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Karma’s new hotspot device comes with an integrated VPN and Tor browsing

Karma’s new hotspot device comes with an integrated VPN and Tor browsing

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It’ll be released in September

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Photo: Karma

Karma, the company that sells a small hotspot device called Go, has announced a new specialised security product called Karma Black that will provide its users with anonymous browsing through Tor, an integrated VPN, black listing, and ad blocking in an effort to guard against behavior tracking. The new Karma Black hotspot will be available in September. Karma says it’s introducing the device in response to “growing customer needs,” and referenced the US Senate voting to remove privacy protections in March, allowing internet providers to sell your surfing habits.

“Karma is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, even in the face of these regulatory challenges. Getting or staying ‘off the grid,’ in terms of surfing the public internet, is more and more important to people who believe that being online should not mean giving up their right to lawful private activity,” said Todd Wallace, CEO of Karma Mobility in a statement. “Karma Black has been engineered to create anonymity for users.”

Staying off the grid is more and more important to people

Karma is unique because the hotspot is not locked down with a network password, so anyone in your area can connect to the hotspot and sign in to their Karma account to get online. The owner of the hotspot then receives credit for each person they "share" the hotspot with, either in the form of extra data that they can use later or cash credit to their account. Karma offers monthly subscription services and pay as you go options for data. In June 2016, Karma introduced a private tier that works more like a traditional hotspot.

Karma Go
The Karma Go

Karma says it’s been working for many months on Black, and noted that platform upgrades, including new partner services and applications, will be announced later in August. The company says a hardware upgrade program will be available for users who already own the $200 Go device. The company hasn’t disclosed how much the new Black hotspot will cost.