Deleting Temporary Internet Files
A cache system is storage of data that is saved to your computer every time you visit a site. When you access a site that the cache has stored data on, the site will be accessed more quickly because you cut out the middle man (the site) and load it directly from your hard drive. This will speed up browsing time, and allow some sites to even be viewed while offline using the cache! While you wouldn’t be able to interact with other users or post things, you could view the entire site while you aren’t even connected to the Internet.
Some people use these cache systems to help out with their P2P (peer-to-peer) transfers. This will store part of the data that needs to be transferred and copied, and will allow it to load much more quickly. The cache will also hold other data that will cause the Internet to be a faster place for users and allow more data to be transferred more quickly.
The cache also comes with some risks too. Anytime identifying data or browsing history is stored on your computer, you will have some sort of privacy issue. The less information you keep about yourself and your browsing habits on your computer and on the Internet, the safer and more anonymity you will enjoy. It is possible that a hacker could gain access to your data by using your IP address to hack into your computer. It is also possible to just steal your computer and get into your cache. It is one thing for your system to be physically stolen, but if a hacker could remotely access your computer and get all sorts of sensitive information and other browsing habits, it could be forever before you found out and tried to stop it, but by then the damage could be irreversible.
There is also the practice of ISPs using a cache system for all of its users to enjoy. This seems ideal, because with so many users going on so many different sites, yet sharing the same cache, they could all use the giant cache system to load many sites faster, instead of only the ones they previously went on. This seems great, but if someone were to somehow gain access to the gigantic universal cache, they would have access to so many people’s data that it would be a privacy nightmare. Imagine, so many people’s data compromised so quickly!
Today though, the cache system is archaic. It was a good idea when Internet connection speeds were slow, but with today’s DSL and broadband being the norm for most Internet users, the connections are so fast that the cache became a liability. People worried about the security risks.
Today, proxies don’t use the cache system either. One of the concepts for a proxy was specifically for the caching of sites making your browsing faster. Companies cached the sites that their employees went to thus speeding up the web browsing. They used to have a system like the ISPs, but they have pretty much abandoned that due to the speed of Internet connections. Although the cache still is in effect on most every computer, it has taken a backseat after the Internet became so streamlined and fast.
Now proxies are used primarily for Internet privacy. By using an anonymous proxy a user can surf the Internet anonymously. An anonymous proxy can do two things for the user. First it can change the IP address of the user thus protecting their location. And if the proxy uses encryption it can also prevent hackers from intercepting and reading the data sent over the Internet.
Cache, however, remains on your PC. These are now mostly garbage files and should be deleted regularly. All browsers have the ability to clear the cache upon exiting. Some call these files temporary Internet files, some call it cache. In either case, you don’t need them anymore.
