MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - May 18, 2010) - Today, AnchorFree Inc., the creator of Hotspot Shield, the world's most popular free privacy tool, announced the availability of an updated version of Hotspot Shield that will enable Facebook users to easily overcome privacy concerns.
In recent weeks, Facebook has come under severe criticism around its lack of concern for privacy and security of user information. Following the unveiling of new features and subsequent privacy breaches, many of Facebook's 400 million members have deactivated or deleted their accounts due to growing concerns around the safety of their personal data. Most recently, Facebook has come under fire due to its 'instant personalization' feature initiative that automatically imports users' personal profile information into outside sites, such as Yelp, Microsoft, and Pandora without user consent.
Starting today, Hotspot Shield has new functionality that prohibits the transfer of personal information from Facebook to third-party sites. Using this updated version of Hotspot Shield will ensure that no third-party can receive imported information from the world's largest social networking site. Simply turning on Hotspot Shield guarantees users that their data will remain on Facebook, and cannot be accessed by third party sites or shared with anyone on the Internet.
"Users should be in complete control of their personal data at all times, and we want to offer Facebook users the ability to ensure their privacy is not undermined on Facebook or anywhere on the Web," said David Gorodyansky, founder and CEO of AnchorFree. "We're taking a stand for user privacy on social networks and have updated Hotspot Shield accordingly. While Facebook may continue sharing information with outside parties, with Hotspot Shield enabled, Facebook users will never have to worry about the safety and privacy of their information."
This new version of Hotspot Shield will be pushed out to all existing users today.
To download Hotspot Shield, visit: http://hotspotshield.com. The program is free and will install automatically. Hotspot Shield currently runs on Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS X (10.6 Snow Leopard), Mac OS X (10.5 Leopard) and Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger) and is available for the iPhone.
About AnchorFree and Hotspot Shield
AnchorFree enables millions of users globally to surf the Web freely and securely through Hotspot Shield, the world's first and most popular ad-supported virtual private network. More than 7.5 million monthly users in 100 countries rely on Hotspot Shield to secure their Web browsing experience, proliferating freedom of information online and democratizing the Web. It is the only free way to ensure privacy and total anonymity online on desktop computers, laptops and iPhones. Hotspot Shield is powered by AnchorFree's proprietary communication platform that enables marketers to distribute ad campaigns, messaging and content to millions of users, totaling almost two billion page views every month. AnchorFree is a privately held company with more than $11 million in financing and is based in Mountain View, California. For more information or to download Hotspot Shield, please visit www.anchorfree.com.
Contact Information:
Media Contacts
Tessa Greenwood or Sara Schulte
LaunchSquad (for AnchorFree)
415.625.8555
anchorfree(at)launchsquad(dot)com