Change IP Online

A proxy server acts as an intermediate between your computer/phone/Internet device and "The Internet". Instead of accessing the server of a website you want to view directly, requests are  sent from your computer to the proxy server first. It then serves the request in one of two ways.

1. It can access the information from the proxy’s cache and traffic is then sent to your computer or phone. In this way proxies are able to reduce the load on the remote server as they can serve some requests themselves through caching.

2. It can make a completely new request, in which your information is stripped out and replaced by IP/stats of the proxy server.

Proxies allow anonymity when browsing the Internet, masking the IP address of the computer with that of the proxy server. This means that no connections can be made between your computer and its browser history. Data can be transferred securely and regional restrictions to sites can be bypassed. Proxies are popular in countries with restrictions on media, such as access to YouTube or Google, as many proxies are web-based and can be run directly from the browser with minimal effort and no software installation.

Companies often use firewalls to control the information available to employees through the Internet. For example, they may block pornographic material, file sharing sites or sites that are well known for time wasting such as Facebook. This is called Internet filtering and is often also applied in
schools and other academic institutions.  With a proxy you can bypass these firewalls.

While most proxies are web based, and require no software, there are some that need software. This software ranges in ability, with some only able to work as a proxy server, while others are able to also work as a caching server or a firewall. I don't have much experience with software based proxies, so what I'm saying applies mostly to web based proxies.  If you're thinking about getting an IP changing tool installed on your phone or computer, I would suggest a virtual private network instead.

What about free proxies and open proxies?

Everyone likes free, and there are quite a few free proxies available. Free proxies and open proxies often go hand in hand, although the refer to different things. Free proxies simply means that the proxy doesn't cost anything to use. Open proxies are proxy servers and IP addresses that are available for public use. Both can be very useful, but dangerous as well.

If you've got your heart set on not paying for the service, there are some risks you should be aware of.  Proxies are easy to set up, and an attractive "anonymous IP address" from a free proxy may be the sirens song of spam. Open proxies have the reputation of being used for spam in a couple different ways. 

For one, if I am a spammer, instead of abusing my own IP, I will use an anonymous IP address.  When I sign out of the server, and someone else comes along to use that same IP address, they are then surfing the Internet with a "spammy" IP address.  This won't help you at all.

Another thing that's been known to happen is that a proxy server will log your IP address and be used as a tool to spy on your Internet activity.  With access to your real IP, anyone with access to the proxy server logs can hack into your computer and view your private information.  Sharing the proxy network with dangerous individuals would be in this category as well, and packet sniffing or identity theft is a lot easier when you have access to IP data of the user you want to spy on.

Which is why its ALWAYS better to use a paid proxy server.

There are many paid proxy servers available online. These range in the offered features, cost, length subscriptions available, and availability of support. I've used a few over the years, but the one paid proxy server that sticks out in my mind is SecuriTales. Access to their paid proxy server requires no download, and is available instantly after purchase.

Even if you find that their domain has been blocked on a network (due to firewalls blocking proxy sites), you'll have access to their proxy servers though your email inbox as well.  This way you'll be able to open up the secure proxy browser on you phone, at work and school, on public computers, and even on public wifi connections.

They offer a free trial, which is a great way to start any service, and it gets better after that.  You're then given 30 days to try out the proxy, after which you can ask for a refund if it's not up to standard.  You can try it for a whole month!

At $6 per month, its a steal – it breaks down to only a few cents a day.  It's worth a try, so check out their site.

www.securitales.com

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