s into your mind when you hear the words “proxy server”? Maybe it is another piece of technical jargon? Maybe some Internet geek mentioned it to you? Maybe you saw it when you were searching for something on the Internet? Well, wherever you’ve heard of it or whatever you think of it, sooner or later you’re going to need it. Why, you ask? This will enlighten you about the background of proxy servers. What is a proxy server? In simple terms, it acts as your “representative” when going online; something similar to a middleman in a company. It was made mainly to hide users who wish to remain anonymous when online, because when they use proxy servers, the real identity of the computer they are using is masked. A proxy server may be an actual server, or a simple program to simplify the process of using one. What are a proxy server’s functions, and what do they do? When speaking technically, when you use a proxy server, it is the proxy server that downloads resources and content from the Internet. It then passes on the content to you. Thus, it is, technically, not you accessing the Internet, but rather it is the proxy itself. Your “request” for certain Internet content is passed onto the proxy server which you are connected to, and the server processes this request and connects to the Internet to serve it. When it has gathered the requested resources, it loads it up on the server, and passes back the results to you. What are a proxy server’s specialties? When you use a proxy server, there are often special options and filters you can set. These options and filters help the server to cater the content to your need. For instance, you can disable complex Flash presentations and website scripts to help the content become smaller in size and therefore load faster. These involve safely altering your computer’s request for content, which is the one that goes into the proxy, or it may happen the other way around, in which the Internet server’s response is altered so that the resource is modified to your needs. Hopefully, this has answered most of the common queries you may have about proxy servers. Now that you know what a proxy server is, what it does and can do, you would be able to use one without much difficulty. Go forth and explore anonymously!

By using a secure proxy, you have the chance to increase both your privacy and your security when you are online. Please do not assume that the Internet is an anonymous place because it isn’t. Everything you do online leaves a digital footprint. Not only are records kept of your activities, viruses, adware, spyware and all sorts of nasty bugs exist that could potentially damage your Internet connection and/or computer.

Before surfing the Internet make sure that you have adequate anti-virus protection installed. Also make sure that you firewall is set to enabled. Once both of these are done you can then start browsing behind a proxy site. This will give you a greater degree of anonymity and will allow you to stay more safe and secure. Free proxies are available all over the Internet so it shouldn’t be difficult finding one. If you have some spare cash you may want to think about investing some money into using a paid service. Ok, this may be costly but it should enhance your browsing experience even further. Using a paid service often allows you to take the level of protection to a higher level; encryption.

Encryption allows sent and received data between two devices to stay jumbled up. This means that if anyone one was to intercept the data then all they would get is gibberish, not the actual data being transmitted. Encryption programs use algorithms to determine how data is transmitted. The algorithms may also change from time to time, further increasing your privacy.

A paid option is probably a more reliable option but don’t always assume that just because it is a paid service it is necessarily better. So how to you find a secure proxy? How do you know that the proxy can offer maximum protection? Well there are a couple of basic things you can do to ensure that a proxy is a healthy. If you can ascertain that the proxy has been around for a while then that can definitely add to its credibility. Proxies that just come one day and disappear the next are a cause for concern. Also, try and find out where the proxy is being hosted. If it is being hosted in places like Panama, for example, this is a great advantage to you. Panama has strict laws in place for data protection and doesn’t pass any information to foreign governments or bodies without a court order from a Panamanian judge.

Your IP address is shielded when using a proxy. You IP address is your unique identifier and every single computer connected to the Internet has one provided to them from their Internet Service Provider. Browsing behind s proxy allows for anonymous surfing as only the details of the proxy are recorded, not yours! This ensures 100% privacy and the only way anyone could find out your IP address would be to ask the owner of the proxy site. This would be difficult if the proxy was located offshore and even more difficult if it was located in a country with strict privacy laws in place.