<s>
HMA	B-Application
(	O
formerly	O
HideMyAss	B-Application
!	I-Application
)	O
</s>
<s>
was	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
founded	O
in	O
2005	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
was	O
created	O
in	O
2005	O
in	O
Norfolk	O
,	O
England	O
by	O
Jack	O
Cator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
created	O
HMA	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
circumvent	O
restrictions	O
his	O
school	O
had	O
on	O
accessing	O
games	O
or	O
music	O
from	O
their	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Cator	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
HMA	B-Application
service	O
was	O
created	O
in	O
just	O
a	O
few	O
hours	O
using	O
open-source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
product	O
was	O
a	O
free	O
proxy	O
website	O
where	O
users	O
typed	O
in	O
a	O
URL	O
and	O
it	O
delivered	O
the	O
website	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cator	O
promoted	O
the	O
tool	O
in	O
online	O
forums	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
featured	O
on	O
the	O
front	O
page	O
of	O
digg	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
did	O
not	O
take	O
any	O
venture	O
capital	O
funding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
generated	O
about	O
$	O
1,000	O
-	O
$	O
2,000	O
per	O
month	O
while	O
the	O
founder	O
went	O
to	O
college	O
to	O
pursue	O
a	O
degree	O
in	O
computer	B-General_Concept
science	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Cator	O
dropped	O
out	O
of	O
college	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
HMA	B-Application
and	O
added	O
a	O
paid	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
early	O
HMA	B-Application
employees	O
were	O
freelancers	B-Language
found	O
on	O
oDesk	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
freelancers	B-Language
set	O
up	O
a	O
competing	O
business	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
responded	O
by	O
hiring	O
its	O
contractors	O
as	O
full-time	O
employees	O
and	O
establishing	O
physical	O
offices	O
in	O
London	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
's	O
government	O
sent	O
HMA	B-Application
a	O
court	O
order	O
demanding	O
it	O
provide	O
information	O
about	O
Cody	O
Andrew	O
Kretsinger	O
's	O
use	O
of	O
HMA	B-Application
's	O
service	O
to	O
hack	O
Sony	O
as	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
LulzSec	O
hacking	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
provided	O
the	O
information	O
to	O
authorities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
said	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
violation	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
terms	O
of	O
use	O
to	O
use	O
its	O
software	O
for	O
illegal	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
added	O
software	O
to	O
anonymize	O
internet	O
traffic	O
from	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
was	O
first	O
added	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
had	O
10	O
million	O
users	O
and	O
215,000	O
paying	O
subscribers	O
of	O
its	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
had	O
100	O
staff	O
and	O
established	O
international	O
offices	O
in	O
Belgrade	O
and	O
Kyiv	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2015	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
largest	O
VPN	B-Application
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
was	O
discovered	O
that	O
allowed	O
hackers	O
with	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
laptop	B-Device
to	O
obtain	O
elevated	O
privileges	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
corrected	O
the	O
vulnerability	O
days	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
HMA	B-Application
received	O
a	O
directive	O
from	O
Russian	O
authorities	O
to	O
join	O
a	O
state	O
sponsored	O
registry	O
of	O
banned	O
websites	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
prevent	O
Russian	O
HMA	B-Application
users	O
from	O
circumventing	O
Russian	O
state	O
censorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
was	O
reportedly	O
given	O
one	O
month	O
to	O
comply	O
,	O
or	O
face	O
blocking	O
by	O
Russian	O
authorities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
no-log	O
policy	O
for	O
their	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
the	O
policy	O
HMA	B-Application
will	O
not	O
log	O
a	O
user	O
’s	O
original	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
,	O
DNS	O
queries	O
,	O
online	O
activity	O
,	O
amount	O
of	O
data	O
transferred	O
or	O
VPN	B-Application
connection	O
timestamps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
HMA	B-Application
’s	O
introduction	O
of	O
a	O
no-log	O
policy	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
’s	O
VPN	B-Application
was	O
awarded	O
a	O
low	O
risk	O
user	O
privacy	O
impact	O
rating	O
for	O
its	O
no-logging	O
policy	O
,	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
independently	O
audited	O
by	O
third-party	O
cybersecurity	O
firm	O
VerSprite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
provides	O
digital	O
software	O
and	O
services	O
intended	O
to	O
help	O
users	O
remain	O
anonymous	O
online	O
and	O
encrypt	O
their	O
online	O
traffic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
's	O
privacy	O
policy	O
and	O
terms	O
of	O
use	O
prohibit	O
using	O
it	O
for	O
illegal	O
activity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HMA	B-Application
hides	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
and	O
other	O
identifying	O
information	O
by	O
routing	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
internet	O
traffic	O
through	O
a	O
remote	O
server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
experts	O
note	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
does	O
log	O
some	O
connection	O
data	O
including	O
the	O
originating	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
duration	O
of	O
each	O
VPN	B-Application
session	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
bandwidth	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
830	O
servers	O
in	O
280	O
locations	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
and	O
provided	O
over	O
3000	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
also	O
includes	O
a	O
kill	B-Device
switch	I-Device
across	O
all	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Invisibler	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
VPN	I-Application
appears	O
to	O
have	O
cooperated	O
with	O
US	O
authorities	O
in	O
handing	O
over	O
logs	O
in	O
a	O
hacking	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
a	O
review	O
in	O
Tom	O
's	O
Hardware	O
said	O
HMA	B-Application
was	O
easy	O
to	O
use	O
,	O
had	O
good	O
customer	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
server	B-Application
locations	O
to	O
choose	O
from	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
slowing	O
internet	O
speeds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
Digital	O
Trends	O
said	O
HMA	B-Application
had	O
strong	O
speeds	O
and	O
good	O
server	B-Application
selection	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
n't	O
fool-proof	O
at	O
ensuring	O
anonymity	O
,	O
because	O
it	O
stored	O
user	O
activity	O
logs	O
(	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
HMA	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
log	O
user	O
activity	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
PC	O
World	O
noted	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
difficult	O
to	O
measure	O
the	O
effect	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
service	I-Application
has	O
on	O
internet	O
speed	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
variables	O
like	O
location	O
,	O
internet	O
service	O
speeds	O
,	O
and	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2016	O
review	O
in	O
PCMag	O
gave	O
the	O
HMA	B-Application
Android	B-Application
app	O
3	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
praised	O
HMA	B-Application
for	O
its	O
server	B-Application
selection	O
and	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
price	O
,	O
speed	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
advanced	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
PCMag	O
gave	O
similar	O
feedback	O
on	O
the	O
HMA	B-Application
VPN	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
World	O
’s	O
2017	O
review	O
also	O
praised	O
HMA	B-Application
's	O
simple	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
advanced	O
features	O
,	O
saying	O
the	O
software	O
was	O
ideal	O
for	O
casual	O
users	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
need	O
advanced	O
configuration	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
