subject: Protect Your Identity And Use Anonymous Surfing While Online [print this page] Computer users all over the world are looking for ways to surf the Internet but still remain anonymous and keep their information private. There are some web-based tools out there that allow you to surf the net without giving up your personal IP address. These are called web anonymizers. They can provide a certain amount of protection, but the service can be a little limited.
One other options for anonymous surfing are the various commercial applications. These are programs that are installed directly onto your computer to protect you while you surf, chat, or email. If you need a more powerful system that can protect you in a variety of circumstances, this may be the most ideal solution.
The problem with web-based anonymizers is that you won't be able to do any online banking or shopping because it won't offer you an SSL or SSH encryption, which is necessary to visit retail or banking sites. Chatting over the Internet won't be covered, either, since that is beyond the abilities of web-based applications.
The web-based anonymizer is good for the occasional user as it is free to use and provides a way to keep your personal IP address private. This version of anonymous surfing works in a simple way.
A user simply has to go the anonymizer's website to use the service. Once you're there all you have to do is type in the URL of your destination website, and then the service will redirect you there but with its own IP address. You can use it to visit a lot of different websites, but it can take a lot of time to go back and forth between the anonymizer and the various target websites.
If you're looking for a more sure way to protect your identity and start anonymous surfing, chatting, and emailing, you should start to think about a commercial application. This will also allow you surf anonymously and still conduct your various online transactions.
With these programs you are looking at not only surfing privately, but also protecting yourself from the ever increasing crime of identity theft. Since the anonymous surfing software program is a download and can be installed as an application on your computer, you have more options for private surfing, email and chat since it does include SSL and SSH encryption.
You pay for other computer software to protect yourself from viruses and other threats, so it makes sense you would want to get further protection for your identity. If you want to keep your personal details private, this is the way to go.
