[James Crosso]

Now, I don't necessarily use downloading for illegal means, but in today's world I am very paranoid about my anonymity on the net.

Do proxy server programs do an effective job of protecting your online identity? Are there any services (Mac OS X) that are recommended, even if they are subscription?

James

[kiwiguy]

Without an IP address, you simply cannot convey data.

Using proxy servers will obfuscate the IP address, but it always remains indelibly traceable, just more difficult to do so. Also a lot slower.

I guess its simply a matter that if one has little to hide, one has little to fear.

Or the inverse ...

[MysticEyes]

I guess its simply a matter that if one has little to hide, one has little to fear.

Tell that to all the recently released Death Row inmates when DNA testing proved them innocent, after rotting a few decades in jail.

[James Crosso]

The issue here is your right to privacy. I could be trying to do this for the innocent reason that I am trying to deter marketers from infiltrating my desktop. It is not as simple as you make it with your "little to fear" remark.

The point is that we need to protect our privacy because it is our right.

[charles7514]

Originally Posted by James Crosso

The issue here is your right to privacy. I could be trying to do this for the innocent reason that I am trying to deter marketers from infiltrating my desktop. It is not as simple as you make it with your "little to fear" remark.

The point is that we need to protect our privacy because it is our right.

Since our rights are slowly being chipped away from us, we need to do all we can do. I too wish there was services that allowed that. I know there is TOR and others, but also there is a chance that all major software for anonmity sold in the US has backdoors.

[MysticEyes]

Originally Posted by charles7514

Since our rights are slowly being chipped away from us, we need to do all we can do. I too wish there was services that allowed that. I know there is TOR and others, but also there is a chance that all major software for anonmity sold in the US has backdoors.

The current administration has certainly hastened that process in the guise of protecting us. Hacked away would be a more appropriate term.

As to the original question maybe some help here:

http://anon.inf.tu-dresden.de/index_en.html

http://www.the-cloak.com/anonymous-surfing-home.html

http://www.all-nettools.com/toolbox,privacy

http://www.all-nettools.com/library,privacy,4

[kiwiguy]

A proxy server will mask your "identity" from all "marketing" issues of "infiltrating" you desktop (though in using the internet for 12 years this "marketing" activity has never occurred for me, with no proxy used).

For your identity to be revealed through proxy servers, the parties would require Police search warrants to reveal which IP addresses were used incoming and outgoing.

"Marketing" parties will never have that ability, only law enforcement will have.

Even better is to have a dynamic IP which changes periodically (or at every connect, for dial-up). In NZ, one has to pay extra for a permanent IP address, ~95% of the connections are using dynamic IP's.

[Squashman]

Sometimes I feel like we have too many rights. Some days I feel we should be restricted just a little bit more because some people just take there freedom to the extreme. I don't know what anonymous surfing has to do with Marketers Infilitrating your desktop. Doesn't make any sense to me. What exactly do you mean by that.

There are a couple of options for surfing anononymously.

You could use Tor, iPig, TorPark and some of the web based proxies.

[lotuseclat79]

Hi James,

Here is a link to Dr Who's Security and Encryption FAQ version 20.6:
http://privacy.li/security_faq.htm

Read it carefully and in the process learn how to protect your online identity.

-- Tom

[JohnWill]

IMO, most of the measures in that security FAQ are way over the top for the average user. You'd spend more time securing your system than using it.