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Pornhub Launches VPNhub, Its Own Virtual Private Network App (venturebeat.com)

Posted by msmash on from the new-offering dept.

"Adult entertainment" giant Pornhub is entering the busy virtual private network (VPN) space with the launch of its very own VPN service. From a report: Dubbed VPNhub, the new service is available for free via native apps on Android, iOS, MacOS, and Windows, though there is a premium subscription available that gets rid of the ads and promises faster speeds. In the U.S., this will cost between $12 and $14 per month, depending on the platform. VPNhub promises unlimited bandwidth, even on the free service, which is key given that Pornhub's core selling point is bandwidth-intensive video, while it offers around 1,000 servers across 15 countries. And it promises that it logs no user data.

68 comments

  1. Finally by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Finally an app I can get behind.

    1. Re:Finally by gnick · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just because you can get behind it doesn't mean you can use the back door.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    2. Re:Finally by oldmac31310 · · Score: 1

      I'm a back door man...

      --
      http://www.acetonestudio.com
    3. Re:Finally by JMJimmy · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately, they're either breaking the law or lying.

      The indicate they have a Canadian server location which means they're required to log your information for a minimum of 30 days.

    4. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rogues Do It From Behind

  2. Oh the times we live in... by Kokuyo · · Score: 5, Funny

    When you trust a porn site more to keep their word than all tech giants...

    1. Re:Oh the times we live in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Porn has been under tight scrutiny for a long time, so they're used to doing things by the book. The tech industry on the other hand has mostly had free reign for as long as it exists. Guess what that does to their morals.

    2. Re: Oh the times we live in... by morcego · · Score: 1

      I can vouch for that. I've been scrutinizing porn for years now. ðY

      --
      morcego
    3. Re:Oh the times we live in... by JMJimmy · · Score: 2

      With a privacy policy governed by the laws of Cyprus - I'm not so sure they can really be trusted

    4. Re:Oh the times we live in... by Kenja · · Score: 2

      PornHub loses your data, you pick another porn site. Facebook does it, and are you really going to switch to Google Hangouts?

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    5. Re:Oh the times we live in... by fermion · · Score: 1
      I don't know if I would trust them, or any free based VPN, even if there is a paid tier. I would think there would be a great deal of pressure of monetize, which they could do with anonymized data, or which they will do if the ads are facebook or the like.

      So what is a value VPN that is not going to spy on you or make you look like a pervert.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    6. Re:Oh the times we live in... by joe_frisch · · Score: 1

      I think you can. Their business model is simple, and if you are paying for the service you are a "customer". In too many other cases (google, FB etc), you are the product.

    7. Re:Oh the times we live in... by eepok · · Score: 1

      Oddly enough, it's the fringe groups that typically prevent the grey-area creep of the trendy over-restriction of rights.

      Examples:
      The KKK and American Nazis help to preserve the freedom of speech - From the ACLU Website: "The ACLU is frequently asked to explain its defense of certain people or groups—particularly controversial and unpopular entities such as the American Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Nation of Islam. We do not defend them because we agree with them; rather, we defend their right to free expression and free assembly." By protecting these fringe groups' right to free speech, we ensure that less controversial speech doesn't become labeled as "fringe" with the simple change of political control.

      The NRA's Zealotry ensures you continue to retain the right to own a pump shotgun. Ya, I despise who absolutely callous they seem and I don't think we should be allowed to own anything more than bolt/lever/pump action long guns and handguns with more than 6- or 7-round capacity, but I do recognize that group of absolute nutballs do serve a purpose.

      Genuine American socialists seem to have no clue about economics let alone how to market their philosophy to anyone, but their part in the origin of workers' unions make modern life livable even for those who aren't part of a union. /examples

      So, I'm not surprised in the slightest that a major player in the adult industry (STILL a taboo industry in the public due to old ideas of sexual shame) is taking steps to preserve the rights of people to get their self-love on with the assistance of remotely viewable consenting adults.

    8. Re:Oh the times we live in... by mjwx · · Score: 1

      When you trust a porn site more to keep their word than all tech giants...

      Why not, they've got nothing to hide... Just look at the videos on their site for proof of that.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  3. Privacy Policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Their privacy policy links to another website, probably a parent company, haven't researched it, but...

    So that we may periodically send you promotional information that we think may interest you, about products, services, and offers made available by us, our affiliates or our marketing partners; and

    Appatomic's servers are based in the United States, so your personal information, if any, will be processed by Appatomic in the United States, where data protection and privacy regulations may be different than in other parts of the world. When you use our Applications with us from outside the United States, you agree to the terms of this Policy and our Terms of Service, and give your consent to the transfer to and processing of such information in the United States, which may not offer an equivalent level of data protection as that in the European Union, Canada or other countries.

    emphasis mine

    Then from the faq of vpnhub:

    Does VPNhub protect my personal information?
    Yes! We never store, collect, sell, or transmit your personal info to third parties. You can read our
    privacy policy at https://www.appatomic.net/priv...

