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Internet Users Face Unseen Dangers by not Hiding their IP Address (Page 1 of 2)
Many Internet users fail to realize the importance of hiding their IP address to maintain Internet privacy. Web surfers may know to maintain anonymity with a proxy server, but it is important for everyone to know the many reasons why an IP address should be masked and hidden while surfing. An Internet Protocol address is a numerical identification number given to devices in a computer network. Each device must know its own IP address and the IP address of the device with which it needs to communicate. Every person, company, device, or server that is online at has an IP address, which is similar to persons home address. Someone must have your home address to send you a letter; much like a device must have your IP address to relay a packet of information. IP addresses hold a vast amount of information and knowing how to control the amount of information a website or company can gain on each user is up to the user.
An IP address maintains a record of geographic information based on where the user is surfing from. Many websites are readily available that allows a user to find his or her own IP address. Not only will these websites easily show a users IP address, but also what city, state, and country they are surfing from and the ISP they are using. A website will not be able to track a user down to their home address based on their IP, but in most cases it can get within a few miles with great accuracy, depending on the closest network hub. A subpoenaed ISP or a company checking their web logs on the other hand can easily locate the users home or cubicle. Some of the better websites will also give the users area code, geographic longitude and latitude, whether a proxy is being used, and the type of Internet connection (cable, dsl, etc.) a user has.
Users surfing from work can benefit from masking their IP address. When connecting from work, the IP address is generated from the companys Internet server, which gives all the same information previously stated. This information is not directly tracked to a specific user, but to the company itself. If an employee is researching the competition, the competitor will see the IP address of the company and could send them to a “dummy” site with false information. Another reason an employee may want to hide their IP at work is to avoid breaking company guidelines by surfing for personal reasons. If an employee masks his or her IP while surfing it will not be tracked back to the company. A good proxy server will also hide the origin site (the site the user just came from) with a fake domain so that the company web logs will not show the real sites the employee was surfing.
Aside from work purposes, web surfers have many personal reasons to hide their IP. Search engines, marketing companies, and even their own Internet Service Provider track and record their data. Masking the IP address with an anonymous proxy is a great way to avoid being monitored by these companies. They associate the stored data with the “fake” IP address, leaving the users real IP address free from having been recorded or spammed. Users may also find that their IP address is blocked from accessing certain content or websites. This can be due to guideline violations, bandwidth limits, or the website blocking IPs/only allowing IPs from certain places. Surfing with an anonymous proxy will allow surfers to use a fresh IP address whenever they encounter one of these restrictions, or to avoid having their surfing habits tracked and recorded.
Useful Methods for Circumventing Internet Censors (Page 1 of 2)
Circumventing internet blocks and avoiding censors has become an important part of web surfing for many users. Censors can range from a restrictive government regime to a company or schools IT department and web surfers are always looking for a way to get through tight controls. Users need to maintain a certain level of privacy and anonymity when circumventing censors, especially since many companies will fire an employee for surfing, or in extreme cases a government can fine or imprison a web surfer for browsing on sites they deem to be inappropriate. Many products and services can be found to help users break free of stringent internet censors, allowing netizens to surf freely without the fear of oppressive bodies controlling their every movement. These products offer users unique ways to maintain their internet privacy and connect to the World Wide Web without any restrictions.
One of the ways users can circumvent blocks is with the Java Anon Proxy, commonly referred to as JonDo. This method allows users to choose which network to surf through. These networks are run by independent organizations. After a user chooses their network, the data stream is scrambled and mixed with other users data. This allows users to remain anonymous since anyone attempting to spy on or restrict the data flow is confused by the cluttered connection. Unlike TOR, the operators are not anonymous, which allows a user to decide which operators they will or will not trust with their information. A major drawback of this service is that all the operators, also known as mix cascades, can record their logs and compare them to reveal users online activities.
