What Is Anonymous Web Surfing?
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.
It might not be obvious to you, especially if you are not technically inclined, but whenever you visit a website, you are allowing the server at the other end to get your IP address. It does not make sense to prevent this, because without your IP address, the server running the website that you are visiting will not know where to return information to you, and all you will see in your browser is a blank page or an error message. Aside from your IP address, your browsing history of the website (i.e. times you visited the website, links you clicked, data you entered) are recorded by the other server. Typically, companies use this kind of information for statistical, marketing, technical or legal purposes. Your company or school may have some Internet usage policies that necessitate the configuration of servers and firewalls to keep track of your Internet activities.
Anonymous surfing is done through an anonymous browser based proxy (a.k.a anonymizing proxy). This kind of website allows you to enter the URL of the web page or website that you want to visit, and the service will direct you to it while hiding your information from the other server. The website you visited will have no way to determine your IP address or location, because it would seem that all requests for information came from the proxy.
But how anonymous can you get using these services? Although companies offering these assure you that your information will not be leaked, it is not unrealistic that law enforcement agencies will use this technique for surveillance purposes and will most likely have access to these records.
Also, you might get away with anonymous web surfing for while in your office or school, but sooner or later, the system administrator will notice that you are using an anonymizing proxy and even see the websites you visited embedded in the URL sent to the proxy or from DNS queries. This will definitely put you on a watch list and may be grounds for disciplinary action.
More importantly, anonymous surfing is not the same as encrypting sensitive information such as login credentials (i.e. username, password) and credit card details when transmitted over the Internet. Some users may lulled into a false sense of security and will not know that the credit card information they typed in are unencrypted and easily retrieved by hackers or server administrators with malicious plans.
Do your homework on what to look for in a web proxy service for anonymous surfing. Check on the stability of the companies offering these services, since the current list changes constantly. Consider also the price. Some services can be had for free, while others are not. If it’s free, see if you’re getting the full or limited version. It may be that only the limited version is free, and you must pay one or more fees to get the full version.
The bottom line: anonymous web surfing has its uses, but it is up to you to weigh these uses against your needs to ensure that potentially bigger problems will not occur.
A PC cleaner can be a great way to reduce your risks 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 more information about this and other related topics search the internet and you can find just about everything you could think of.
