TwitterNetShade FAQ
A proxy server acts as a relay for your web connections. Proxy servers have no effect on encryption and they only deal with web traffic. As with a regular web connection, data is only encrypted if it goes over HTTPS. Note that with a proxy, certain web applications such as Java or Flash may circumvent the proxy server. Non-web applications such as Mail or FTP will not use the proxy at all.
VPN
A VPN connection is a secure encrypted tunnel between you and a remote computer or network. In the case of NetShade, the tunnel goes between you and one of our servers. Our server then provides you with a securely encrypted link to the Internet. Unlike an HTTP proxy which only deals with webpages, a VPN encrypts and proxies all Internet traffic from all applications.
More detailed information is available in Technical Info.
Use Proxy when encryption is not important, but you need to access web content anonymously. Proxies are also useful for accessing content available only in other regions of the world.
Subscriptions of less than one year are available as well, for an increased daily rate.
For Mac:
For iOS:
Please see our page about NetShade and Little Snitch
Safari, Firefox (see item below,) Camino, OmniWeb, and Chrome.
Unless you have a specific reason for using Firefox, a different browser (Safari or Chrome) is generally preferable on a Mac.
NetShade's servers can be blocked just like any other servers. Therefore, certain countries with filtered Internet block NetShade's services. Presently we're aware of blocking in China, Iran, Bahrain, parts of the UAE and parts of Pakistan. The best choice is to download the free trial and see if the app will work in your location.
Yes, one code is good for Macs within the same household, up to 5 systems. The same applies to iOS devices, for iOS-enabled codes.
The purchase of NetShade includes a one year subscription to the NetShade Proxy servers. The NetShade application will continue to function without a proxy subscription, and can be used to access the public proxies and user proxies. This subscription can be renewed at $19 for each additional year.
If you were once able to use your code and it has stopped, your code may have
expried. You can check the status of your code via this link:
Account Status
If you haven't received your code, please visit the code recovery page below:
Lost Serial Number
If you were running iOS 5 with NetShade and you've done the upgrade to iOS 6, it may have broken your PAC file configuration. There seems to be a bug in the iOS update process which renders PAC files impossible to activate within a Wi-Fi config.
Fortunately, there is an easy workaround.
1. Go to Settings -> Wi-Fi
2. Touch the blue arrow next to your Wi-Fi network
3. Touch "Forget this Network"
4. Re-join the network
5. Re-enter your Wi-Fi password if asked, then set up the PAC file setting again.
Every time you quit NetShade it sets your system back to a direct, un-proxied Internet connection. However, if NetShade crashes, is force-quit, or if your computer loses power while NetShade is running, it can leave your system behind a proxy server. To correct this, simply launch NetShade, select either a Public Proxy or NetShade Proxy, and then click Direct Connection. Your connection should now be un-proxied.
The Public Proxies in NetShade's list are categorized with one, two, or three bars to
represent good, better, or best anonymity.
One bar: The proxy server sends your computer's IP address to the
target host in a special HTTP variable. This means that the host is able to
find out your IP address, but will have to take special measures to do so. The
host will need to know what field to look at for your IP address, and specially
log it. Most hosts do not go to this trouble.
Two bars: The proxy server does not send your IP address to
the target host. It does identify itself as a proxy server. Although the target
host cannot determine your IP address, it can tell that you are using a proxy server.
Three bars: The proxy server does not send your IP address
to the target host, nor does it identify itself as a proxy. The target host is
unable to determine your IP address. It is also unable to determine that you are
using a proxy. All the NetShade proxy servers are this type.
NetShade routes your web connection through a web proxy server. It achieves this by altering your system's network settings. Browsers which adhere to Apple's system configuration protocol will pick up on these changes, and automatically send your connection through a proxy as opposed to connecting to the target site directly.
