Proxy Servers - Public, Anonymous, Lists, etc.

Public proxy servers pose extreme security and privacy risks. Can you think of any better way for a criminal/hacker/government to monitor your communications than by setting up a free proxy server and watching the traffic passing through it? Passwords, financial information, and free speech are all put at risk. Many public (free) proxy servers are setup for this very purpose.

*For these reasons and more, we HIGHLY SUGGEST using a low cost PRIVATE proxy service like: iPrivacyTools.com

Often lack support for SSL and scripts, making them buggy

Some examples:

• You are a student that wishes to access websites that are blocked by your school.
• You wish to view your online advertising as it appears to people in other countries.
• You wish to post in forums or bulletin board without displaying your IP address..

There are many reasons for wanting to use anonymous proxy servers. The first time I became interested was when I was being blocked by a website because of "abuse" - a website that I had never visited before in my entire life! This was on a dynamic IP address while using AOL, so obviously someone who had previously been assigned that IP address had abused the website, and then I was being blocked because of their actions.

Often lack support for SSL and JavaScript, making them buggy and insecure

A web proxy is simply a web page where you enter a URL and then the site relays the requested URL to you. Note that you are entering the URL on the website and not in the top of your browser as usual.

There are tons of web proxies, with more appearing every day. However, the scripts being used to run them are not perfect and you'll notice various page errors and frequent dropped connections while surfing. Also, there is significant security risk since most of them do not support SSL (https). Therefore, I do not recommend checking your email or doing anything that requires a password login while using a web proxy. For higher security and reliability, consider one of the options listed further down.

Very difficult to find; usually slow; often not fully anonymous; often blocked

The term "http proxy", "public proxy" or "open proxy" usually refers to a server that has been setup to relay requests between clients (your browser) and remote servers (websites). And an "anonymous" proxy is simply one that has been configured to not forward your IP address. Since there are other configurations, it is important to test your proxy connection for anonymity by checking your IP online, or using a program like proxy helper. Also, never use a public proxy server for secure website logins unless you have a secure connection (meaning you see the "https://" in your browser URL). As you'll probably discover, anonymous and SSL-enabled public proxy servers are becoming more difficult to find as they are the most sought after.

It is suspected that some public proxy servers are setup as "honeypots" that log and possibly watch Internet traffic. Can you think of any better way to catch bad guys doing bad things? For that reason, if you're concerned about privacy, it's generally a better to use a private proxy server or to setup your own proxy server.

If you do choose to use public proxy servers, be extra careful not to do anything illegal or even questionable, and make sure that you have a secure (https) connection when logging in anywhere with a password.

Obviously, doing anything illegal on the Internet is illegal whether you're using a proxy server or not.

That said, as far as simply using a proxy server for legitimate purposes, legality is somewhat in the grey area and dependent on various factors. For example, while some countries value an indvidual's right to privacy, other countries may consider an attempt to bypass censorship as illegal. Also, some courts may consider use of a proxy server without permission as illegal, while other courts may interpret a system administrator's granting of unrestricted access (connection to the Internet with no password protection) to proxy resources as implied permission. Because of these issues, you should consult with an attorney or qualified legal advisor before using open proxy servers.

Costs money; still a shared IP

A private proxy server is the same as an open proxy server except that access is password protected and usually requires a fee. Because private proxy services are actively operated and maintained, they are usually SSL-enabled, making online surfing much safer. And because they are not open to public use/abuse/overuse, private proxies are also more reliable and faster than open proxies.

A good example of a private proxy service is iPrivacyTools.com.

Costs money, and requires a little time to setup

Even with the best fee-based proxy services, you are still sharing bandwidth and may find that your connection is slower than usual. Also, there's a chance that someone has already abused the IP addresses offered and you may discover that the websites you want to access are already blocking your new IP. Moreover, although most proxy services claim that they don't log your Internet activity, there is no real certainty of this since you're not in control of the server. The solution to all these issues, and the only real way to give yourself a true virtual presence in another physical location, is to setup your own private anonymous proxy server.

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Do you have questions about setting up a proxy server? Comments or suggestions about this website?