Free Anonymous Proxy, Why Not???

Anyone who wants to hide their Internet traces, but browse about cookie-free, would no doubt consider one of the many sites that offer free, anonymous proxies; the key word here being “free.”

Any savvy person knows that running proxy servers costs money. Nothing is “free”.  Proxy servers need money to run and that money has to come from someplace.  Unfortunately there is something about the word “FREE” that turns a normally sane person’s brain completely off.  It is the ultimate bait word, the proverbial “raw meat” in a bear trap.

Further, it doesn’t help that free anonymous proxies have compelling copy; concise, informative and tantalizing.

Here is a sample lead-in text from a site that offers access to anonymous proxies.

“An anonymous proxy allows you to bypass restrictions, browse blocked sites or simply browse privately and securely. If you browse the web through an anonymous proxy, no web site can find your real IP address. They can not track you and you are safe, secure and anonymous on the web. Access blocked sites like MySpace, Facebook, Orkut and more.”

This sounds great, doesn’t it?  This is especially true if you’re an individual trying to access sites that are restricted by your employer or school.  There are many other reasons to utilize anonymous proxies other than accessing MySpace or Facebook. Protection of your personal information is the number one reason.  Back to my first observation, it costs money to run servers.  How are the anonymous proxies making their money?

Many anonymous proxies earn cash by showing Google ads on the pages as you use their proxy.  This sounds reasonable enough, doesn’t it? 

Unfortunately some of these free web proxies web sites have flash-based ads that redirect surfers to malware scan sites.  These sites then proceeded to “scan” computers while actually downloading malware in hidden folders on the hard drive.

Malware can hijack your PC, corrupt your registry, disable your task manager and take over your administrator rights.  Malware can also deposit hidden self-writing executable files that run in the background, causing even more grief.

And the “free” access to an anonymous proxy just sounded so good.  You are much better off when you follow the old saying that “if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

If you need anonymous surfing, be smart about it.  Purchase a software program that provides safe, reliable, and secure anonymous proxy services. Services that are ad-free, and provide layered security, rotating IP addresses, encryption of your data and protection of your personal information.

Leave the “Free” Anonymous Proxy sites alone.  If there is one thing that is true in life, nothing is ever completely free.  There is always a price.  The question is: “How high a price are you willing to pay for FREE?”