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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 asIPVanish) is a US-basedVPN service owned byZiff Davis.[1]
IPVanish was founded in 2012 by Mudhook Media Inc, an independent subsidiary ofHighwinds Network Group inOrlando, Florida.[2]
In 2017,Highwinds Network Group was acquired by CDN companyStackPath which included IPVanish as part of the acquisition.
In 2019, IPVanish was acquired byJ2 Global with their NetProtect business.[3][4]
According to a June 2018 article byTorrentFreak, court documents showed that IPVanish handed overpersonal information about a customer to theDepartment of Homeland Security (HSI) in 2016.[5] The customer was suspected of sharingchild pornography on anIRC 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 byStackPath, and its founder andCEO, 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'sIP address andencrypting 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 bypassinternet 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 theOpenVPN andIKEv2/IPsec technologies in its applications, while theL2TP andPPTP connection protocols can also be configured.[8][non-primary source needed] IPVanish supports theAES (128-bit or 256-bit) specifications, with SHA-256 for authentication and anRSA-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, andAustralia.[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 theHong Kong national security law putsHong Kong under the “same tight internet restrictions that govern mainland China.”[14]
IPVanish is headquartered in the United States, which does not have mandatorydata 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".
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