/current/future intent to save logs existed." [5]
IPVanish funnels the internet traffic of its users through remote servers, obscuring the user's IP address and encrypting data transmitted through the connection. Users can simultaneously connect an unlimited number of devices. [7]
Like other VPN services, IPVanish also has the ability to bypass internet censorship in most countries.[ unreliable source ][ spam link? ] By selecting a server in a region outside of their physical position, VPN users can easily access online content which was not available in their location, or play games that are regionally-restricted due to licensing agreements.
IPVanish uses the OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec technologies in its applications, while the L2TP and PPTP connection protocols can also be configured. [8] [ non-primary source needed ] IPVanish supports the AES (128-bit or 256-bit) specifications, with SHA-256 for authentication and an RSA-2048 handshake. [9] [ unreliable source ][ spam link? ]
IPVanish owns and operates more than 2400 remote servers in over 90+ locations. [10] [ unreliable source? ] The largest concentration of VPN servers is located in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. [11] [ non-primary source needed ] The company suspended operations in Russia as of July 2016, due to conflicts with the company's zero-log policy and local law. [12] [13] [ non-primary source needed ] In July 2020, IPVanish removed its servers from Hong Kong, alleging that the Hong Kong national security law puts Hong Kong under the “same tight internet restrictions that govern mainland China.” [14]
IPVanish is headquartered in the United States, which does not have mandatory data retention laws. [15] [ non-primary source needed ][ unreliable source ]
In 2016, Lifehacker AU rated the service as its #1 VPN. [16] In a 2018 review highlighting IPVanish ‘zero logs’ policies and nonprofit support, CNET ranked IPVanish as one of the best VPN services of the year. [17] The reviewer also noted that its integrated plugin for Kodi, the open-source media streaming app, was unique to the VPN industry.
TechRadar rated the service 4 out of 5 stars in their March 2018 review, commending it for its powerful features while criticizing its “lethargic support response”. [18] An annually-updated TorrentFreak article reviewing the logging policies of VPN services lists IPVanish as an anonymous provider. Tom's Guide wrote that the lack of a kill switch on the mobile application "may be a downside for some".
The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is an anonymous network layer that allows for censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication. Anonymous connections are achieved by encrypting the user's traffic, and sending it through a volunteer-run network of roughly 55,000 computers distributed around the world. Given the high number of possible paths the traffic can transit, a third party watching a full connection is unlikely. The software that implements this layer is called an "I2P router", and a computer running I2P is called an "I2P node". I2P is free and open sourced, and is published under multiple licenses.
An open proxy is a type of proxy server that is accessible by any Internet user.
J2 Global, Inc. was an American technology holding company based in Los Angeles, California. The company provided Internet services through two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media.
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WebRTC is a free and open-source project providing web browsers and mobile applications with real-time communication (RTC) via application programming interfaces (APIs). It allows audio and video communication and streaming to work inside web pages by allowing direct peer-to-peer communication, eliminating the need to install plugins or download native apps.
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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.
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Mullvad is a commercial VPN service based in Sweden. Launched in March 2009, Mullvad operates using the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. It also supports Shadowsocks as a bridge protocol for censorship circumvention. Mullvad's VPN client software is released under the GPLv3, a free and open-source software license.
BlackVPN was a VPN service offered by the Hong Kong-based company BlackVPN Limited. BlackVPN featured AES-256 encryption and DNS leak protection. The service offered apps or manual configurations for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers. The company also maintained a strict no-logging policy.
ExpressVPN is a prominent virtual private network (VPN) service designed to enhance users' online privacy and security. It provides encryption for web traffic and masks users' IP addresses to protect their personal information and browsing activities from potential surveillance and cyber threats.
IVPN is a VPN service offered by IVPN Limited based in Gibraltar. Launched in 2009, IVPN operates using the WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols.
StackPath was an American edge computing platform provider headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Its founding team was led by Lance Crosby, who also co-founded SoftLayer Technologies, acquired by IBM in 2013.
HMA is a VPN service founded in 2005 in the United Kingdom. It has been a subsidiary of the Czech cybersecurity company Avast since 2016.
KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is a personal virtual private network software product available for iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, and Linux.
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Windscribe is a commercial, cross-platform virtual private network (VPN) service provider based in Canada.
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.
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