Anonymous Surfing

Anonymous surfing allows you to wander the Internet without leaving any track of your computer's IP (Internet Protocol) address. An anonymous surfing program runs all of your web traffic through a third computer.

Advantages of anonymous surfing
Anonymous surfing allows you to surf the web without leaving a trail of particulars about your browser, your computer system, your country, IP address, etc. This is usually done by entering the address (URL) of the site you wish to go to at the free anonymous surfing proxy site, and that site will retrieve the page for you and present it to you. The site you visit will not receive any particulars about your system, your IP address etc because the anonymous surfing proxy will not have transmitted such particulars to it. Anonymous surfing defeats this ability by using a go-between proxy that 'stands' between the surfer's computer and the Web. This intermediate server, or anonymous surfing proxy, handles all of your computers requests for you. Your requests go to the proxy, which relays them to the anonymous surfing Web. The website sends the requested pages back to the anonymous surfing proxy server, which then forwards them to your computer. Websites can only log the anonymous surfing proxy's IP address, not yours. Anonymous surfing is rather like having a valet run all of your errands for you, so that the valet's face is the only familiar face on the Web.

Instead of connecting your computer to a web site directly, you connect to the anonymous surfing service, and the service connects to the web site on your behalf.

All data is funneled through the anonymous surfing service.

This "anonymizes" you, because the web site you're visiting never sees your IP address. All they see is the IP address of the anonymous surfing service. This is accomplished via a proxy service.

Anonymous Surfing Servers

The Tor Network and the Privoxy software work together to hide your computer's IP address. They accomplish this anonymous surfing by bouncing your signal around several Internet servers called Tor "onion routers". Much in the same way Hollywood spy movies depict a telephone call being routed around dozens of false phone locations, so is your online identity when masked by these special anonymous surfing Tor servers. Your true IP address is effectively hidden from when you surf/email/download through the Tor onion anonymous surfing network.
If you wish to mask your ID when you surf, use one of the many anonymizing anonymous surfing services available on the Web. Most of these anonymous surfing Web-based services work the same: You log on to their site and go wherever you want on the Web from there. The services hide your actual IP address and substitute their own anonymous surfing.

There are many free proxy programs for anonymous surfing, but most rely on using 'unwilling' proxy servers. These are private business servers configured incorrectly to leave open ports, which anonymous surfing programs can exploit. Enthusiasts use port scanners to check for unsecured networks, then post their addresses publicly on a daily basis. When administrators realize the breach, the port is normally closed to anonymous surfing.