Monday, November 12, 2007

Proxify - The Secret Site For Surfing The Web Anonymously

By Peter Hill




"In real life if someone followed you, listened in on your conversations and went through your photo album without your permission you would call the police (or maybe they are the police). Things are different online. That information is easy to find; easier than people think"
Web Anonymity 101



In this day and age of digital footprints, it is important to be aware of what traces you leave behind every time you browse the web. A new solution to staying safe on the web is using proxy servers like Proxify to keep your identity secure. From using a proxy that encrypts communication, surfing anonymously and knowing what traces you have left behind, the free anonymous Proxify site is worth taking a look at. This article aims to show you exactly what this tool offers, and some ideas on keeping safe in this new digital age.



Whether you are surfing the world wide web from the comfort of your own home, or from an unsecured location such as an airport or a Starbucks, it is critically important that you make sure you are using a secure connection. You will notice when you surf with a site like Proxify that there is an "https" in the URL bar. This means that your communication between your computer and the Proxify site is encrypted and safe. This prevents your web content from being sniffed or monitored by networks between yourself and Proxify. Otherwise, it is actually quit possible that someone could save and view exactly what you saw on your screen as you surfed the web. Ensuring that you have encryption functioning is the first step in staying secure while surfing anonymously.



When you visit a website on the internet, from the perspective of the website, you have an identifiable and unique address. This is called the IP address, which is short for Internet Protocol address. What this means is that you leave this IP address on the logs of every website you visit. Furthermore, this address makes it possible to pinpoint your location to the exact city you are in, the company you use for internet service, and the contact information of your particular service provider. It also makes it easy to keep track of how often you have visited a website and for how long. By using the Proxify site, you circumvent this by replacing your IP address with that of one of the many Proxify servers. This is like being able to hide your phone number from call display when making a telephone call. So the second step for surfing the web anonymously is hiding your IP address, simply because it is the most important trace you leave behind.



The third information trace that remains on a web server after you have viewed a page is the browser information. The browser information leaves a trace that can identify exactly what browser you use as well as why type of computer operating system you use. This can be used to identify you if you take a laptop with you and connect it to different internet sources. Even though many people use the same computer systems and browser applications, the specific version and or service pack you use is saved. With a proxy, the web server can only see the information of the proxy server, and not that of your own browser and operating system. This is why the Proxify site has the ability to block that information and eliminate that digital footprint.



These three critical points are just some of the things to remember when you decide to use the Proxify site, and surf the wold wide web anonymously. Some of the other measures include, removing scripts as they can reveal your IP address, and hex encoding your URL's to keep your movements secret. However this article has presented you with the basics of encrypting your connection, hiding your IP address, and knowing what traces you leave behind. It is without a doubt that using the free anonymous Proxify site, is a valuable tool when keeping your privacy online.




Peter Hill is a computer hobbyist and writer who specializes in computer security issues. He runs an informational website that provides links to free proxy services, articles and guides on keeping your identity safe on the net. For more information be sure to check out http://Proxify.Strangled.Net



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