A proxy site is simply an ordinary website that sits in between your computer and the Internet. It works by handling all data on your behalf, thus giving you a greater degree of privacy and security while you surf online. With the proxy sitting in the middle you have minimal threats from hackers, viruses, trojans etc. It also means that when you browse the Internet, you are safe because things like you IP address, geographical location etc are safe. When you browse the Internet, websites that you visit record various pieces of information and uses it for god knows what. Surfing behind a proxy eliminates this problem.

Proxies have been around for years and years now, probably as long as the Internet its self. To find a proxy simply type the phrase proxy site into a search engine. Thousands of results will be displayed and you can pick any one in the list. If you enter the website you shall be able to find out more about what a proxy is and how they work. If you choose to use a proxy please make sure that it reputable. By that I mean make sure that it is reasonably well known by others and if it is one that they use regularly and can recommend. Check forums, newsgroups etc and you will be able to get a general idea.

Another problem is location. If you choose to use a proxy be careful that it is not being hosted in places like Nigeria, Iran, or North Korea. It is up to you but I would not recommend using sites that are being hosted in these countries. If you do, you could open a whole can of worms. Places like Panama are a good option. Panama has really tight privacy and secrecy laws in place that prevent data being released to any person or authority without a court order from a Panamanian judge. This means that what you do via your proxy site should remain private and will not fall into the wrong hands.

Proxy websites are often thought to be used solely for illegal or immoral activities. This is not the case. People may want to remain private for lots of different reasons. Internet banking is a good example here. Would you like valuable data to fall into the wrong hands under these circumstances? Of course not. This is why taking measures like, firewalls, antivirus software, and proxy sites are necessary to maximise your protection on all fronts.

If you can stretch to it and have some spare cash then invest in a product that offers encryption as one of its features. There are lots of products that offer this. It allows all data transmitted to be jumbled up so that no third party, who may hack the signal, can make sense of it. All they will see is gibberish as opposed to the actual data.

I hope this article has been useful and that you can use it to get a general idea of what a proxy is and how they work. I hope you can find a good, reliable proxy and can put it to good use. Do not be scared to ask around on forums and newsgroups if you unsure about the reliability of a particular proxy site.