    Obviously, I do not know how the app works.

    I'll take a swing tho.

    I'd image the profiles are cloned or partially distributed in some fashion to all the available VPN servers, or those servers connect to a US-based server, as they are a US-based company, to validate logins, which falls under US laws.

    Meh, sounds nice, but I'll pass. Thanks.

    1. Re:Privacy Policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Meh, sounds nice, but I'll pass. Thanks.

      Sounds super expensive. You can get unlimited VPN for $40 / year.

    2. Re: Privacy Policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why would anyone use this when there are better VPN options, with better track records, made by real engineers, at a cheaper price?

    3. Re: Privacy Policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They'd have to know what a VPN is and why they need it. PornHub is kinda in a unique spot to advertise this.

      "Hey man, about to jerk it to (video title)? Did you know (dns provider), (isp), (analytics trackers), and (your mom) can tell you're here and about to watch 30 seconds of (video title)?

    4. Re: Privacy Policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why would anyone use this when there are better VPN options, with better track records, made by real engineers, at a cheaper price?

      Why do you think PornHub has "fake" engineers? Their IT crowd manages to keep their site online pretty well despite staggering bandwidth requirements and presumably a lot of hostile actors trying to take it offline because, tits!

      It appears they are pretty competent IT engineers from my perspective.

      Whether you can trust their "do not log" promise is another story but that's not related to their competency.

    5. Re: Privacy Policy by bursch-X · · Score: 1

      That's what I thought. VPN.AC is in the same price range with servers around the world. Works great to get out of the GFW when on business trips in China, but also great to unblock sites when Iâ(TM)m on our corporate LAN at home.

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
  4. Living in the goddam twilight zone. by H3lldr0p · · Score: 1

    I get where this is coming from, the business demand and so forth. I get it.

    What I don't get is why it even has to be a thing. It's not hard to have reasonable privacy laws and given how important our communications are these days, have those same laws apply to the internet and so forth. That we don't is a biting indictment of our political process.

    1. Re:Living in the goddam twilight zone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not hard to have reasonable privacy laws

      It's also not hard for NHS/NSA to slip loopholes into said laws that invalidate the whole thing in the name of "national security" and "stopping the terrorists". Also, the privacy of pandora's box was opened several decades ago, nothing you do online was ever truly private, it was simply unimportant enough that nobody bothered to read the transcripts.

    2. Re:Living in the goddam twilight zone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until you become important enough. Then they have plenty of juicy blackmail content.

    3. Re:Living in the goddam twilight zone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course, this is Slashdot. Nobody on here will actually be important enough that blackmail would be worth the effort.

  5. Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Promises it logs no data - but cannot promise it *cannot* log data, or that it cannot be *legally forced* to record data, or that outsides agencies are not able to and/or are not recording data.

    1. Re:Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A free unlimited VPN is still a welcome offer. You could theoretically use it to connect to another VPN, so that the first VPN can't see where you're connecting to and the second VPN can't see where you're connecting from. Unfortunately offering it in the form of an app makes this difficult if not impossible.

    2. Re: Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by slazzy · · Score: 1

      Usually the apps still use standard protocols under the hood. Probably wouldn't be hard to figure out.

      --
      Website Just Down For Me? Find out
    3. Re: Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't count on it. Their business model relies on making it difficult, because they want to sell the desktop applications. Only the mobile apps are free.

    4. Re:Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A free unlimited VPN is still a welcome offer.

      A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.

    5. Re:Promising you don't != promising you *can't* by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

      A free unlimited VPN is still a welcome offer.

      Maybe you should check out Kaspersky Secure Connection. It's not free, but then, free services typically make you the product rather than the customer.

      https://usa.kaspersky.com/secu...

      USD $4.99/month

      I'd trust a foreign provider long before a US-based one because of US TLAs, plus a foreign government has far less ability to affect you as an individual than one's own government.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  6. British Porn Laws by Zorro · · Score: 1

    Remember that Digital Economy Act?

    So much for age checks.

    1. Re:British Porn Laws by Blue+Stone · · Score: 1

      Isn't the company behind pornhub also lobbying to be the gateway for ID checks for porn in the UK?

      Get paid by the idiots in the UK government to run ID/age gateway checks. Develop system to get paid for bypassing ID/age gateway.

      Smart.

      --
      Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
  7. the porn... by jwhyche · · Score: 2

    The porn must flow......

    --
    I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
    1. Re:the porn... by Miles_O'Toole · · Score: 2

      The porn must flow

      I will face my porn. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the porn has gone there will be...oh, my god, have we been invaded by giant snails???

