Everyone is worried about privacy and security on the Internet. It is not enough anymore to avoid using your real name and being careful what sites you upload or download from. Stalkers can in many cases track your computer down to find out where you live. Hackers may be after your personal information, to perpetrate an identity threat or worse. You certainly do not want other people to be able to tell what websites you look at or what you watch or listen to on the Internet, either. A good firewall and reasonable caution help some, but they are just not enough to protect your privacy. You need to take some stronger measures to ensure your security when you use the Internet.
One of the stronger measures you can use to protect yourself is to use proxy sites. A proxy is basically another computer somewhere that your web activity is channeled into. How it can protect you, is very simple. If someone tries to trace your location or find out about your home network, it will lead them to the proxy instead of finding you. That way, if someone is trying to pinpoint your location, then the software will tell them that you are wherever the proxy machine is located, which may be all the way on the other side of the planet!
Proxy machines are usually very well defended against hacker attacks and snoop attempts, and they redirect the risk away from you when you use the Internet. If you run though a proxy, your privacy is better protected, and your Internet activity is much more secure. All the proxy really does is channel any information you are putting out when you use the Internet to itself, and then channeling any information you receive in return through itself as well, so that nobody sees you. In effect, you are hidden for most practical intents and purposes. They help keep your anonymity intact on the Internet.
School proxy sites are nothing new. Web savvy individuals have been using them to protect their personal information for years. As the growing concerns about identity theft and snooping have risen, so have reasons for considering using a proxy. The good news is that most of the major browsers have the option already built in to use a proxy, or at most it will require an easy add-on that is usually available at your browser’s home site to be installed. It does not take special software or a computer degree to start using a proxy to protect you.
Some proxy services do require paid subscription, but there are definitely some free proxy options available if you look for them. Your browser’s support site may offer one or more proxy servers for users of that particular browser, or you can search on Google for „free proxy“ and find more options to select. There are many available options to choose from and you should not delay. It is really important to protect your identity with so many bad things going on in the world right now.