Anonymous web browsing
Encyclopedia
Anonymous web browsing is browsing the World Wide Web
while hiding the user's IP address
and any other personally identifiable information
from the websites that one is visiting.
can be achieved by using a proxy server
or a VPN
server. The proxy server works by redirecting the communication through itself. The browser's IP address is then only shared with the proxy server while the target website only sees the proxy server's information.
Anonymous Web Servers work by placing a wall between the user and the website that he/she is visiting. These servers can be used to bypass restrictions and visit sites that might be blocked in a specific country, office or school. Some people only use these servers to protect their online identity.
Anonymous web browsing is generally useful to internet users who want to ensure that their session
s cannot be monitored. For instance, it is used to circumvent traffic monitoring
by organizations which want to find out or control which web sites employees visit.
Browser addons like the Java VM plugin and the Flash player can be used to reveal the web surfer's IP address even if she/he is surfing through an anonymous proxy web server.
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
while hiding the user's IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
and any other personally identifiable information
Personally identifiable information
Personally Identifiable Information , as used in information security, is information that can be used to uniquely identify, contact, or locate a single person or can be used with other sources to uniquely identify a single individual...
from the websites that one is visiting.
Achieving Anonymity
When browsing the web, the computer connects to the target server by contacting the web page with the user's IP address and sharing other computer information, including the browser and operating system version. This information can be used to track the user. However, a certain degree of anonymityAnonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
can be achieved by using a proxy server
Proxy server
In computer networks, a proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server...
or a VPN
Virtual private network
A virtual private network is a network that uses primarily public telecommunication infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or traveling users access to a central organizational network....
server. The proxy server works by redirecting the communication through itself. The browser's IP address is then only shared with the proxy server while the target website only sees the proxy server's information.
Anonymous Web Servers work by placing a wall between the user and the website that he/she is visiting. These servers can be used to bypass restrictions and visit sites that might be blocked in a specific country, office or school. Some people only use these servers to protect their online identity.
Anonymous web browsing is generally useful to internet users who want to ensure that their session
Session (computer science)
In computer science, in particular networking, a session is a semi-permanent interactive information interchange, also known as a dialogue, a conversation or a meeting, between two or more communicating devices, or between a computer and user . A session is set up or established at a certain point...
s cannot be monitored. For instance, it is used to circumvent traffic monitoring
Website monitoring
Website monitoring is the process of testing and verifying that end-users can interact with a website or web application. Website monitoring is often used by businesses to ensure that their sites are live and responding....
by organizations which want to find out or control which web sites employees visit.
Limitations to Proxy Servers
Proxy servers have a number of limitations. Since proxy servers have to reroute information, web pages can sometimes load slowly. Also, since the server is attempting to bypass suspicious software, some elements of a page may not load. Proxy servers can even become more of a security hazard than browsing the web, since personal information such as credit card numbers and passwords are passed through an external server that could be accessed by someone else.Browser addons like the Java VM plugin and the Flash player can be used to reveal the web surfer's IP address even if she/he is surfing through an anonymous proxy web server.
Cookies
Cookies are strings of text that are saved on a computer by browsing different web pages. They allow small bits of information to be stored. Cookies are used to save passwords and shopping lists among other things. They are also used to track demographics and browsing habits. This information is sent to the user's computer and then uploaded to web databases without the user's approval.See also
- AnonymizerAnonymizerAn anonymizer or an anonymous proxy is a tool that attempts to make activity on the Internet untraceable.It is a proxy server computer that acts as an intermediary and privacy shield between a client computer and the rest of the Internet...
- Internet privacyInternet privacyInternet privacy involves the right or mandate of personal privacy concerning the storing, repurposing, providing to third-parties, and displaying of information pertaining to oneself via the Internet. Privacy can entail both Personally Identifying Information or non-PII information such as a...
- SpywareSpywareSpyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
- Firewall (computing)Firewall (computing)A firewall is a device or set of devices designed to permit or deny network transmissions based upon a set of rules and is frequently used to protect networks from unauthorized access while permitting legitimate communications to pass....
- OpenVPNOpenVPNOpenVPN is a free and open source software application that implements virtual private network techniques for creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities. It uses a custom security protocol that utilizes SSL/TLS for...
- I2P - The Anonymous NetworkI2PI2P is a mixed-license, free and open source project building an anonymous network .The network is a simple layer that applications can use to anonymously and securely send...
- PsiphonPsiphonPsiphon is a web proxy designed to help Internet users securely bypass the content-filtering systems used to censor the internet by governments in places like China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Pakistan, Belarus' and others...
- JAPJava Anon ProxyJava Anon Proxy, also known as JAP or JonDonym, is a proxy system designed to allow browsing the Web with revocable pseudonymity. It was originally developed as part of a project of the Technische Universität Dresden, the Universität Regensburg and Privacy Commissioner of Schleswig-Holstein...
- Tor (anonymity network)Tor (anonymity network)Tor is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software routes Internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers in order to conceal a user's location or usage from someone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis...
- HTTP tunnelHTTP tunnelHTTP Tunneling is a technique by which communications performed using various network protocols are encapsulated using the HTTP protocol, the network protocols in question usually belonging to the TCP/IP family of protocols...