      --
      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
  8. AI advancements may put a wrinkle in this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With the rapid advancements in AI, techniques are being developed that can tease out metadata from supposedly identity masking tools such as VPN. In the end, society will be made more secure and more humane by AI.

  9. Here is how you know it's probably garbage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This is how you know it's probably garbage and shouldn't be trusted, simply from reading the headline and summary: It's a service and an app.

    Someone could offer a good VPN service.

    Someone could offer a superior OpenVPN implementation.

    Nobody will ever do both. The only reason someone would offer a nonstandard service that requires their own app, is if they're up to something fishy.

    1. Re:Here is how you know it's probably garbage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody will ever do both. The only reason someone would offer a nonstandard service that requires their own app, is if they're up to something fishy.

      Really? Some of the providers I've evaluated in the past ship an app but they're all OpenVPN based.

      Why? Because you can't expect the average Joe to understand the ins and outs of configuring an OpenVPN client, even if the configuration is just "download this config file and dump it in c:\progra~1\openvpn\config. On Android it's even more difficult because there's a lot to do to make the VPN actually secure even when using the OpenVPN app directly. An app can do all of those things without much user intervention.

      The AirVPN app, for example, exposes lots of good settings, allows firewall control, blacklisting certain countries or servers, whitelisting ones you like (close to you, usually), selecting the lowest ping and lowest loaded servers automatically, etc. Yet it's an app. You can use vanilla OpenVPN if you like too.

      I don't think the PH service will be any different.

    2. Re:Here is how you know it's probably garbage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because you can't expect the average Joe to understand the ins and outs of configuring an OpenVPN client, even if the configuration is just "download this config file and dump it in c:\progra~1\openvpn\config.

      You mean like: openvpn --config file.ovpn ?

  10. Question by unixcorn · · Score: 1

    I am a VPN user at work. I work remotely and use a VPN tunnel to get on the "local" network. I understand that browsing from work, through the tunnel, would tell the remote websites that my work NAT IP is the originator. But what if the government wants records of who, exactly is connecting to a site. They know the originator is the VPN provider, in my case work, wouldn't it be a simple operation to subpoena their connection records to know that my tunnel (and internal IP) initiated the connection to XYZ.com?

    I know that a VPN tunnel encrypts my communications as does a website that encrypts via HTTP. That protects me from someone sniffing what I am doing. What I don't understand is how people feel using a VPN service makes them anonymous when I don't believe the actual connection records that tie you to a site are as private as they may think.
    Please feel free to enlighten me if I am confused.
    Thanks

    1. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      some vpn providers don't keep records, so there is nothing to subpoena. they can say, yes, that ip is ours. they can't say who it was assigned to.

    2. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They know the originator is the VPN provider, in my case work, wouldn't it be a simple operation to subpoena their connection records to know that my tunnel (and internal IP) initiated the connection to XYZ.com?

      Yes, that is trivial. But they can no longer merely snoop, they actually have to subpoena your workplace. (Which might piss them off, so watch out.) The next problem is that your workplace may not keep such records, or keep them long enough. In that case, the subpoena fails.

      Of course, if you really are up to something fishy, you make sure you're the guy managing the company VPN & NAT. That means you can selectively erase or modify records in that log, so nothing fishy points to you. Perhaps frame someone you don't like instead.

      As for legality - they may not be legally bound to keep such records. You tamper with the logs in advance. When the subpoena come, it asks for "the log" and that is what they get.

    3. Re:Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps frame someone you don't like instead.

      And why would you do that? That's criminal activity, you know that, right?

  11. I would subscribe, except by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    If I ever run for public office and they find out I supported a porn vendor, there goes my political career.

    Unfortunately, "guilt by association" is a reality in my country.

    1. Re:I would subscribe, except by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 2

      In my country the president just bangs porn stars and pays them to shut up about it.

    2. Re: I would subscribe, except by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      #facts

    3. Re:I would subscribe, except by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

      In my country the president just bangs porn stars and pays them to shut up about it.

      You say that like it's a bad thing.

      It's quite hilarious how people who are all for total freedom for anything sexual that isn't harming another or against the will of the participants suddenly get all Puritan when somebody they disagree with politically has a fling with an aging former porn video actress and start sounding like the old '80s "moral majority" Jerry Falwell.

      Where was that same moral outrage when Bill Clinton left a long & sordid trail of sexually abused women and Hillary attacked any of them that came forward (#metoo, anyone?) and tried to destroy them personally.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    4. Re:I would subscribe, except by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      If you're looking for me to defend Bill and or Hillary Clinton, you have another thing coming.

      I think you read a bunch of intent you wanted to see that doesn't exist into my statement. It wasn't a judgement of Trump's morality, just a statement of fact.

