Because your computer behaves as if it’s on the network, this allows you to securely access local network resources even when you’re on the other side of the world. All your network traffic is sent over a secure connection to the VPN. VPN is a much better solution. When you connect your computer (or another device, such as a smartphone or tablet) to a VPN, the computer acts as if it’s on the same local network as the VPN. The problem with proxy servers is that many of the services out there are pretty shady, spying on you or inserting ads into your browser. When those servers send information back to you, it goes to the proxy server, which then routes it to you. The internet servers you visit see only the IP address of that proxy server and not your IP address. (There’s also Tor, which is great for extreme anonymization, but it’s very slow and for most people isn’t necessary.)Ī proxy server is an intermediary server through which your traffic gets routed. The two primary ways to hide your IP address are using a proxy server or using a virtual private network (VPN). RELATED: Can Websites See Your Physical Location? How to Hide Your IP Address This is a major problem, as half of the people on the internet in the US only have one choice of ISP, so for many, it’s either be spied on or go without internet. While they all claim they don’t sell customer data, it is certainly worth a lot of money to ad companies, and there is nothing legally stopping them. Under US law, your Internet Service Provider (Comcast, Verizon, etc.) has the right to collect information about you without your permission and sell it, just like any website owner does. ![]() The spying and selling of user data aren’t limited to websites either. Anyone with your IP address can do this, and while it won’t give out your actual home address or name to everyone, anyone with access to your ISP’s customer data can find you fairly easily. Here I’ve done a basic IP lookup, which returned my location down to the area of the city in which I live. Your IP address gives away more information about your physical location than you might think. ![]() Can an IP Address Give Away Your Physical Location? The only way to avoid this is to remove your IP from sight. The agencies that combat this type of online behavior use your IP address to track you and hand out fines. ![]() ![]() By using a different IP address, you can easily unblock Netflix and other entertainment, making the most of your subscriptions. Even some free websites may geo-lock their content, making it unavailable in certain countries.Īnother reason to hide your IP address is if you’re torrenting or otherwise committing some kind of software piracy. Hiding your IP address is also great for getting around less serious blocks: many streaming services cordon off parts of their library depending on the country you’re in. Your IP address can also be used to track your location, even when your location services are turned off.ĭisguising your IP address is also a great way to avoid government surveillance: whether you’re trying to circumvent active spying or trying to escape internet censorship in countries like China that block some online content, ditching your real IP will help you get around these restrictions and view blocked websites. This is why ads on the internet sometimes feel oddly personal: it’s because they are. They then sell this data to advertising companies who use it to tailor ads straight to you. For one, hiding your IP address means it’s harder to track you online: marketers like to target ads using IP addresses, for example. Whenever you access a website, the server you connect to logs your IP address and attaches it to all the other data the site can learn about you: your browsing habits, what you click on, and how long you spend looking at a particular page.
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