[pchelpers] Re: ip address

*This seems to be very helpful Billy.  Hope it is useful to you.
Re-Na
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/workingwithipaddresses/f/hideipaddress.htm

Question: *Can You Hide Your Public IP Address?

When connecting to the Internet, your home computer (or network router 
<http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/routers/g/bldef_router.htm>) is 
assigned a public IP address 
<http://compnetworking.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-ipaddress.htm>. 
As you visit Web sites or other Internet servers, that public IP address 
is transmitted and recorded in log files kept on those servers. Access 
logs leave behind a trail of your Internet activity. If it were possible 
to somehow hide your public IP address, your Internet activity would 
become much more difficult to trace.

*Answer: *Unfortunately, it is not technically possible to always hide 
the public IP address of a home network. An IP address enables devices 
to locate and communicate with each other on the Internet. Completely 
hiding the IP address of a device would render it invisible but also 
unusable online.

On the other hand, it is possible to hide public IP addreseses from most 
Internet servers in most situations. This method involves an Internet 
service called an *anonymous proxy server.*


      Anonymous Proxy Servers

An anonymous proxy server ("proxy") is a special type of server that 
acts as an intermediary between a home network and the rest of the 
Internet. An anonymous proxy server makes requests for Internet 
information on your behalf, using its own IP address instead of yours. 
Your computer only accesses Web sites indirectly, through the proxy 
server. This way, Web sites will see the proxy's IP address, not your 
home IP address.

Using an anonymous proxy server requires a simple configuration of the 
Web browser (or other Internet client software that supports proxies). 
Proxies are identified by a combination of URL 
<http://compnetworking.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-url.htm> and TCP 
port <http://compnetworking.about.com/library/glossary/bldef-port.htm> 
number.

Numerous free anonymous proxy servers exist on the Internet, open for 
anyone to use. These servers may have bandwidth traffic limits, may 
suffer from reliability or speed problems, or might permanently 
disappear from the Internet without notice. Such servers are most useful 
for temporary or experimental purposes.

Anonymous proxy services that charge fees in return for better quality 
of service also exist. These services are designed for regular use by 
households.


      Hiding Your IP Address - Related Tools

Several related software tools (both free and paid versions) support 
anonymizing proxies. The Firefox extension called "switchproxy," for 
example, supports defining a pool of proxy servers in the Web browser 
and automatically switching between them at regular time intervals. In 
general, these tools help you both find proxies and also simplify the 
process of configuring and using them.

The ability to hide an IP address increases your privacy on the 
Internet. Other approaches to improving Internet privacy also exist and 
complement each other. Managing Web browser cookies, using encryption 
when sending personal information, running a firewall 
<http://compnetworking.about.com/od/firewalls/l/bldef_firewall.htm> and 
other techniques all contribute toward a greater feeling of safety and 
security when going online.





-- 
-------list-services-below-----------
Regards, John Durham (list moderator) <http://modecideas.com/contact.html?sig>
Freelists login at http://www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/lsg2.cgi
List archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/pchelpers
PC-HELPERS list subscribe/unsub at http://modecideas.com/discuss.htm?sig
Latest news live feeds at http://modecideas.com/indexhomenews.htm?sig
Good advice is like good paint- it only works if applied.

Other related posts: