Our favorite VPN providers are very busy these days, so we are going to be passing on more frequent updates to help folks stay up to date on the latest offerings and news from these commendable companies. This week, we have additions to the ibDNS network, new servers again from Hide My Ass!, HBO Now viewing tips from IPVanish, and Golden Frog fighting for online privacy laws.
More New ibDNS Channels
ibVPN has added six new channels to their ibDNS network since last month. These channels are from Australia, the Netherlands, Romania and the United States. ibDNS subscribers can now enjoy unfettered access to Netflix Australia via Netflix.com, ArenaTV at arenatvcom.au, Ziggo.nl, Voyo.ro, SeeNow.ro and HBOgo.com. ibDNS uses a superior DNS technology so users will always get high quality video output. These channels have been added according to ibDNS user feedback, so if you are an ibDNS user, don’t forget to leave them a note and you may see your suggestion on the next channel update.
ibDNS comes to us from the providers of ibVPN, but users should be informed that ibDNS does not provide traffic encryption nor does it give users IP anonymity like a VPN does. Both packages can be subscribed to at the same time, however, and users can get additional discounts for this. Just go to the ibVPN website for more information on their current offers.
Twelve New HMA Servers
We have come to expect network expansion from HMA as a regular thing. Well, since just a few weeks ago they have added another thirteen servers, ten of which are in new countries. The first is in Bujumbura, Burundi; then there’s Asmara, Eritrea; Lilongwe, Malawi; Bamako, Mali; Nouakchott, Mauritania; Port Louis, Mauritius; Monrovia, Liberia; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Lome, Togo; and finally, Harare, Zimbabwe. Two of the new servers are in a new location, Wilkes-Barre in the US state of Pennsylvania. The two servers have 241 IPs between them. The last server is the third one located in Berlin, Germany with 123 fresh IPs for HMA users. HMA also loves making additions based on user feedback, so drop them a line as well if you are an HMA subscriber.
Seamless HBO Now with IPVanish
IPVanish is known as the one true tier-1 VPN service in the world. This status means that they can provide their users with super fast connections, which means a super clean and clear viewing experience. So if you have an IPVanish account, you can now get access to HBO Now, the newly launched streaming service of one of the finest US TV channels for watching movies all day long. HBO Now is a standalone streaming service available in the US. Movie lovers no longer need to have a cable subscription to enjoy HBO. They just need to get the exclusive HBO Now subscription and an IPVanish account.
If you don’t have HBO Now yet, you need to sign up for it with a US iTunes account. Unfortunately HBO Now is only available through Apple for the time being. It’s pretty easy to get an iTunes account, though, as long as you have an iPhone, iPod, iPad or an Apple TV. If you are not currently in the US, don’t forget to log on to IPVanish and connect to a US server before you begin. Once your iTunes is sorted, just grab the HBO Now app and you’re good to go.
Golden Frog Pushes Legislation from DC
Golden Frog has always been one of the VPN providers that is most active when it comes to the protection and defense of Internet users’ privacy rights. Just last week, their president, Sunday Yokubaitis, was with government officials and legislators to discuss online privacy laws. Alongside Andy MacFarlane, public affairs director, Yokubaitis went to Washington DC to talk about how important it is to create legislation that first cements people’s rights to use encryption to secure their personal information, and also stops government agencies from spying on people and forcing companies to create backdoors for them to sneak into. They also talked about the importance of remaking the Electronic Communications Privacy Act to suit today’s needs. The ECPA was itself an amendment to the Wiretap Statute passed in 1968 that aimed to stop the government from snooping on electronic communications without permission.
Among those that the duo approached are Ari M. Schwartz, Senior Director for Cybersecurity on the staff of the United States National Security Council. They talked about how the government wants to have access to encrypted information and how this is both dangerous and unconstitutional. It is also very expensive. Yokubaitis and MacFarlane also participated in the R Street panel discussion that focused on NSA surveillance reform and the soon-to-expire Patriot Act. There, they talked about the devastating effect that the NSA’s mass surveillance has had on the economy because of the distrust that the agency’s behavior has bred in countries all over the world. Yokubaitis again promoted encryption during his talk because this is what people need to protect their Second Amendment rights while on the Internet.
Golden Frog jumped on presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul’s statement about putting a stop to NSA mass surveillance if he is elected to the office. Yokubaitis knows that this is not going to be an easy promise to keep, so he talked with the senator about working together to write up good NSA reform laws that will protect people against ever being abused by the NSA the same way again. The senator is game, so this is very good news.
