In this digital age, it’s becoming more important than ever to stay safe and anonymous while browsing the internet. Although using the internet has always had a bit of a privacy risk, we’ve never been more aware of the implications than now. More people are starting to realize how exposed they really are while browsing the internet and have taken steps to improve online security, privacy and anonymity. This has led to increased demand for tools like a residential proxy and VPNs to help disguise the users’ location and identity. But are these effective? How can you genuinely stay anonymous online?
In this article, we’ll be looking at why it’s difficult to stay anonymous online and some of the steps you can take to avoid being tracked. We’ll be looking at the use of proxies, such as a US residential proxy, that makes it appear as if you’re accessing the internet from a location within the US. We’ll also look at using P2P IP sharing and the privacy benefits. Continue reading to discover useful ways to protect your privacy online and keep you from being tracked.
Why Is Anonymity Online Difficult?
Anonymity online has never been guaranteed. However, as technology advances, it’s becoming even more difficult than ever to keep your browsing private. However, users have become more aware of just how exposed they are while browsing online in the last few years.
Any device you use to browse the internet, whether your PC, mobile device, smart television or other smart devices, is linked to your IP address. This IP address can be used to track you. With just your IP address, those with some know-how can see what websites you visit, how long you spend on these sites, what browser you’re using, who you’re interacting within social media platforms, where you’re accessing the internet from and even your device details. With access to so much personal information just hidden in your IP address, you can see how important it becomes to protect and hide your IP address.
Even if you feel you are anonymous, there is always a record being kept. If you make an anonymous comment, post or even host an anonymous blog, the platform you use still holds a record of your details and can release these details to the public if needed.
What Can You Do to Improve Online Anonymity?
If you are worried about being tracked online, don’t fear. There are a few things you can do to improve your online anonymity. Let’s take a look at a few of the available options to improve your online anonymity.
Residential Proxy
If you want to protect your identity and keep from being tracked online, a residential proxy is your best friend. A proxy acts as a middleman protecting the user from the internet. This means any request you send will go through the proxy first, and the proxy will allocate a new IP address to your request. This means that the websites, browsers and search engines you used will not be able to see your actual IP address. A residential proxy is even better as the IP address given to you will be from a real device linked to an ISP. If you use a rotating one, each request you make will be associated with a new IP address making tracking impossible.
P2P IP Sharing
Since users are so easily traceable by their IP addresses, what would happen if we all shared our IPs and used each other’s devices as a proxy server? Since a proxy server acts as a gateway between users and the internet, this would make it impossible to track our activities and location, right? This is true and is more commonly known as P2P IP address sharing. There are even some companies that are willing to pay users to use P2P IP sharing. However, doing this for money comes with its own risks, and you may be better off not doing this.
Private Browsers
Private browsers have been cropping up more and more recently. However, it is essential to note that not all browsers are truly private. For example, Chrome’s Incognito mode and similar ones do not keep your browsing history, but your IP address is still visible and trackable. As such, it’s important to carefully look into private browsers before starting to use one. A great one that has proved itself time and again is the Tor browser. This is one of the best solutions for staying anonymous online. Tor browser not only protects users’ identities, but it also allows them to access online resources, various social media platforms and websites that are blocked.
Final Thoughts
Staying anonymous online is impossible unless you can completely hide your IP address. You can use proxies, VPNs, P2P IP sharing and private browsers to hide your IP address and prevent others from tracking you or finding your location. We recommend trying out all these solutions, especially the Tor browser, for your own anonymity’s sake.