A. Your computer’s web connections are managed by the NetShade application.
B. Every time you launch NetShade, it connects to the NetShade server to obtain an up-to-date list of public proxy servers. The proxies on this list are then tested by your computer to ensure connectivity.
C. Direct: By clicking the “Direct” button in NetShade, your web connections are routed directly to the Internet with no proxy protection.
D. Public Proxy: By clicking the “Public Proxy” button in NetShade, your connections are routed through one of the public proxy servers in NetShade’s list. These proxies are not run by NetShade, and their reliability cannot be guaranteed. They do, however, do a good job of performing NetShade's primary function, which is to hide your IP address from the sites you visit.
E. NetShade Proxy: By clicking the “NetShade Proxy” button (available only to registered users,) your connections are routed through one of NetShade’s private proxy servers. At present, you can switch between a US-based proxy and one located in the UK. These are high-bandwidth fully anonymous proxy servers, maintained by NetShade. They support HTTP and HTTPS. Public proxies on the other hand are HTTP only. HTTPS through a public proxy would be generally inadvisable anyway, as the admins of these servers may have varying practices as to the use of their logs and the security of their systems.
Yes, when using VPN servers all traffic is routed through NetShade. When using proxy servers however, only web protocols (HTTP and HTTPS) are proxied.
NetShade retains activity logs for a limited amount of time. This is never more than 30 days, and usually less than 10 days. The duration is limited by a file size boundary, so the faster the logs fill up the sooner they are purged from the server's hard drive.
Under no circumstances will NetShade sell or trade user activity information with any third party. NetShade will not use users' proxy acitivities for any form of marketing via e-mail or otherwise. NetShade will only use the information recorded in activity logs for compliance with investigations pertaining to credible reports of illegal activity being conducted via NetShade's proxy service.
NetShade isn't in the business of data-mining, and frankly we find the whole practice of snooping to be distasteful. Other proxy servers tend to be far less clear about how they track and log your activities. With NetShade, we leave no question about it. The NetShade proxy servers are fast, almost always online, and completely anonymous.
NetShade is run by Rayner Software, LLC incorporated in California, USA.
Rayner Software is a completely independent and unaffiliated company, started and
developed without any outside investment. The company was founded in 2002 by Ty Rayner,
and is devoted to the principles of privacy protection and of long-term reputability
above short-term profits. We will never attempt to monetize user information nor
data-mine it for any marketing-driven end.
We believe strongly in protecting the privacy of our users. We also comply with the law, and will comply with a genuine, signed subpoena from a court if we receive one. We do not, however, casually disclose user information to law enforcement or other investigators upon simple request. We have received these requests, and our response is to insist upon a subpoena.
In summary, we absolutely seek to protect the privacy of our users. However we also have no intention of facilitating or concealing any criminal activity. We believe in the law, and we believe in adhererence to the process of law by all, including law enforcement.
The NetShade VPN servers work over all TCP ports and protocols. Public proxy servers support HTTP. The NetShade Proxy servers support HTTP and HTTPS.
The Public Proxy option will select a public HTTP proxy server from NetShade's list. These servers are freely available for everyone's use, and they can become heavily trafficked. For this reason, their reliability cannot be assured.
The NetShade Proxy option connects you through one of NetShade's own anonymous proxy servers. These servers are fully anonymous, and because they are private and accessible only to NetShade users they receive much less traffic than public proxy servers generally do. The NetShade proxy is available only to registered users of the program with an active subscription to the NetShade Proxy service (the first year is included with an initial purchase of NetShade.)
NetShade makes every effort to provide a reliable list of public proxy servers, but these servers become so heavily trafficked that they frequently go down or become unusably slow throughout the day. NetShade's server contacts all the proxies in its list every night, and measures their response time. This data is sent to the NetShade client program so that your list is always current. Unfortunately reliable public proxies are becoming increasingly rare. The NetShade proxies are generally your best option, as they are dedicated Mac-only proxy servers which handle comparatively small amounts of traffic.
MacOS X and iOS.