Anonymous proxy servers act as intermediaries for web browsing and internet-based activities, offering privacy by hiding the original requester’s IP address. Transparent proxies broadcast IP addresses, while anonymous proxies do not. High anonymity and rogue proxies offer even higher levels of privacy.
An anonymous proxy server is a type of online computer server that can act as an intermediary for web browsing and various other internet-based activities. These servers are usually accessed via web browsers, although it is also possible to modify a computer, router or modem to send requests directly to a proxy. In both cases, the anonymous proxy server fields the requests, forwards them to the appropriate web servers, and then transmits the requested data. If an anonymous proxy is configured correctly, a web server will only see the proxy and keep no record of the computer that made the original request. This can be useful for maintaining some measure of privacy, although in some cases proxy servers can also be used to access region-blocked content.
There are several types of proxies, although only a few can offer any kind of anonymity. Most proxies broadcast the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of computers making requests through them. These transparent proxies can be used for certain purposes, such as bypassing IP bans. Sometimes this type of proxy can be set up to reach sites and content that a school or company has restricted access to. However, to create any kind of privacy, you need to use an anonymous proxy server.
The most basic type of anonymous proxy server easily identifies itself as such but does not transmit the IP information of any computer making requests through it. This can allow websites to be accessed without leaving any external evidence that a particular computer has visited them. Instead of keeping the IP of the computer that made the requests, a website will instead have a record of the proxy that actually made the connection. This type of anonymous proxy server can sometimes be used to access region-locked content, although more advanced versions are sometimes required.
Other proxies that can offer higher levels of privacy are sometimes known as high anonymity and bias servers. Rogue proxies identify themselves as a proxy server when making requests, but instead of not sending any IP address they report a bad one. In some cases this may be necessary to access certain region-locked content. High anonymity servers can also be useful in some cases, as they are not even identifiable as a proxy. In addition to not identifying themselves as a proxy when sending requests, they also refuse to pass on any IP information.
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