When navigating the internet, there is a direct connection between your device and the websites that you visit. A proxy is an additional security feature that comes in handy for this process to become much safer. But how does it work?
Let’s start with your privacy. From a layman’s point of view, anyone wanting to follow your activity needs to gain access to your device. From there, all they need is to go through your browser history to find out what you’ve been doing online. In this case, all you have to do is delete your history or enable the incognito mode to cover your tracks.
Unfortunately, fully safeguarding your online privacy is more complicated. With advancements in technology, anyone can easily trace your traffic remotely. That connection that leads from your device to the web has a number attached to it, known as the IP address. Hackers can pick your IP address from the websites that you visit and work their way backward to your computer, uncovering your identity and even your location. In this article, we elaborate on how proxies can prevent such exposure.
Using Proxies for Enhanced Online Experience
A proxy provides an additional stop-over in your browsing circuit. An additional server now falls between your computer and the internet. This proxy server bears a different IP address from your device. With it, anyone trying to trace your online activity will be directed to the alternative server and essentially thrown off track.
Other than hiding your identity, proxies can also conceal your data. While some hackers or malware may try to uncover your identity and location, there are those who want to collect your data for malicious reasons. Here, you can use proxies to conceal your information by turning it into a code that only authorized parties can interpret. Should anyone else intercept the information, they will be unable to decode it.
On an individual level, proxies are synonymous with security and privacy. People want the assurance that they can browse with confidence without a roving eye tracking their moves. Businesses benefit from proxies, too. Companies keen on safeguarding their sensitive information and preventing unauthorized access to their databases have a lot to gain with them. The full list of benefits associated with proxies is long and winding; we can only mention a few of them here.
Avoid Geographical Locking
Sometimes, IP addresses from certain regions are barred from accessing websites. You can bypass this by using residential proxies. These provide you with an alternative IP address in a different region. In this case, you’re not using a fake IP address, but one belonging to a real device situated in another location. When purchasing residential proxies, the provider gives you different options so you can select the region of your choice. With them, you can visit any website, no matter where you are.
Allow Investigative Research
Think of journalists or activists who are carrying out an investigation on a certain government or business scandal. They will need to access websites and databases to fetch relevant, likely sensitive information. Those on the other end won’t just sit back. They’ll be closely monitoring any IP address that seems to be crisscrossing their platforms. In this case, proxies can ensure that investigators don’t leave digital footprints all over the place, allowing them to do their job undetected.
Data Scraping
Proxies come in handy in business, too, particularly in data scraping. This activity refers to the collection of information for business intelligence. The relevant information here could include prices, sales, offers, reviews, marketing strategies, and so on. With a web scraping tool, you can go through multiple websites and collect this data quickly and efficiently.
A common challenge in web scraping is that websites often restrict IP addresses that try to extract large amounts of data. With a rotating proxy, you can employ multiple IP addresses to collect the information you need easily.
Final Word
There are a number of drawbacks associated with proxies. First, they could slow down your connection speed as they introduce a new server into the circuit. And we know there’s nothing more annoying than slow internet. Secondly, proxies are not always fool-proof. The levels of security and privacy offered vary, and sometimes, you may not stand to gain much.
To avoid such issues, go for a legitimate proxy provider and avoid free proxies like the plague. If you’re looking for a tool that shields your privacy, it will come at a cost. Define your needs and your budget, and you will find the ideal tool that matches your requirements. Ultimately, proxies make our internet experience a whole lot better.
