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Expat Shield

By AnchorFree Free Editors' Rating

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Editors' Review

Download.com Staff May 28, 2012

The freewheeling early days of the Internet are over, and it's no longer possible to rely on passive security measures. Today you need to take active steps to protect your identity, privacy, and personal security from an ever-changing array of threats. AnchorFree's ExpatShield protects your identity and personal data such as addresses and credit card numbers, lets you browse safely and anonymously, and even allows access to some of your favorite U.K. Web sites like BBC iPlayer. It shields you by establishing a proxy connection and assigning your PC a temporary U.K.-based IP address. ExpatShield is ad-supported freeware, which is standard for Web-based tools these days.

ExpatShield's installer automatically sets up your proxy IP address, displaying your connection status in a browser page and a system tray icon as well as an ad banner that opens with each new page. Clicking the icon opened a menu that offered a Disconnect/Off button, language options, and other basic entries, including a Properties sheet displaying connection details. Except for the ad banner and the ever-so-slight lag, using ExpatShield is just like browsing normally. Our favorite sites loaded quickly, but with a slight yet perceptible lag, especially when we accessed locally hosted news media. However, it's nowhere near slow enough to outweigh ExpatShield's much greater privacy and security. Each site loaded with a prominent connection status/ad link toolbar that we could close. With plenty of online IP locators and identifiers available, we quickly verified that our PC displayed an anonymous U.K.-based IP address instead of our actual (and static) IP address.

Proxy connections used to be difficult and slow, but ExpatShield addresses both of those issues. The ad bar is a minor distraction, considering it keeps ExpatShield free. One ad linked to BBC iPlayer, which is currently limited to U.K. IP addresses. The BBC is developing an international version to allow viewers everywhere to enjoy the finest television content in the world (radio is already available). But ExpatShield's proxy IP address enabled us to watch BBC series like "Doctor Who" and "Eastenders," U.K. and continental sports, and all the Beeb's channels, including the best HD quality we've yet seen.

Full Specifications

What's new in version 2.25

Version 2.25 includes multiple bug fixes and various enhancements.

General

Release August 3, 2012
Date Added August 3, 2012
Version 2.25

Operating Systems

Operating Systems Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Additional Requirements None

Popularity

Total Downloads 718,256
Downloads Last Week 0
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User Reviews

2.9/5
88 User Votes
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Developer's Description

Expat Shield allows you to Watch UK TV online outside of the UK. You can now watch BBC iplayer from anywhere in the world. Ensure that you are private & anonymous online. As you may already know, if you live outside of the UK, you cannot watch shows on BBC iplayer. Why? BBC blocks the access to iplayer by blocking the IPs coming outside of the UK. Expat Shield is a easy to use FREE software that gives you a UK IP address so that you can watch your favorite shows from anywhere. This software is used by millions of people in over 100 countries. It takes 2-3 minutes to install. Then you can simply connect to the software, and browse web as if you are in the UK!
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