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.