An anonymous proxy will also help protect and hide your physical location any time web-surfing, paying bills, playing around, and even working. If disallowed from playing certain games or using certain websites on account of IP address location, a proxy server can help get by those restrictions.
When considering using proxies users should keep in mind the main differences of proxy servers and pick from the providers depending on the planned use, level of anonymity wanted, and available spending limit.
Public and private proxies differ in lots of ways – Here is what needs to be understood when learning to use proxies:
Public and Private Proxy Differences
Summary of a Public Proxy
A public proxy is a proxy that can be connected to freely by numerous clients and machines rather than just one solitary client. Public proxies most often don't have username and password authentication. However, there are public proxies that indeed have username/password security and the username and password is designed to be readily found by the public, so naturally they are still a public proxy.
Seldomly public proxies are provided by companies and random people out of the kindness of their hearts. More often public proxies are operating because of a computer problem or due to malware that users do not even suspect their machines are compromised by! Because these reason, privacy cannot be ensured with public proxies; even though public proxy servers do a great job of obscuring IP addresses, the proxy servers themselves might be recording internet activity and info for their own use.
Public Proxy PROs:
- Public Proxies are often free!
- Public Proxy lists can quickly be found on the internet.
- Public Proxies can be found at locations all over the earth.
- Public Proxies are good when you only need them once, or for a short time.
Public Proxy CONs:
- Public Proxies are usually slow.
- Public Proxies are unstable and can go down at any time.
- Public Proxies are often banned by major websites like Google.
- Public Proxies can be less anonymous depending how they are setup.
- Public Proxies can be risky if the server is tracking it’s users information for bad intent.
Summary of a Private Proxy
A Private Proxy is a proxy that is connected to only by a single client or PC. Private Proxies most often have either username/password security or they are authenticated using the IP Address of the user/client trying to use the proxy server.
Private proxies obscure IPs and provide fully anonymous use of the net. It's crucial to keep in mind that internet users leave a digital footprint in the form of IP addresses while using the net. This means that anyone having a small amount of internet-know-how is able to view what a different user is doing on the net, including hackers and spammers. Using a private proxy server almost guarantees a client's IP will be hidden. Additionally, most private proxy providers do not track traffic or information and only keep short logs of user IPs in the case of a crime.
Private Proxy PROs:
- Private Proxies are usually fast!
- Private Proxies are usually stable.
- Private Proxies are the most safe and private proxies.
- Private Proxies have lesser chance of being banned by websites.
Private Proxy CONs:
- Private Proxies usually cost money.
- Private Proxies are generally more difficult to find in specific countries.
Choosing Between Public and Private Proxies
Protecting privacy and sensitive information should continuously be of the utmost priority. With the utilization of a Proxy Server's IP address instead of your real IP address, users are capable of connecting to remote websites and servers without showing any sensitive information. Public proxies are usually free, but is anything really free in the world? Should highly personal information be trusted with publicly accessible and majorly visible public proxies? Definitely not.
If being worry-free is the goal, a private proxy should be utilized to securely and anonymously be on the the net.
