Often people will want to know and will ask me, what would be the best free anonymous proxy to use?  Honestly there is no clear cut answer to that question.  Proxies that appear to be good may disappear from use on the internet within an hour.  So even if I was to recommend a very good fast proxy that would keep you safe online, by the time you got to the end of reading this article it could be gone and no longer be usable.  There is a simple reason that proxies like these never stay live on the internet for any length of time.

First off the cost of bandwidth, that alone can add up to be a large sum of money monthly.  Then taking into consideration the thousands of people wanting to surf the internet using your anonymous proxies, your bandwidth bill is only going to grow and bandwidth is only one part of the costs involved to running a proxy server, there are several other components.  You are probably wondering why if it costs so much, what is the purpose of someone making available free anonymous proxies for the general public to use?

There are two main reasons that free anonymous proxies are set up:

The first is that the owner of the proxy server is not even aware that their proxies are being used by someone else.  This can easily happen by accident when a server is not configured properly, leaving a port open, which then allows all kinds of anonymous connections to the server, instead of only being used for specific users.   Many times the only way a datacenter administrator will know that something is not right is by either the large bandwidth bill, looking at the usage graphs or seeing a massive performance decrease in the server.  Unless you are an experienced tech, this is a mistake that can happen easily.

Now for the real reason and one that should be a major concern for anyone who uses or is considering using a proxy on the internet is … Crime .. Identity Theft.  To these internet pirates everyone’s personal information is very valuable.  Everything from your bank account numbers, credit card numbers, your address, social security number and all your personal account and logins.  And the list goes on.  These thieves will stop at nothing to get your personal information; they seek out servers, usually from large companies and compromise them.  Then they take these proxies they have just stole and list them on websites for people to find and use and then steal all the data passing through that proxy.

Due to the danger of using these proxies the risk is far too great and out weighs all  the benefits.  Remember never use any of your personal or confidential information if you choose to use free proxies.  If your privacy and safety is much more important to you, but you are not able to pay for a secure professional service, then it may be worthwhile looking into TOR.  Although the connection may be much slower than what you are used to, it provides some anonymity although there are still many security issue so it would be best not to use it for secure requirements like online banking and stock trading etc.

Using a proxy has its advantages as and in this article we are going to talk about how to use proxies, how they work, the best ones to use, and their disadvantages.

Proxies have been around for as long as the Internet. A proxy is best defined as a middle man that handles data and communications for another entity on their behalf. The most common type of proxy is in the form of an Internet website. You simply visit the website, enter your web address that you want to go to and you are away. Proxies work by acting as a middle man and handling data on your behalf, thus eliminating threats like viruses and Trojans. Not only this, but it also hides your identity from the outside world.

Every website you visit collects certain information about you. The information that is collected and how it is used varies. The most common information collected is your IP address, geographical location, Internet browser you are using, and you ISP. These are the basics of what is collected. With advancing technologies giving rise to ever more sophisticated way of collecting data about you, you will be surprised about what a simple visit to a website reveals.

So are these proxies safe you may ask? Which are the best ones to use?

The majority of proxies are safe. However, you should be aware that some people that run these sites act with malicious intent. They do not care about your privacy and are more concerned about disrupting it and your computer system. Always check forums, newsgroups etc and try to find out as much information about a proxy before using it.

There will be people that have used it who will have had either a positive or negative experience. You can use this to help reach a decision. You can also check the hosting provider of the proxy. If the hosting provider is reputable then the chances are that websites are safe and secure and pose no threat to you. If you do have a negative experience, contact the hosting provider and put in a complaint and they will take action.

Proxies exist all over the world and location, location, location is a key factor here. Firstly, you want to look at where the proxy is being hosted. Avoid places like North Korea, Iran for obvious reasons. Secondly, look at how much the country of where the website is being hosted respects your privacy.

If your proxy is hosted in the United States, for example, this may be a poor choice. Ideally, you want jurisdictions that have tight privacy laws in place to maximise protection on all fronts. Probably the best two in the world are Panama and Guatemala. Both countries have tight privacy and secrecy laws and make attractive options above the US, Canada and EU countries. Also, like I have said before, avoid places like North Korea, Iran and Nigeria.

If you surf behind a proxy that is hosted in these countries then you are asking for trouble and are likely to run into problems.

As an Internet user you face many dangers online ranging from cyber criminals trying to steal your identity to marketing companies and ISPs tracking and logging your IP address. As a lot of web surfers know, one of the best ways for protecting personal information and maintaining Internet privacy is to use a proxy server. While many useful proxy servers can be found on the Internet simply by searching "proxy" on Google, the age old question that many Internet users have difficulty answering is: What is better to use, anonymous surfing software or free web-based anonymous proxies?

A software-based proxy will run with your current browser and allow you to surf freely without having to go back to a homepage to enter a new URL every time you want to visit a different website. This type of proxy does require the user to download and install the program, but after installation it should only require 1-click to run the program and surf anonymously. A good software proxy will cost you a few dollars a month, which is a downside compared to the free web proxies. There is usually a fee associated because you are getting what you pay for. Software proxies, much like their web-based counterparts, offer anonymous surfing, but also encrypt the data being transmitted. This means that in addition to your IP address being masked, your data and the transmission between networks is also secure, unlike a web proxy. Another positive aspect of software proxies is that your origin is also hidden. A website will see your origin as the last website you visited before coming to them, which can tell them a lot about you if they are tracking your surfing habits. Software proxies also allow you to surf through various domains so that if an IT department does try to spy on you they will only see the fake web URL that the proxy gives them. The proxy will show them you are surfing on officetrainingtips.com, while you are really checking your personal e-mail.

Web-based proxy servers are quite easy to use and require nothing on your part besides an active Internet connection and a web browser. These web anonymizers require you only to enter the URL of the site you wish to visit and give it a click. Your IP address is hidden and replaced with the IP address of the site’s server. This is a great example of proxy avoidance and will get you onto a blocked website, but only offers minimal, if any, data protection and encryption services. The main purpose of the web-based anonymous proxy is to get on websites such as MySpace, Facebook, or any other site that that would normally be blocked by a school or company’s IT Department. Another downside is that this type of proxy is unable gain access to sites that use Secure Socket Layer or Secure Shell encryption, such as banking sites.

Ultimately, both methods of protecting your IP address and maintaining Internet privacy have their pros and cons. At the end of the day if you only need a quick fix to get onto a blocked website that requires no personal information, such as account numbers or passwords, then a web proxy will work for you. Using a software proxy whenever you surf, even if only for a few minutes, would be highly recommended. It is still easy to use and offers much more protection and freedom to surf without the worry of just how protected you are. Since both will hide your IP address it is more important to focus on the advanced protection a software-based proxy can offer you. This factor alone makes software-based proxies, such as Private Proxy, your best bet.