You really should mention the Tor. Tor is software that creates a proxy to various Tor servers. These servers use cryptography to create forward secrecy between routers. Your information is bounced through a series of routers and finally is routed to its destination. The end connection only sees the last router information. The Tor network includes servers in many different countries, many of which have stricter privacy laws. For more information see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_(anonymity_network)

Posted by: Bryan
Thursday, February 08, 2007

Can you comment on Privoxy?

Posted by: Craig
Saturday, February 10, 2007

Dear Mr. Getting, I would like to offer another response to the recent question in your Tech Support column about anonymizing proxy servers. Many websites are turning to a technology known as “geolocation” which makes it possible to know the geographic location of its website visitors – even those trying to hide behind proxy servers.
Geolocation technology uses Internet infrastructure information to determine the geographic location of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses associated with Internet-connected devices. This can be used, for example, by online gambling sites to determine the location of would-be betters in order to comply with national, as well as local laws or by ecommerce sites to compare the bill-to and ship-to address with the buyer’s actual location to prevent fraud.
Public-source geolocation data, widely available in the industry, can help identify the location of IP addresses at the country, state and city levels. However often the IP location is not necessarily equivalent to the actual location of the end user. In fact, in some cases the user could be connected from a continent thousands of miles away and leveraging an anonymizing proxy to obtain illegitimate access. My company Quova, Inc. has spent more six years analyzing IP location, determining which IP addresses are representative of user location and which require more scrutiny.
There are more than 1.4 billion publicly routable IP addresses recorded in five major global registries. An IP address block might be associated with a major Internet backbone, ISP, large enterprise or a public institution. A given network block can then be sub-allocated, sometimes down to the individual IP address level, possibly to a location that is different than that which is listed in the registry. This is why simply using registry information to discern user location is inherently inaccurate. Many organizations operate on a multi-regional or multi-national scale.
Although registry is an important piece of evidence that should be assessed, it truly is only part of the equation. Active sensing techniques and human reasoning must also be applied. Quova continuously monitors the Internet and captures terabytes of data that is fed into patented algorithms that are constantly monitored and improved by human analysts with years of domain knowledge. The data is distilled into geographic information about the IP address including continent, country, region, state and city. It also offers information for use in many other client applications including representative time zone, postal code and latitude/longitude information.
Again, knowing the location of the IP address would be enough if the laws of network physics dictated that a user be in close proximity, but this isn’t the case. Many gateways by their nature offer a large geographic separation between the IP address and the end user. Some gateways can be considered deliberate methods for obscuring end user location depending on the application, such as anonymizing proxies. Others, such as international proxies, introduce a level of ambiguity that makes them risky for transactions. Quova addresses this issue by providing a data element called IP Routing Type and strongly advocates its use in compliance as well as fraud detection applications.
Quova divides IP Routing Type information into 10 major values indicating the prevailing network characteristic of an IP address. For the purposes of online gaming, all of these IP Routing Types are important. In particular, Quova strongly cautions clients on Special Routing Types which are a subset of IP Routing Type. For best practices, transactions coming from IP addresses with Special Routing Types should be blocked and some or all of the remaining IP Routing Types should be blocked or flagged so that they are escalated to the next level of validation within a gaming compliance or fraud department.
I would like the opportunity to discuss this issue with you further. I think this would make an excellent subject for a future article.

Thank you.

Kerry Langstaff
Vice President, Marketing
Quova, Inc.
650-528-3715
klangstaff@quova.com

Posted by: Kerry Langstaff
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

I disagree with the assertion that there is no such thing as anonymity in web surfing. Anonymizer.com offers it. It is an originator of it, and it has never been breached. Its security suites include anti-pharming, anti-spam and anti-phishing capabilities. Definitely worth checking out.

Posted by: JimmyJackFunk21
Friday, February 23, 2007

I should probably clarify the difference between "privacy" and "anonymity" when it comes to browsing the Internet. There are many services that offer "private" browsing, such as those mentioned in the above comments. However, that is a very different thing from "anonymity." The ability to go online and do whatever you want without anyone finding out is a hard-earned skill.

Keep in mind that, when it comes to making statements, I will usually air on the side of conservative to avoid liability issues. If you do something illegal online with the thought that a proxy server will shield you from prosecution, you are mistaken. That was simply my point.

Posted by: Brian Getting
Friday, February 23, 2007

I don't think the ability to surf while staying unknown is what people looking for a proxy is really after, after all if your trying to stay unknown then you've something to hide. If you've something to hide, your probably breaking the law. I'm pretty sure proxy servers are useless if the host is using Java because I recall reading that Java tries to take the shortest possible route and not one planned out — i.e it will not necessarily go through the proxy. (Something like that don't quote me on it). The reason the majority want a proxy is to get through those filters (probably those naughty school children who don't realize they'll seriously regret messing around in school 5-10 year down the line when they can't get a job, or they can but it's a dead-end factory job because they got rubbish grades, because they wasted their time playing games or browsing myspace).

Posted by: Alex
Saturday, February 24, 2007

There's anonymity if you surf via someone else's wireless connection.

Posted by: Jeb
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

About those services that offer private browsing: how private or anonymous is one who surfs the web? Does the proxy keep a record of the person's ip address even though he/she uses the private service? Will the respective proxy give that kind of information to whoever wants it?

Posted by: anna
Monday, March 12, 2007

After interesting article from Brian, and, as one of the creators of already mentioned site Proxyblind.org, I would like to elaborate on the meaning of word "anonymous."

Almost all connections made on the net through proxy servers can be traced back if they are logged by the servers and if admin decided to keep logs.

