Surf Anonymously Online

Surfing the Web Anonymously

It is possible for others to learn information about you online while you are surfing. This can happen even if you think your activities online are low-key and you haven't advertised who you are online. Even if your system is not full of virus or malware software, there are some details that others can gain about you once you point yourself and your computer online.

Easily accessible information that others can pick up when you're online:

* Your IP address
* Your Country (and sometimes more focused details about your location, county/province, and city)
* What computer system you're using
* Which browser you're using to access the web
* Some of your browser history

People may be able to find out your computer's 'Name,' too and then figure out what kind of software and other programs your computer will be compatible with (in case they are trying to send something malicious and want to make sure it will install on your system).

"Cookies" can track your movement throughout websites and even if you change users on your computer, some people can become aware of you 'switching' users.

There are some products kicking around that allow you to move around your computer and the Internet 'Anonymously.' These aren't foolproof, but they make it hard for others to track your activities online.

Some sites sell anonymous proxy servers and there are some free services online, too. These also aren't 100% effective, but they can usually allow an average person to surf general sites safely - without the worry of having real personal information and location stats blatantly showing to internet users elsewhere.

I am testing out 2 free services, but will post these at a later date, once I have had more time to evaluate their effectiveness and ease of use.

I just thought I would put the word out - because a lot of people do not know that there are free or reasonably priced programs that allow users to surf and keep their real, personal information away from those who might exploit these details.

I'll let you know in about a week, how well these programs work.


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