What is Anonymous Web Surfing?
Saturday February 28, 2009
I've written up a three-part article on anonymous surfing: what it is, why you might want to learn about it, what information is available about you on the Web, how to accomplish anonymous surfing, and more. Here it is:
- Anonymous Surfing 101: What is Anonymous Surfing?
- How Does Anonymous Surfing Work: Anonymous Servers
- More Ways to Surf Anonymously: Free Anonymous Proxy Sites and Services
Comments
In your article about free proxies you don’t mention one of the biggest dangers. Free proxies may not be safe to use.
For example, the TOR network is a collection of servers around the world to enable people to surf anonymously. But who put up those servers? You can bet that the Chinese government put up some so they can track Chinese citizens who are surfing the Internet freely, something the Chinese government forbids.
While that may be the most extreme example, also consider that anything that flows through a proxy server is available to the people who hosted the proxy server. If these people have malicious intent, then anyone using their servers is at risk.
Not all free servers are dangerous. My advice is to do a little research before using any proxy server. Especially if you are doing something that you really want to keep private.