Are You Surfing The Web Anonymously?

Many IT security professionals agree that, even in this day and age, the Internet still has some security and privacy issues, so that some people have opted for anonymous web surfing. Simply put, this is using the Internet without revealing information such as the browser you are using, your IP address, your computer system, your location, etc.

The reality is, whenever you visit a website, you are allowing the server at the other end to get your IP address and possibly other information as well, such as your location, the computer system you are using, etc. In the case of the IP address, the server running the website that you are visiting needs it to return information to you. Without it, all you will see in your browser is a blank page or an error message. It is highly likely that your browsing history of the website (i.e. times you visited the website, links you clicked, data you entered) are also recorded by that server. This kind of information is usually collected for statistical, marketing, technical or legal purposes. It is also possible that your company or school has some Internet usage policies that require blocking of certain sites from being accessed by employees or students. Because of this, the server and firewalls will be configured to keep track of your Internet activities.

How does anonymous surfing work? There are websites, known as anomymous browser based proxies or anonymizing proxies, that serves as the go-between between you and the website that you want to visit. The other website will only see the proxy and will not have access to your IP address and such. All you need to do is go to the anonymizing proxy website and enter the URL of the website you want to visit, and the service will direct you to it.

How reliable are these services? While companies offering anonymous surfing may be sincere in not divulging your information, law enforcement agencies can access their records and it is not far-fetched that this technique can be used for surveillance purposes.

It may not even matter how reliable these companies are, since any vigilant server administrator will soon detect your use of an anonymizing proxy, and even the websites you are visiting through anonymous surfing. You may be violating office or school policy, and if it doesn’t earn you a reprimand, it will definitely put you in a watch list.

Consider also that anonymous surfing does not guarantee the security of sensitive data such as your username, password or credit card information. Some anonymous proxies do not encrypt the data that they are carrying over the Internet, making it easy for hackers and server administrators with malicious intent to steal your log in and credit card details.

It pays to do research on what to look for in a web proxy service for anonymous surfing. The list of sites offering this service also changes constantly, so you want to go with a stable provider with a good record. Check the price. Some are being offered for free, while others are not. What’s the difference? You might be getting limited service with your free product. Or, it turns out that the full version is available for a fee.

In short, do your homework and read the fine print. Make anonymous web surfing work for you instead of creating potentially bigger problems.

By: Steven Thompson

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A PC cleaner can be a great way to improve your chances against potential threats. Mitch Stenson is an experienced publisher who can help you minimize risk by using anonymous web surfing with a VPN. If you would like additional articles about this and other related topics search the internet and you can find a large amount.