Secure-Me launches all-in-one ID-theft protection service

A service launching in the UK today promises to help users protect their privacy and avoid identity theft while browsing the web.

Secure-Me, available for PCs, Macs and smartphones, offers a secure browser which encrypts traffic coming to and from the user's machine.

The service also compresses data - which it claims will speed up transfer - and anonymises traffic by routing it through Secure-Me's US servers.

In addition, Secure-Me offers built in anti-virus (Clam AV on the local machine, and McAfee on the server), and checks visited websites against McAfee's Site Advisor database of malicious websites.

The service is not intended to replace existing anti-virus, though – the company told TechRadar that Secure-Me was intended to "complement local protection," and offered "a second opinion".

Secure-Me also comes with a virtual keyboard, keystroke interference software (to confuse keystroke loggers), and the ability to encrypt and decrypt files. The service works with Firefox and can be configured to work with Internet Explorer and Safari.

Because traffic using Secure-Me is routed through US servers, users will appear to have a US IP address, which means that Secure-Me also brings the additional benefit of being able to view US-only sites such as Hulu. In a briefing with TechRadar, representatives from Secure-Me said they planned to add servers in a number of countries so users could choose which country they wanted to appear to be surfing from.

Secure-Me Portable (for Windows and OS X) is supplied on a USB stick at £89.95 for the first year then £39.95 per year. For Android, iPhone, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms, Secure-Me costs £14.95 a year, and the desktop version (Windows XP, Vista and 7) is priced at £39.95 a year.

You can purchase the software or download the demo at www.secure-me.co.uk.