      Trump is of course morally bankrupt garbage, but sleeping with porn stars while his wife was pregnant doesn't even crack the top 100 reasons why.

    5. Re:I would subscribe, except by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

      If you're looking for me to defend Bill and or Hillary Clinton, you have another thing coming.

      I think you read a bunch of intent you wanted to see that doesn't exist into my statement. It wasn't a judgement of Trump's morality, just a statement of fact.

      I referred to "people" in my post and made an observation. Sorry if it was misunderstood. I was not and do not mean to imply an accusation towards you. You did not post anything in this thread I'm aware of that would indicate you would be included in the group I made the observation regarding. I don't know you from Adam.

      Trump is of course morally bankrupt garbage, but sleeping with porn stars while his wife was pregnant doesn't even crack the top 100 reasons why.

      I agree in large part. I find Trump to be an obnoxious loudmouthed egotist and opportunist who has no base ideological principles to speak of. He contributed heavily to and strongly supported Democrats and the DNC for many years when it was to his personal advantage, and then did a 180 when he saw an opportunity to advance himself. I just hope he sees more of the right things as being to his advantage than bad things.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    6. Re:I would subscribe, except by FunkSoulBrother · · Score: 1

      I just hope he sees more of the right things as being to his advantage than bad things.

      On this much we can agree :-)

  12. Why use this vpn over others? by schwit1 · · Score: 4, Informative

    https://thatoneprivacysite.net...

    There's too many better options.

    1. Re:Why use this vpn over others? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pornhub is equal parts porn distributor and marketing team. They regularly do silly stuff like this, and it's about as serious as McDonalds claiming their salads are healthy. The average VPN user who knows anything isn't going to use this, but Joe Blow Pornhub User might be tempted to try it as an added layer of secrecy to his nightly routine.

      Though I've also seen TV ads for NordVPN, so maybe it's just a larger push of these services into the mainstream.

    2. Re:Why use this vpn over others? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because pornhub knows most users will be using ANY vpn for porn.

    3. Re:Why use this vpn over others? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'That one privacy site" requiring scripts to load a spreadsheet, oh the irony.

  13. TOTALLY LEGIT.. yeah, sure it is. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    How stupid are people in general anymore if a porn site actually thinks people are going to trust them to run a VPN service on the up-and-up?

    1. Re:TOTALLY LEGIT.. yeah, sure it is. by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      I trust them more than I trust my government.

      Ok, I know, super low bar and all that.......

      --
      Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
    2. Re:TOTALLY LEGIT.. yeah, sure it is. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Something tells me PornHub doesn't know a damn thing about security, but everything about sellling your data to advertisers. Do Not use their VPN service.

    3. Re:TOTALLY LEGIT.. yeah, sure it is. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Just as likely they're selling your data to identity thieves. We're talking about a porn site here, not some reputable company, even if they are a gigantic porn site.

    4. Re:TOTALLY LEGIT.. yeah, sure it is. by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1

      Hahahaha, love it when I get moderated for my sig rather than the message.

      Conservatives are priceless, seriously, how can you put a price tag on trash?

      Now, THAT'S flamebait.
      Thought you needed an example as you couldn't tell sarcasm from flamebait.

      --
      Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
  14. Well then by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 2

    If you can't trust the promises of pornographers, what can you trust?

    1. Re:Well then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, everything they do is up front, unobscured, and in the open.

    2. Re:Well then by GoTeam · · Score: 2

      I think it is about time to update the meaning of the word "promise" to better fit how it is currently used: Promise - A declaration or assurance that is given to an individual or group of individuals in order to sucker them into parting with money or something of monetary value. (for the purposes of this definition, votes are considered something of monetary value. Make sure you declare those "in-kind" contributions when running for public office)

  15. For the bloody Dutch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My winkie was a crypto key!

  16. THERE SHOULD BE A LAW!!!111 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are confusing the laws of man for the laws of physics.

    If your solution depends on the laws of man, then you will surely be disappointed in the long run.

  17. No Thanks, Pass on Horrible VPN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    VPNHub wants you to give them your iPhone username/password. Can't use it without an Apple account. No thanks, pass on it.

  18. How much to start a VPN by poached · · Score: 1

    At one point I thought VPNs would cost a lot of money to start up and run, but there are so many and the prices are so cheap. I think I paid something like $15 for 3 years of VPN service?

    Having servers in all these regions can't be cheap. Having staff to look after them can't be cheap, and having to purchase the bandwidth can't be cheap. So how do they stay profitable?

  19. Price it lower by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

    Price it at $9.99/month and they'll get more takers.

    --
    .
    == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
  20. Needs direct download APK by poity · · Score: 1

    Some people need a VPN just to access the Google Play Store, and are some of the folks who are in most need of a VPN service. If they can only get it from the Play Store links, they're out of luck.

    --
    your thin skin doesn't make me a troll