The Internet has become an indispensable part of our lives. Most people have taken advantage of online technology in doing various transactions like shopping, banking, playing games or online chatting. Making online transactions requires you to enter passwords or information which you probably want to remain a secret.
Unfortunately, whenever you indulge in anonymous surfing, you provide personal information which is being recorded and can be easily monitored. Your IP address and personal data is being maintained by the service provider and can be easily marketed to a third party. Surfing anonymously provides you the option to consider free anonymous web surfing or looking for good, reliable and cheap anonymous surfing software. Now the question that comes to mind is which is the better option when it comes to maintaining the security of your identity is concerned.
With free anonymous web surfing, tools known as web anonymizers or proxies are commonly used to protect the identity of the user. They are free of charge and the procedure involved is very easy. Just go to the proxy site and type the website address you intend to browse. From there, you will be redirected to your target site.
Although using proxy sites would seem to be the solution to your problem, the truth of the matter is these sites are not helpful as many thought they would be. In fact, looking for a legitimate proxy website can be disappointing. If you do find one, chances are the site would bombard you with a lot of spam.
In addition, if you do find an honest and legal proxy site, you would end up giving up on free anonymous web surfing because the site is either too slow or highly undependable. Web anonymizers are only suitable for occasional surfers but if you are a regular browser, going back to the proxy site can be cumbersome.
Another dilemma with free anonymous web surfing is that majority of proxy sites are not compatible with SSL or SSH encryption. This means that you would not be able to access the most secured connections and conduct online transactions such as Internet shopping or banking.
On the other hand, considering anonymous surfing software to browse the Internet guarantees complete anonymity and security of your identity. Anonymous surfing software can be installed on your computer and can keep your personal information completely concealed.
Moreover, anonymous surfing software is capable of effortlessly switching from one proxy site to another while keeping web traffic secured from the client and back. They provide a guarantee that all your surfing activities will be unavailable to third party organizations.
Another advantage of anonymous surfing software is that they are not only compatible with SSL or SSH encryption but it also keeps your web-based applications secured.
When choosing between free anonymous web surfing and a reliable anonymous surfing software, the first thing you need to consider is the amount of online confidentiality and security you will need. If you are only an occasional user who browses the Internet for enjoyment, availing of free service may be the way to go.
However, if surfing the Internet is a regular part of your routine, then the best option is to purchase anonymous surfing software.
Anonymous Web Surfing Software
This information about all the websites we have visited can be used to construct a profile of our browsing habits and this information is valuable to website owners, marketers or even the authorities. These records are all stored and held by our Internet Service Providers (ISP's) and can be easily bought and sold to those interested parties.
To protect us from these people, we can surf the internet anonymously either via web based free anonymous surfing tools or by downloading anonymous surfing software. By using either method, no records of our surfing history can be traced back to our IP address.
So which is the better option?
Web based anonymous surfing tools are known as web anonymizers. They are usually free to use and the process is relatively simple. You go directly to the anonymizer website and type in the URL of the website you want to visit. The anonymizer website then redirects you to the site destination, which sees the anonymizer website server as the IP address and not your own IP identity.
A free web based anonymizer is definitely a convenient option if you're an occasional surfer...however if you surf the internet more than two hours every day, going backwards and forwards to the anonymizer website can be quite tedious.
The biggest problem however with web based anonymizers is that most of them are not enabled with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or SSH (Secure SHell) encryption. In other words, you cannot connect to banking, shopping and other secure sites which use this technology.
Commercial anonymizers or anonymous surfing software, are systems that you download and install as a client application. This software manages all the details of anonymous surfing for you. As soon as your browser is loaded, our connections are automatically anonymous...and there is no tedious visiting of an anonymizer website.
The main advantage however is that the best anonymous surfing software will be enabled with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or SSH (Secure SHell) encryption and protect from not only web browsing but from other web based applications such as email, ICQ, IRC etc?
Both Kim Hald & Giselles are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.