One of the most frequently asked questions by the internet users is How To Hide An IP Address? It often becomes necessary to hide a real IP address for the sake of privacy. I have tried many softwares and proxy servers guaranteed to hide my IP address, but ultimately they all failed. Are you fed up with these dummy softwares that fail to hide the real IP address? Then keep reading!
The only solution to hide your IP address is by using a Proxy Server. Before setting up a connection to a proxy server, there is some information you must know:
1. Transparent Proxy Server This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy server and also makes the original IP address available through the http headers. These are generally used to speedup the web browsing since they have the ability to cache websites. But they do not conceal the IP of their users. It is widely known as transparent proxy because it will expose your real IP address to the web. This type of proxy server does not hide your IP address.
2. Anonymous Proxy Server This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy server, but does not make the original IP address available. This type of server is detectable, but provides reasonable anonymity for most users. This type of proxy server will hide your IP address.
3. Distorting Proxy Server This type of proxy server identifies itself as a proxy server, but make an incorrect original IP address available through the http headers. This type of proxy server will hide your IP address.
4. High Anonymity Proxy Server (Elite Proxy) This type of proxy server does not identify itself as a proxy server and does not make the original IP address available. This type of proxy server will hide your IP address. This is the best way to mask your IP.
Which Proxy Server is the best to Hide My IP Address?
I know, you can answer this question better than me. Obviously High Anonymity Proxy or Elite Proxy are the best options for hiding your IP address, but it’s not easy to get a list of working elite proxies. A Google search will provide you a list, using the following format:
IP:Port Number Eg: 221.90.45.67:8080 (221.90.45.67 is the IP of the proxy server and 8080 is the port number)
But most of these won’t work. Here are some of the problems/risks associated with using free proxies available on the internet.
- Most of them do not work since the proxy servers frequently change their IP/Port number.
- Even if you find a working proxy server, it may be too slow.
- Your privacy is not guaranteed since all your traffic is routed through the proxy server.
- The administrators of the proxy servers may steal your valuable information such as passwords, SSN (Social security number), credit card details etc.
So with all of these risks, how do we find a working, fast, highly anonymous and secured proxy server?
I will provide a list of software options that will successfully mask your IP address. I have only discovered a few that work perfectly. I’m listing them in order of popularity:
1. Hide The IP
It let’s you choose the country, type, and speed of the proxy. Not so popular but personally I recommend this to users.
2. Hide My IP
3. Hide IP NG
You can get more information about these products on their respective homepages.
How to ensure that the IP is hidden?
Before you hide your IP, you can check your real IP by visiting the following site.
WhatIsMyIPAddress.Com
Once you get your real IP, turn on your IP hiding software. Check your IP address again by visiting the same site. If you see a new IP, then your software is doing its job. The above site (Whatismyipaddress.com) is also capable of detecting many proxies. If you see a message like “Suspected proxy server or network sharing device” or something similar, then the proxy you are using is not an Elite Proxy.
One more thing before you leave! Even though Elite proxies are almost undetectable, this doesn’t mean that you can escape from online crimes by hiding your IP. There are many proxy detecting services available that are quite effective. If you involve yourself in any cyber crimes, you will definitely find yourself behind the bars. Using a proxy will not help you in this case.
One more thing, it is unsafe to use a proxy server during e-commerce transactions such as online banking or online credit card payments. Please avoid proxies during these circumstances.