A second way users can outsmart censors is by using Psiphon. Psiphon is a web proxy that was directly created to circumvent the tight Internet censorship of countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba. The traffic between clients and servers is encrypted with “https” as the data is being transferred. Psiphon is offers users the advantage of turning their computers into servers that can display web pages from anywhere. This proxy works over trusted connections as opposed to an open proxy which travels over untrusted networks. Users in countries with tight censorship can log in and send a request to a server located in another country to gain access to blocked websites. Users do not have to download any software, meaning no traces of circumventors are found on the hard drive. While Psiphon can gain access to censored content it does not act as an anonymizer and all the clients activities are logged in Psiphons servers, leaving it vulnerable to cyber attacks and hackers/crackers looking for information.
One of the most popular methods to access censored content is by using anonymous proxy servers, either in website form or software-based. These proxies are very common and can be found through the various search engines. Web-based proxies are very easy to implement, which attests to their abundance. While anonymous proxy sites are easy to block, the ease of creating new ones makes it a common go-to for surfers. Many surfers prefer to use the software-based proxy since it will usually offer more security features, such as encrypting the connection and also hiding the port and origin website of the surfer. Anonymous surfing software and websites allow a user to surf anonymously by redirecting their connection through a server which masks the real IP with one generated by the server. Private proxy servers will also rotate IP addresses and randomly refresh so that a user is not constantly surfing with the same IP address. This allows users facing strict censorship to mask their IP address with one from a different country, which will allow the user free reign to surf the Internet.
Useful Methods for Circumventing Internet Censors (Page 1 of 2)
Circumventing internet blocks and avoiding censors has become an important part of web surfing for many users. Censors can range from a restrictive government regime to a company or schools IT department and web surfers are always looking for a way to get through tight controls. Users need to maintain a certain level of privacy and anonymity when circumventing censors, especially since many companies will fire an employee for surfing, or in extreme cases a government can fine or imprison a web surfer for browsing on sites they deem to be inappropriate. Many products and services can be found to help users break free of stringent internet censors, allowing netizens to surf freely without the fear of oppressive bodies controlling their every movement. These products offer users unique ways to maintain their internet privacy and connect to the World Wide Web without any restrictions.
One of the ways users can circumvent blocks is with the Java Anon Proxy, commonly referred to as JonDo. This method allows users to choose which network to surf through. These networks are run by independent organizations. After a user chooses their network, the data stream is scrambled and mixed with other users data. This allows users to remain anonymous since anyone attempting to spy on or restrict the data flow is confused by the cluttered connection. Unlike TOR, the operators are not anonymous, which allows a user to decide which operators they will or will not trust with their information. A major drawback of this service is that all the operators, also known as mix cascades, can record their logs and compare them to reveal users online activities.
A second way users can outsmart censors is by using Psiphon. Psiphon is a web proxy that was directly created to circumvent the tight Internet censorship of countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba. The traffic between clients and servers is encrypted with “https” as the data is being transferred. Psiphon is offers users the advantage of turning their computers into servers that can display web pages from anywhere. This proxy works over trusted connections as opposed to an open proxy which travels over untrusted networks. Users in countries with tight censorship can log in and send a request to a server located in another country to gain access to blocked websites. Users do not have to download any software, meaning no traces of circumventors are found on the hard drive. While Psiphon can gain access to censored content it does not act as an anonymizer and all the clients activities are logged in Psiphons servers, leaving it vulnerable to cyber attacks and hackers/crackers looking for information.
One of the most popular methods to access censored content is by using anonymous proxy servers, either in website form or software-based. These proxies are very common and can be found through the various search engines. Web-based proxies are very easy to implement, which attests to their abundance. While anonymous proxy sites are easy to block, the ease of creating new ones makes it a common go-to for surfers. Many surfers prefer to use the software-based proxy since it will usually offer more security features, such as encrypting the connection and also hiding the port and origin website of the surfer. Anonymous surfing software and websites allow a user to surf anonymously by redirecting their connection through a server which masks the real IP with one generated by the server. Private proxy servers will also rotate IP addresses and randomly refresh so that a user is not constantly surfing with the same IP address. This allows users facing strict censorship to mask their IP address with one from a different country, which will allow the user free reign to surf the Internet.