Does Hotspot Shield hide my activity from my ISP?

Can Hotspot Shield make your activities invisible to your ISP? Or can they still see what you're downloading if they so choose?

Here's the text from the product description:

Hotspot Shield protects your entire web surfing session; securing your connection at both your home Internet network & Public Internet networks (both wired and wireless). Hotspot Shield protects your identity by ensuring that all web transactions (shopping, filling out forms, downloads) are secured through HTTPS. Hotspot Shield also makes you private online making your identity invisible to third party websites and ISP’s.

I'm just not sure what it means by "invisible to third-party websites and ISPs" and if that means the ISP can still see what I'm doing.

test

Posted 2010-01-01T09:07:37.540

Reputation:

1Just a heads up: Torrenting probably won't work with hotspot shield enabled... – None – 2012-08-07T16:58:44.507

Answers

Further on in the page it is explained somewhat:

100% Security Through a VPN

Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and our Internet gateway. This impenetrable tunnel prevents snoopers, hackers, ISP’s, from viewing your web browsing activities, instant messages, downloads, credit card information or anything else you send over the network.

What your ISP will be able to see is you communicating with the hotspot VPN. The data that is returned will be encrypted so your ISP won't really know it's contents unless they unencrypt it.

John T

Posted 2010-01-01T09:07:37.540

Reputation: 149 037

1It's impossible** for them to unencrypt it. (**Nothing is 100% impossible, but the idea is to make it so difficult that it is basically impossible.) – Kevin Panko – 2010-03-30T17:16:39.080

1Ah ok I just was always just curious about that line. So I am guessing thought it would be hard to unencrypt it. – None – 2010-01-01T19:28:59.030

Or you could completely IGNORE the email address farmers post below and visit the REAL support site.

http://hotspotshield.uservoice.com

If you don't trust the address I've given, then visit Anchorfree's own support site

http://anchorfree.com/support.php

and click the support forums link (it will take you to the first address I've posted)

Trevor

Posted 2010-01-01T09:07:37.540

Reputation: 21

Your ISP will not be able to see the content you are browsing since Hotspot Shield encrypts all your data.

Disclaimer: I work for Anchorfree, makers of Hotspot shield. We also have our own support forums.

Hotspot Shield

Posted 2010-01-01T09:07:37.540

Reputation:

Is this some kind of bot? wtf? – marcusw – 2010-03-30T17:43:32.823