It is not pleasant to find out that you can be distantly watched while checking out a certain web page or that someone can obtain private information on you just because you visited some web pages that interested you. Hackers can enter your computer by getting your home IP address and they can sabotage your computer.

Companies hire people who place cookies into some web pages and when you visit that web page the computer will store those cookies and so your visits will be tracked. These cookies can do bad things. They can give information about you to certain persons. Companies can gather databases of information and finally they will find out your e-mail address, interests, location, Web-browsing habits, and other things that are none of their concern.

Cookies can do good things too, like automatically displaying information about a previously requested region's weather conditions when you visit again a certain web site. Some cookies can remember the user name and password you use and will save you from retyping them every time you visit that site.

Besides cookies, your home IP address can get hackers track your moves on the Web. Your online privacy can be lost if unscrupulous persons get your home IP address as they use it to obtain access to your hard drive and your personal details. Some web sites even contain hacking programs which will affect your computer making you reboot it.

In order to hide your IP address you need to use a proxy server list. The proxy server will provide its own IP address when you visit a site. They also increase the speed of navigation as they save information and files that are requested by many users in a special database what is called "cache". By hiding your IP address you will be safe and your identity will be protected against hackers and web sites which collect information about you and track the number of your on line visits.

Using a proxy server for hiding your IP address is legal as long as you do it without harming others or as long as you do not intend to do illegal business on the internet.