Every time you use the Internet, you’re being tracked by both your server and the servers you access. Your ISP keeps logs of your MAC address (your network adapter card’s number) and your private IP address; the rest of cyberspace sees your public IP address assigned by your ISP. Yes, no matter what you do and where you go, your computer trail leads right to your doorstep. Scary thought? Disturbing? No doubt.
How Your IP Address Invades Your Privacy
Whether or not you’re engaged in illegal or immoral activity, there’s reason to be worried about this lack of privacy on the Internet. Even people who do nothing strictly unlawful deserve privacy. You may be sending an anonymous mail, or having an illicit affair, or visiting websites that your family and friends would be offended by. You may have moved away and parted with friends and just want to check on their blogs without being identified. Perhaps you share an e-mail account with another person and you want to answer mail for them without giving away the fact you are someone/somewhere else. There are all kinds of reasons why being anonymous is important, and they are not all illegal.
Unfortunately, you can’t be anonymous without a proxy server that hides your tracks for you. The websites, forums and web mail services you use all log your visits. Even social networking sites do. If you use your office’s network, the administrator keeps records of who uses it and when. Your public IP address may be changeable and have limited details only, but whoever gets past that and sees your private IP address (behind your ISP router) and worse, your Mac address, will be able to identify you.
This lack of anonymity not only affects your privacy; it can also be a security threat. Through such details about your computer, it’s possible for a hacker to build a profile of you and gather such critical info as usernames, passwords, phone numbers and credit card numbers.
How to Hide Your IP Address with Proxy Servers
An anonymous proxy server can protect you from such tracking. There are two kinds of annoymizing proxies. Disguised proxy and elite proxy. A disguised proxy is identifiable as a proxy server by the website you visit, but it still hides your real IP. An elite proxy is cleverly masked to look like a genuine IP address, and it also hides your original IP. The elite proxy is better because it makes you less “suspicious.”
How to Use a Proxy Server with Internet Explorer
First go to Internet Options – Connections – LAN Settings
In the Proxy Server area, check on “Use proxy server for LAN” box.
Enter the proxy server in the address field. Enter the port number also in the port box.
Click OK to close LAN box and Internet Options box. You’re ready to surf anonymously!
Author: Peter Garant
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff
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