If someone (for example, state authorities) decide to trace you back, he/she can contact the administrator of the proxy server and ask for information or simply seize the server to investigate.

Then came in the game some very smart people who make it very difficult (do not want to say almost impossible) to trace using proxy chaining.

What is proxy chaining? It is using a couple of proxy servers in chain:

Your PC ---> ISP ---> proxy 1 ---> socks 2 ---> proxy 3 ---> proxy 4 ---> final destination site

What is the point of chaining?

The point is to use proxies from different countries before you reach your final destination. For example:

proxy1(North Korea), socks2(China), proxy3(Africa), proxy4(Russia)

and "tracer" will have very hard task to get back to PC 1.

The log of final destination site (in our example above) can be seen as coming from Russia. If Russia (proxy4) is contacted from tracer then they will (and it is only if log is kept) say that it comes from Africa (proxy3).

Then is needed to contact Africa (proxy3) etc...

If the tracer comes so far that the investigation and the log lead to North Korea, then it will be probably end of whole process because of relation between N. Korea and rest of the world.

Tracing is almost always possible if the log exists and being anonymous on Internet is almost impossible.

However, there are many things that will make it difficult to trace you back and where
being anonymous means real anonymous as chaining, using anonymous encryption connection where TOR is excellent example (I have no time and space to say something more about this great program and technology behind it), and I believe that development in future will give more advantages to "being anonymous" as it suppose to be.

Posted by: Deny
Sunday, March 25, 2007

All I know, are, proxies are very profitable, and some kids use them to access myspace from school or unblock websites. :)

Posted by: Hanson
Friday, April 06, 2007

I'm interested in Internet anonymity because I'm involved with creating a website that criticizes jihadists and Islam. I'm curious about how much security and anonymity a proxy server can give me and my family from having our location discovered by jihadist hackers (there are a growing number of them). You say there is no real anonymity, because the proxy server, at least, usually gets your IP address. I suppose there are also other security breach possibilities. So is the idea that the Internet permits safe free speech then really an illusion? Are there no real refuges for Salman Rushdies and Theo Van Goghs, etc., except police protection? If so, that is very depressing...

Posted by: traeh nam
Monday, April 30, 2007

The original author is correct. The FBI regularly gets logs from Anonymizer.com and every other so call anonimty service. Search Google for "FBI" and "Anonymizer.com". Let's face it - police are here to look after us and fight crime, and pretty much everyone who wants anonymity is doing something wrong - so sites that run these dubious services will be well used to one of either (A) handing over logs, or (B) spending time in prison. You can pretty much guarantee that (B) doesn't occur, or else the sites would not exist for long.

Almost every proxy in existence is *not* anonymous. The proxy software sends through your true IP address to the server.

Proxies are widely abused for spamming and crime - as soon as someone puts one up and people start using it - it gets "taken down" very quickly - within 24 hours usually. Because of this - it's almost impossible to construct proxy chains, so the only people who do this are the hardcore hackers engaged in very serious crimes - which means that the proxies in these chains suffer even *shorter* lifespans.

And that's not even *starting* on the hundred-and-one ways to get people's IP addresses by bypassing their proxies in the first place...

Posted by: FBI
Monday, May 14, 2007

I agree with Deny. Everyone in our school is in a computer class with no work to do and the school blocks some sites that are not school related; they even block proxies.

Posted by: Bob
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

so does Tor actually work to keep you, "more" anonymous?

Posted by: guest
Wednesday, July 04, 2007

I had a question, does ISP know which site you surf if you are surfing thru proxy? I know ISP can get log from proxy to find out that information what I want to know is if they can find out without getting the information from the proxy server?

Posted by: w
Friday, July 27, 2007

Someone give list of proxy websites.. stop this discussion.

Posted by: Michalle
Friday, November 02, 2007

A lot of the above comments are mis-informed. It is true that through the use of Tor some anonymity can be achieved; however the many servers that are utilized in the process do not encrypt. Thus, passwords, etc, can be stolen. A user hoping to utilize simple things like an email program or access a credit card account would be better to use simple encryption such as is already offered by most mainstream browsers and Internet Providers.

Secondly, it should be stated that proxify, etc, do not entirely hide I.P. to the diligent hacker.

What needs to be emphasized is that there are practical uses of proxies and network solutions such as Tor, however they do not match, for example, a government funded researcher doing work to, say, discover a terror threat. While it may be possible for people to "for all practical purposes" be anonymous, other attempts such as using Tor could do exactly the opposite.

I hope this clears up some confusion.

Posted by: James
Thursday, November 15, 2007

The person who doesn't want to be "followed " around on the NET by anyone-would do well to use someone else's resources to look around. Probably the "best" way. That said-I do NOT do that-but I do "Anonymize the ISP location when I "surf.")

Not everyone who wants to look around without "saying" WHO they are is criminal! How Stupid that assertion really is. I am a housewife. Is THAT a criminal endeavor? Lol! I just happen to want to look around at some websites and NOT have them "spam" the hell out of me-etc., or divulge my really harmless hobbies.

I do not look at anything except a particular bunch of ninnies who quite ludicrously persist in thinking they are potential Best-Seller Writers. I enjoy "popping" in to check out their latest pretentious offerings. (Sorry to disappoint! Definitely NOT a Criminal act).

Posted by: Mem Sahib
Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Is it there a way to find out if someone is using a proxy or not? Games do not allow to make multi accounts, but some people use proxy servers to change their IP. Is there a way to identify if one is using a proxy or not by their IP?

Posted by: xXatticus182Xx
Friday, May 09, 2008