Anonymous surfing is simply the ability to browse the World Wide Web but having your identity hidden from the outside world. From the outside world I am referring to the websites you visit. You identify can be hidden successfully by using an anonymous browser based proxy. These are just sites on the Internet that you can use to type in the address of the site you want to visit and the service will then take you to that website but keeping your information like your MAC address and your IP address private and hidden from the eyes of the site you are visiting. For example, when the user attempts to access something on a certain part of the Internet, the proxy site will communicate to that file as a middle man for the user, thus maintain that users privacy and anonymity.

The ability to browser anonymously also maintains the privacy of the user from potential loggers spying on the users connection. Anonymous proxy servers also allow Internet users to bypass any network restrictions imposed by its college or work place network. Firewalls of certain software installed onto computers or network filter out certain sites that are deemed inappropriate or unrelated. Proxies are often used in schools or offices where there are heavy restrictions on websites that are not accessible to the student. Students will usually do this to gain access to social networking sites and chat rooms which are often blocked by schools tech offices.

Office workers use the same methods and will often anonymously browse as this can help them bypass restrictions set by their employer and can help them cover their tracks in case the employer happens to be monitoring their Internet activities.

Even though anonymous surfing can seem to be the solution to complete privacy, it can also be potentially very dangerous. The reason for this is because the user using the proxy does not realise that the data remains unencrypted when it is being sent to the proxys server. This means that important information like login information, passwords, credit card information, and bank details could be leaked by a proxy service administrator who has malicious intent. People that are always looking to browser anonymously could quite easily fall into Internet traps where web pages display wrong security measures and the user ends up giving out too much or just plain sensitive information.

This could then lead to greater disasters and problems than simple, non-anonymous browsing as the proxy server and any persons associated with the maintenance of the proxy website could end up stealing the users information and doing whatever they like with it. A product with encryption as one of its features should ideally be used for maximum protection on all fronts. I hope the information on this article has proved useful and helps you understand that even though using proxies for anonymous browsing has lots of advantages, it also has many disadvantages that are often over looked by lots of people seeking greater privacy online.