WILL PROXIES HELP YOUR PRIVACY?

A proxy server is one that is present in between a real server and a
client application. It is an interceding application where all the
requests that are sent to the real server are checked by the proxy
server to see if it can fulfill the request by itself. If not, it
forwards the request to the real server.

A
proxy server stores all the data in an unencrypted form. As it records
everything including logins and passwords, it can be put to malicious
use. But there are many ways to maintain privacy and anonymity. One way
is to chain the proxies so that the data about the requester is not
revealed. This will still not be secure because there are hops on the
way where traces of data get stored. The best method is to use a secure
proxy server which has a high level of integrity.

One of the
well-known filtering proxies for the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer
Protocol) is Privoxy. It is used along with Squid and TOR. Squid is a
web caching daemon and a proxy server that is released as free
software. It essentially speeds up a web server by caching all the
requests. Used by itself, it creates concerns because it stores a large
amount of data like the URLs and logins and passwords. TOR is free
software that enables people to communicate anonymously on the
Internet. Privoxy features advance filtering abilities that help
maintain privacy, filter content of web pages, manage cookies, controls
access, and removes banners, ads and pop-up windows. It can be used in
stand-alone as well as a large network. It is based on the Internet
Junkbuster. It can run on Windows, Linus, Mac OS X, BeOS and AmigaOS.
But it best runs on UNIX.

TOR is used with Privoxy to make the
system less vulnerable to attack through the Internet. TOR stands for
The Onion Router. "Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows
people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the
Internet," according to the TOR homepage. TOR contains many layers of
security that are removed one-by-one as a message is sent through TOR.
Using TOR information can be shared on public networks with good
privacy. Better communication tools are designed that contain privacy
features that are in-built.

Proxy servers when used with good
filters do help in maintaining privacy. It automatically helps filter
all the unwanted stuff from the Internet by acting as a secure
check-post
TAGS: HOW TO USE PROXY SERVER