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Use a Proxy Site for Anonymous Browsing
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Wayne Cutforth
Wayne Cutforth owns a Proxy Website.He is currently building up a portfolio of websites and loves to help other increase their privacy whilst online! His website is often called a "secret proxy". 
By Wayne Cutforth
Published on 08/20/2008
 
This article looks at how you can use proxy sites to retain privacy while surfing online.

What is a free proxy? A free proxy is basically a piece of hardware or software that sits in between your computer and the Internet. It handles all communications on your behalf, allowing you to remain anonymous to the outside world. You can easily find a proxy online by using Google or another search engine.

If you can, use a secure proxy that is hosted outside of the US and EU. This is because both jurisdictions have seriously compromised your privacy and can easily compel ISPs to release information about your surfing habits. This would defeat the whole object of anonymous surfing. Proxies that are hosted in places like Panama, Costa Rica, are a good bet. These countries tend to have tight privacy laws making it more difficult to get at Internet records.

Using a secure proxy website also allows you to have an extra layer of protection against hackers. Because you are surfing behind a third party website, the hacker would only see the proxy details, not yours. As you can see, using free proxies are advantageous for sensitive matters like Internet banking, for example. Make sure you also take other precautions. Always make sure you have a good anti-virus package installed on your computer when browsing the Internet.

There are so many variations of viruses so it is not always easy to keep up. Make sure that you get regular updates too. This way, any threat is at a minimal. If a free secure proxy is not enough, you could always parting with your cash. They basically provide the precise same thing but will have you believe otherwise. In my experience most of these products are a waste of money.

Remember, a free proxies provides you with anonymous surfing. Please do not think that this is a means of evading the law. Do not use proxies for anything dodgy. Always respect your local, national, and international laws when you are surfing the Internet.
Free proxies are also useful if you want to get around network blocks. Network blocks are usually installed on school networks or at a place of work to stop people accessing certain websites.

Using free proxies can sometimes solve this problem, although once the proxy becomes popular it is likely to get blocked by the network. Try and find a relatively new secure proxy so that you can be fairly sure that is has not been blocked yet. If it has, just keep looking at more until you find one that has not been blocked by the network.

I hope this brief article has helped you gain the basic knowledge of how you can use a free proxy for anonymous browsing and so you can protect your privacy. Proxies are useful if you want to protect you identity and to get past network blocks.