ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Hide Your IP Address

Updated on June 19, 2017
Source

In my last article, "How to Check a Computer IP Address", I discussed how to find Both your WAN and your LAN IP's. (and I tried my best not to teach you anything ...(yawn...blah, blah), but I did "sneak" in a few tips... (sneaky, I know, but it's important).

I mentioned that your "WAN" IP is like a "Phone Number", it's unique across the globe. Only you (and your household) have that unique WAN IP. I then gave you a few web links where you can go and check your WAN IP in seconds. Let's think about that for a moment......

Your WAN IP is linked to everything you do, everything you search, everything you write, buy, play, etc.

It's nice to think that "More Cameras means Less Crime"..., but just WHO is in control of the "cameras", and "how exactly are they being used"?

No, Seriously, did you know that ISP's sell your surfing information?

See results

Free Web Proxy Servers

Web Proxy Servers are simply web servers that you can surf through. Once on the page, you may then use the page to browse elsewhere. They're a bit limited and sometimes slow, but the good sites usually work. Below I've listed a few that I know of, as well as a screen shot of what "pimpmyip" looks like. (and of course, you know me, I'm giving you the FREE options)......

  1. pimpmyip.com -- This is a very easy, single page that works.
  2. freeproxielists.com -- This is a huge list server. Look to the left pane, under "proxy lists". You don't need to start a "trial" of a paid proxy service...(unless you really want to).
  3. proxy4free.com -- Even better, super easy to use list of FREE proxy servers, that are categorized for you in groups like "Highest rating" and "Best Access Time".

Screen shot of pimpmyip
Screen shot of pimpmyip | Source

You'll notice the large ads "Your system is doesn't support this video file" --- ignore those. See at the bottom of the page, where I typed "bing.com". That's all you have to do.

Next hit "Browse" and you're off to search on bing. Now, let's see what happens when I type "IPCHICKEN.com" --(remember, from my last hub?).

Now I know for sure that my WAN is disguised.Simple, works (usually), but, the Ads can be deceptive (as you saw in my screenshot), AND, only that traffic which is going through the proxy site is disguised. Read on and I'll give you even better solutions (IMHO).

Source

VPN Services

There are VPN services that you can pay for. Most are fairly cheap, and the key is, once you're in a VPN tunnel, all of your web traffic is within that VPN tunnel. For the sake of keeping this a "hub" and not a "book", I'll just give you a couple of quality links that I know of:

1. Anonymizer Universal - This one actually costs some money, $79.99 for a 1 year subscription, but I have heard people swear by it. I invite you to at least look at the site.

2. HideMyAss.com --- (their logo is a jackass FYI), These guys offer a free proxy service right on their home page (like the web proxies mentioned above), but are also known for their Pro VPN service. The cool thing is that if you choose to pay for a vpn service, you can monthly, for under $12 bucks a month.

TOR - The Onion Router

I saved my favorite for last! For those of you who didn't fall asleep, and actually made it to the end of my hub, the rewards come sweet my friend. The TOR browser package is super easy to install, use, and of course, its free...

You can download and read all about the history of TOR here. The folks at TOR strongly suggest downloading the entire Tor Browser Bundle, and using the Tor Browser itself (which looks A lot like firefox). Why? Add-ons, extensions, and toolbars have "loopholes", and your browser will not be configured to stay completely private. By using the TOR browser (very easy -- only a click when needed), you ensure a private browsing session. Follow my screen shots and I'll give you a Tor:

1. Download your TOR Package. When you download the package (in my case for Windows), you'll probably end up with a folder in your "downloads" folder. I simply moved mine to my desktop.

Source

2. Open the folder and you'll see an icon that says "Start TOR Browser". Double click the icon and your TOR browser will load.

3. You'll then see the "Vidalia" screen pop up, just give it a sec, and you'll be in your new TOR browser, with IP confirmation.

TIP - You can actually have a normal browser session open separately (like firefox) and your TOR browser at the same time. I actually played with TOR browser to check out some of the proxy lists ;) -- see? hubbers have to research...

Source
Source
Source

Exiting TOR

The best thing about using the complete, TOR Browser, is that once you are done surfing anonymously, close the browser window and TOR goes away. The next time you need it, just open up the folder and click the "Start TOR Browser" icon. .........Easy, Free, Cool (The history of TOR is very cool, and I invite you to read up on their website).

Final TIP - I just want to stress that all of these tools are but "bricks in the wall". All of the choices I offered have their advantages, but you still need a good antivirus, routine cleaning, and of course, good judgement.



working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)