As privacy is violated more and more every year, anonymity while surfing the net becomes more and more important. Threats arise even if the attacker only knows your real IP address, and more and more people start using different methods of masking the IP address. The essence of these techniques boils down to hiding the real IP address behind an IP address from another network.
You cannot be completely anonymous and if you want to, your actions can be tracked, but using a technique to hide your IP address allows you to maintain anonymity at an acceptable level computer engineering job description.
Method 1: VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, but it's actually much simpler. Basically, you connect your computer or device to another network and surf the Internet through that network. Any activity looks as if it is being carried out by the owner of that network, but not by you.
When you connect to a VPN, you mask your IP address with the IP address of the network you are connecting to. In order to track traffic to your device, the VPN must "pass" you (the IP address can also be found out through a DNS leak)
Accordingly, for more confidence and reliability, it is better to use a paid and verified VPN, since free services have many disadvantages. For example, in the case of a free VPN, questions immediately arise: "Is my data for sale?", "Will the real IP address be issued if requested?" And similar situations happen.
Based on the foregoing, we recommend using services that do not save logs related to your activity and cannot give out your IP address even if requested by government agencies. In addition, most VPN services that do not keep logs encrypt all your traffic to and from the network. Thus, interception of information by the provider or law enforcement agencies is prevented.
Which service should you choose?
Check out the catalog of VPN services on our website. Unfortunately, there is no VPN service that would guarantee your privacy 100%. Whichever service you choose, you need to download and launch the appropriate application and connect to the desired network before surfing. Nothing complicated.
Method 2: Web Proxy
A web proxy works in much the same way as a VPN: you connect to the proxy, and then all your traffic starts going through that server. In this case, your IP address is hidden behind the IP address of the proxy server.
However, there are two important differences between a web proxy and a VPN.
First, the proxy server usually lacks encryption. Even if your address is hidden, traffic is available for analysis by providers and law enforcement agencies. In addition, some sites can track your real IP address using Flash or JavaScript.
Second, some browsers only allow web traffic to be proxied. To use a web proxy, you need to go to the browser settings and specify the server's IP address. In this case, applications and devices outside the browser, such as Skype, will show your real IP address.
You can find free web proxies, for example, on the PremProxy or Proxy List sites . If the server is located in your country, the surfing speed will be quite fast. A proxy in another country can be useful in case of blocking some sites and for slightly increasing the masking.
Setting up a proxy in Firefox
1. In the main menu go to the Options section.
2. Go to the Network section of the Advanced tab.
3. In the Connection section, click on Settings ...
4. Select Manual proxy configuration and enter the address / port in the HTTP Proxy field.
Setting up a proxy in Microsoft Edge
1. From the main menu, select Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on View advanced settings
3. Scroll down and click on Open proxy settings.
4. In the Manual proxy setup section, enable the Use a proxy server option, and then specify the server address and port in the Address field.
Proxy settings in Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi
1. From the main menu, select Settings.
2. In the Network section, click on Change proxy settings ...
3. In the Connections tab, click on LAN settings.
4. Check the Use a proxy server for your LAN option and enter the address and port in the Address field.
Note: Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi and other Chromium-based browsers do not have a built-in proxy option specific to browser traffic. The system-wide proxy settings are used instead of this option. However, you can use the extension to use Proxy Switcher & Manager web proxy, which will only affect browser traffic.
Method 3: Public Wi-Fi
Instead of redirecting traffic through another network, you can connect to that network directly. For example, to public Wi-Fi.
The funny thing is, this is the only way to hide your real IP address. When you are connected to public Wi-Fi, no one can track you, especially if the hotspot is popular (for example, belongs to a Starbucks coffee shop). In this case, your activity will be hidden by dozens of other users. Keep in mind, however, that using public Wi-Fi comes with other risks.
By default, most public hotspots are not encrypted, and all your activity, including accounts for banks and online stores, is available to everyone. In addition, malware can enter your device via a public hotspot.
There are other ways that attackers can steal your personal information over public Wi-Fi. Thus, by hiding your IP address, you are simultaneously exposed to many other privacy and security risks.
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