FYI: For those who would prefer browsing anonymously

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

http://www.hide-ip-soft.com/

Hide IP Platinum 2.3 now supports Firefox and Opera browsers.

Although browsing IS slowed down significantly (no doubt even more so when dial-up is used) there are many who may now think this concept and program to be worthwhile. I've been evaluating various versions over the past two months, and in light of my success with it, it seems especially important for me to let others to know of this option now that we know we are being "secretly" watched by Big Brother.

[Deja Q]

1. Windows only? And why not manually find proxy servers?

And you still have an IP address tied into your ISP. Everything you do is still seen by them. This only makes things more difficult and adds needless suspicion due to jury-rigged indirect connectivity. I don't think it resolves the problem OF privacy, which thanks to the internet and its much vaunted creator is a bug-infested pipe dream. And if the company is charged to release its logs, it's going to have to do so.

Or do you reconfigure your DSL/cable router to go to that server instead? (for some reason, I doubt that's the case.)


Now I'm by no means even a remote expert on networking, but I am full of questions as to the validity of its claims. Especially for a $35 SOFTWARE application (or $50 if I add the cookie deleter program, and if people don't know how to delete cookies then they shouldn't be using a computer!)

[many a good man]

2. Its probably a proxy

I've heard of these services before. All your surfing gets redirected to a big proxy server that sends its IP, not yours, to the web servers and email servers. Even if the company never turns over its logs to NSA, I'm sure it arouses suspicion that you have something to hide.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

3. This simply routes you through various proxy servers

You CAN simply do it via your lan setup IF you have a list of proxies, but that list constantly changes- IPs get locked out, browsing to some sites may be forbidden depending on the location of the proxy, and so on. This program simply does all that automatically. No reconfiguration of your router or modem is needed. I assume they software designer keeps an updated database of proxies so broken ones are striken from the queue.

I've browsed via proxies in Mexico, Turkey, Malaysia, China (not much available there, but still...), Japan.... let the NSA track all that if they want to. I can actually see this program being made illegal at some point (much the same way they tried to destroy PGP).

If you feel safe and secure staying "public" with your browsing habits, then by all means keep your thirty five bucks and buy a good meal with the money. I just pointed out the availability of this program for those who are uncomfortable with the way things seem to be going within the government at this moment.