IPVanish

IPVanish was founded in 2012 by Mudhook Media Inc, an independent subsidiary of Highwinds Network Group in Orlando, Florida.{{Cite news|url=https://torrentfreak.com/vpn-anonymous-review-160220/|title=The Best Anonymous VPN Services of 2016|date=2016-12-20|work=TorrentFreak|access-date=2018-05-18|language=en-US}}

In 2017, Highwinds Network Group was acquired by CDN company StackPath which included IPVanish as part of the acquisition.

In 2019, IPVanish was acquired by J2 Global with their NetProtect business.{{Cite web|url=https://www.techradar.com/news/ign-owner-j2-global-snaps-up-major-vpn-brands|title=IGN owner J2 Global snaps up major VPN brands|last=VPN|first=Desire Athow 2019-05-07T15:08:22Z|website=TechRadar|date=7 May 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-08-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.j2global.com/brands/security/ipvanish/|title=IPVanish|date=2019-04-29|website=J2 Global|language=en|access-date=2019-08-05}}

According to a June 2018 article by TorrentFreak, court documents showed that IPVanish handed over personal information about a customer to the Department of Homeland Security (HSI) in 2016.{{cite web |title=IPVanish "No-Logging" VPN Led Homeland Security to Comcast User |date=2018-06-05 |url=https://torrentfreak.com/ipvanish-no-logging-vpn-led-homeland-security-to-comcast-user-180505/ |author=Andy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608100723/https://torrentfreak.com/ipvanish-no-logging-vpn-led-homeland-security-to-comcast-user-180505/ |archive-date=2018-06-08}} The customer was suspected of sharing child pornography on an IRC network. 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.” 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."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipvanish.com/privacy-policy.php |title=Privacy Policy - IPVanish VPN |website=ipvanish.com |language=en |access-date=2018-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827142237/https://www.ipvanish.com/privacy-policy.php |archive-date=2016-08-27 |url-status=dead}}

In 2017, IPVanish and its parent company were acquired by StackPath, and its founder and CEO, Lance Crosby, claimed that "at the time of the acquisition, [...] no logs existed, no logging systems existed and no previous/current/future intent to save logs existed."

In 2022, as a Ziff Davis company, IPVanish underwent an independently verified no-logs audit, reaffirming its commitment to user privacy.{{Cite web |last=published |first=Chiara Castro |date=2022-04-06 |title=Top VPN aces independent privacy audit |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/top-vpn-aces-independent-privacy-audit |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=TechRadar |language=en}} In 2025, the company completed a second independent audit conducted by Schellman Compliance, further validating its no-logs policy.{{Cite web |last=published |first=Chiara Castro |date=2025-04-10 |title=Independent audit confirms IPVanish never logs your data |url=https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-services/independent-audit-confirms-ipvanish-never-logs-your-data |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Editor |first=Assistant |last2=PCWorld |title=IPVanish rolls out new Trust Center and successful independent audit |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2673126/ipvanish-rolls-out-new-trust-center-and-successful-independent-audit.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=PCWorld |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=published |first=George Phillips |date=2025-04-16 |title=IPVanish unveils a host privacy and security updates – here's what's new |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/ipvanish-unveils-a-host-privacy-and-security-updates-heres-whats-new |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Tom's Guide |language=en}}

IPVanish funnels the internet traffic of its users through remote servers, obscuring the user's IP address and encrypting data transmitted through the connection. Users can simultaneously connect an unlimited number of devices.{{cite news |last1=Rivington |first1=James |date=23 January 2020 |title=The best VPN services 2020 |work=tomsguide.com |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/uk/best-picks/best-vpn |access-date=29 January 2020}}

Like other VPN services, IPVanish also has the ability to bypass internet censorship in most countries.{{rs|sure=yes|date=May 2023}}{{spam link|date=May 2023}} 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 the OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec technologies in its applications, while the L2TP and PPTP connection protocols can also be configured.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-protocols/|title=VPN Protocols - IPVanish|website=ipvanish.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}{{npsn|date=May 2023}} IPVanish supports the AES (128-bit or 256-bit) specifications, with SHA-256 for authentication and an RSA-2048 handshake.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabaitechnology.com/ipvanish/|title=IPVanish VPN|website=sabaitechnology.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}{{rs|sure=yes|date=May 2023}}{{Spam link|date=May 2023}}

IPVanish owns and operates more than 2400 remote servers in over 90+ locations.{{Cite web |date=19 July 2019 |title=IPVanish server information |url=https://www.ipvanish.com/servers/ |access-date=2019-07-19 |website=themreview.com |language=en}}{{rs|date=May 2023}} The largest concentration of VPN servers is located in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipvanish.com/servers/|title=VPN Server Locations - IPVanish VPN|website=ipvanish.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}{{npsn|date=May 2023}} The company suspended operations in Russia as of July 2016, due to conflicts with the company's zero-log policy and local law.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/review/346067/ipvanish-vpn|title=IPVanish VPN|website=PCMAG|language=en|access-date=2018-05-18}}{{Cite news|url=https://blog.ipvanish.com/ipvanish-removes-russian-vpn-servers-from-moscow/|title=IPVanish removes Russian VPN servers from Moscow|date=2016-07-12|work=IPVanish|access-date=2018-05-18|language=en-US}}{{npsn|date=May 2023}} In July 2020, IPVanish removed its servers from Hong Kong, alleging that the Hong Kong national security law puts Hong Kong under the “same tight internet restrictions that govern mainland China.”{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/17/vpn-firms-shut-down-hong-kong-servers-over-security-law-concerns.html|title = Some VPN firms shut down Hong Kong servers over security law concerns|website = CNBC|date = 17 July 2020}}

IPVanish is headquartered in the United States, which does not have mandatory data retention laws.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ipvanish.com/protect-from-data-retention/|title=Protect Yourself from Data Retention Laws - IPVanish|website=ipvanish.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-23}}{{npsn|date=May 2023}}{{rs|sure=yes|date=May 2023}}

In 2016, Lifehacker AU rated the service as its #1 VPN.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/12/five-best-vpn-service-providers-for-2016/|title=The Five Best VPNs For 2017|date=2016-12-27|work=Lifehacker Australia|access-date=2018-05-18|language=en}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/best-vpn-services-directory/|title=These are your best, most secure VPN options|date=2017-07-11|work=CNET|access-date=2018-05-18|language=en}} 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”.{{Cite news|url=https://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/utilities/ipvanish-1325613/review|title=IPVanish VPN review|work=techradar.com |access-date=2018-05-18|language=en}} 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".

• Comparison of virtual private network services
• Internet privacy
• Encryption
• Secure communication

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Category:Virtual private network services