Privacy is a big part of today’s world. As people’s information and data become more and more sensitive, the need to keep it hidden becomes more and more necessary. Ten years ago, someone’s IP address wouldn’t have been treated with any security what so ever, now it must be hidden at all costs. People probably wouldn’t have known what an IP address was at the time!

The demand for Internet privacy got to be so strong, that there began to be a market for it. People would pay for the services they provide, and would do so willingly. At first, these companies charged ridiculous amounts for their services, but today they are often dirt cheap.

Anonymous Proxy usage became more and more important. These are programs or web sites that actually alter your IP address, which is a virtual nametag showing location, browsing history, etc. The programs then allow you to surf on their encrypted networks to be sure all of your information is encoded upon you sending it. Then, they actually go and retrieve the websites you wish to visit for you, allowing you to bypass blocks set on work and school computers (or possibly an oppressive government) and enjoy the sites you want to. They will allow no traces of data such as cookies or cache to stay on your computer, allowing no one to see your browsing session. All your employer or teacher would see is the name of the anonymous proxy over and over and over again. If this isn’t good enough for you, professional fee-based proxies offer a “delete session information” function that completely deletes history of your browsing for that session, leaving no traces anywhere.

There are two major types of proxies; a software based proxy and a web based proxy. We’ll focus on the web based one first.

Tweet This Post

We live in an age of many concerns and fears. Children aren’t allowed to play outside anymore as they were ten years ago for fear of being stolen by some interloper patrolling the neighborhood. People are now given intensive scans at the airport for everything from knives, to drugs, to guns. Even your loved ones waiting to greet you are not allowed to come up to the terminals anymore, instead having to wait outside in the crowded lobbies and baggage claims. The Internet has also changed. Once there was only a few sites to go on, and nobody knew a thing about spy ware or malware. People sent e-mails and went on sites in a totally blissful and carefree manner, but that soon changed.

With the advent of the “Information Generation”, people flocked to the Internet for its unlimited resources and its great exploring potential. People began to have virtual lives online, living vicariously through games or social networking sites. The Internet unknowingly conglomerated with television through YouTube, and is currently putting television on its last legs. Even the drudging commute to work is becoming archaic, and being replaced by the coffee-fueled masses that earn their bread working from home.

America has always been a land of change, as well as freedom. Right now, we are in the middle of another Industrial Revolution; although perhaps it will appear in history textbooks as the Technology Revolution. As the people evolved and changed their habits, so did the inventive criminals. Crime has always been a plaguing leech on America’s side, but one that is inevitable by the amount of freedom each citizen enjoys. Although criminals are often stereotypically portrayed as completely ignorant, uneducated low lives, they know quite some about their art; it is their chosen profession. They follow people and find out where they are most unprotected and will strike there when the opportunity arises. They also factor in how likely it is that they will be caught.

When everyone began using the Internet, criminals began to see that this was an excellent new avenue for them to exploit. Instead of having to rob someone in a suspicious back alley or on a crowded subway train, they could do so surreptitiously online, without even a trace of fear. A robber mugging someone in an alley will be plagued by the screams of his victim, and most likely caught by police as he tries to escape. An Internet hacker who hacks into an innocent person’s bank account online will not have to worry about the victim screaming for help, nor about a quick escape. It is likely the victim won’t even know that they have been robbed until months later, and by then the criminals will be gone, without a shred of evidence left behind.

Tweet This Post

Some believe that a proxy server is the cure-all solution to internet privacy problems. If it is used correctly, and the proxy is a reliable one, then this is a true statement. Oftentimes though, if a criminal proxy is selected, this can be the end of your internet anonymity.

Internet crime has skyrocketed. The ability to commit crimes on the web is a much safer alternative than actually breaking into someone’s house and stealing. This way, the criminal can’t be caught at the crime scene; he is countries away!

The ability to commit crime and steal people’s information on the Internet is simple. For example, viewing somebody’s public FaceBook or Myspace profile is bound to net you all sorts of useful information about them; location, pictures, affiliations, school, etc. It’ll just be a short time before their Social Security Number is posted on their profile for everyone to swoon over and leave comments on.

The point is, the Internet makes it way to easy for criminals. Most of your surfing is done with simple HTTP requests, which is completely readable; not encrypted whatsoever. If they can’t get you this way, they turn to their next cultural meme for advice: “If you build it, they will come.” If they start a proxy server, millions of surfers will flock in to seek anonymity while browsing the web.

That was a critical mistake. Instead of hiding their information, they pretty much left it on the hacker’s doorstep, tied in a pretty bow. The owner of a proxy can see all of the sensitive information that flows through it, and if the owner is an identity thief…. You get the idea.

You know the old saying “nothing in this world is free”? Well, that could be altered to be a bit more accurate: “nothing GOOD in this world is free”. There are free proxy servers out there, but unless you want to be the next true story in an identity theft article, you should just pay the minimal monthly fee and get the security of a true elite anonymous proxy.

Tweet This Post